The developer of a senior living facility at 900 King St. in Rye Brook hopes to be able to conclude a five-year approval process and break ground this summer, a source involved in the project has told the Business Journal. The applicant for the project is Rye King Associates LLC, which has an address at the Manhattan offices of real estate company George Comfort & Sons Inc.
The Rye Brook Board of Trustees has approved the site plan for the project. The approval resolution includes 17 pages of conditions that must be met by the developer at various stages of the project. Those stages include prior to the issuance of a demolition permit so that an existing building can be taken down, prior to the issuance of a building permit so that new construction can begin, and prior to the issuance of any certificate of occupancy.
The approval process began in June 2017 when the applicant submitted a zoning petition to the Board of Trustees. A full environmental review was completed, comments from neighbors and other interested parties were addressed and design changes were introduced.
The senior living facility is to include: a 126-unit three- and four-story Independent Living (IL) facility in the center of the site; an 85-unit three- and four-story Assisted Living (AL) structure in the northeast portion of the site; and, 20 two-story residential townhouses in the western portion of the site.
When the project was initially proposed, the Business Journal reported that beginning in 1981 the 17.3-acre site was dominated by an office building initially used by IBM. From the late 1990s until 2004, the major tenant was the Dr Pepper Snapple Group, formerly Cadbury Schweppes Americas Beverages. The Business Journal reported that during 2014, about 132,000 square feet of the building were vacant.
The IL portion of the project would provide 126 units taking up 203,528 square feet of floor space. The AL portion would offer 85 units in 91,934 square feet of floor space. The 20 townhomes would involve 48,560 square feet. There would be a total of 231 units covering 344,022 square feet. When originally proposed, the project called for 269 units.
The IL building would have 39 one-bedroom units, 74 two-bedroom units and 13 three-bedroom units. The units would range in size from 1,093 square feet to 1,440 square feet. The project would offer 14 units in the affordable housing category. Thirteen of the affordable units would be in the IL building and one would be in the townhouse section of the development.
There would be 230 parking spaces. Primary parking for IL residents would be located under the IL building. The plan calls for 52 surface parking spaces in the northeast portion of the site, around the AL building. There would be accessible spaces in front of the main entrance to the IL facility.
The townhouses would have one-car garages and space for an additional car in each driveway.
Since independent living is by design for seniors who can take care of themselves, each IL unit would contain a full kitchen and full bathroom. In addition, the IL building is designed with a full commercial kitchen that can provide three meals a day for residents and also serve the residents in the AL building.
Amenities are included in the design that complement the type of living facility, such as a fitness center, multipurpose room, library, and, for those in assisted living, a secure wandering garden. Assisted living is designed for people who need help with one or more tasks of daily living, but do not require skilled nursing care.
The townhouses will be two-story design with the master bedroom on the first floor.
The IL building is anticipated to have a director, activity/social program staff, as well as administrative staff during the day. The AL facility would be staffed with resident aides around the clock.
Each room in both the IL and AL buildings would have an emergency response system to bring help to a resident who, for example, suffers a fall. Activation of this system, such as by pulling cord or pushing button on a pendant, will result in notifications being sent to the main desk as well as to a device that would be carried by a specified staff person at all times. Procedures would be in place for the response. The developer says that although not required by New York State regulation, a registered nurse would be at the site 24 hours a day to assist with the evaluation of both the IL and AL residents who fall or have another emergency.
The developer points out that each elevator in the IL and AL buildings will be big enough to fit a gurney. In addition, the building roofs and parapets are designed to be big enough for roof firefighting or rescue operations.
The developer plans to preserve approximately 11.02 acres constituting 62% of the site as open space. It says that at least 1.89 acres would be for programmed open and recreational space that serves the needs of the residents.
The developer estimates that a total of 386 people would be living at the site.
