The entity WB 34 State LLC located in Chappaqua has filed a New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Brownfield Cleanup Program application for an approximately 6-acre parcel in Ossining in connection with a possible condominium development on the site. The LCC is located at 480 Bedford Road in Chappaqua, which also is the address of WBP Development, co-founded by William Balter and Robert Wilder Jr.
The property was home to the Printex Corporation, a textile manufacturing company until the 1980s when a wood working company moved into the buildings. The site is made up of three lots: 34 State St.; 21 James St.; and 20A Hunter St.
Village of Ossining Mayor Rika Levin has notified residents that they can comment on the application directly with the DEC. In addition to the Brownfield Cleanup Program application a Draft Remedial Investigation Work Plan was prepared.
In June, Balter had obtained authorization from property owner Ossining Membership LLC c/o Arena Investors LP, which is based in Manhattan, to access the property to perform investigation and remediation work. On the DEC application, WB 34 State LLC said it was a possible future buyer of the site.
WB 34 State LLC told the DEC that the condominium development it is considering for the site would have two buildings. The first building would include reconstruction of the still-standing Smith Robinson House as the lobby amenity space and history gallery. The structure would contain 100 affordable condominiums units. The Smith Robinson House is a mansion dating from the 1840s. It was expanded in the 1920s and used by the Knights of Columbus and other groups as a community center.
A second structure would contain 50 market-rate residential units. The 150 combined residential units would share 300 parking spaces. Along the western end of the site, a pocket park would be created for the residents of the site and the community at large.
The two new buildings would be connected with a green courtyard on top of the parking level. Green stormwater practices will be implemented for the entire project and the developer would evaluate the use of geothermal heating and cooling for the project with the goal of achieving LEED Gold status for the overall project.
The developer described the project as being a transit-oriented development since the new apartment complex would be located 0.15-mile from the Metro-North station on the railroad’s Hudson Line.
The site is located next to the Ossining Children’s Center, which is a daycare center. WB 34 State said that future residents of the affordable condominiums would be able to have subsidized daycare at the center.
Material filed with the DEC indicated that quite a few volatile organic chemical compounds were detected at the site along with metals including copper, barium and cadmium. A 10,000 gallon tank that had been used for dye or chemical storage is believed to still be present on the site while the history of closure or removal of two smaller tanks was unclear.
The developer told the DEC that remedial investigation with respect to an environmental cleanup would be expected to be completed on the site by early spring 2026. Site preparation activities would be expected to begin in early 2026 and conclude in early spring 2026. Any required remediation may begin in the spring of 2026 and that the Certificate of Completion might be able to be issued in or before December 2026.
