A groundbreaking ceremony was held April 22 to mark the formal start of construction on Westchester Crossing, a mixed-use development on the 15.45-acre site at 406-408 Boston Post Road in Port Chester where United Hospital once stood.
Developers of the project are Rose Associates, Bedrock Real Estate Partners and Rafferty Real Estate through the entity Boston Post Road Owner LLC.
The plans call for 957 apartments with 10% designated as affordable. There would be 358 studio apartments, 456 one-bedroom units, and 143 two-bedroom units. The total number of parking spaces is 1,262. There also would be a 120-room hotel on the site along with retail and green spaces. In all, seven new buildings are to be constructed in Westchester Crossing.
United Hospital closed in 2005 after operating in the location since 1914. When United Hospital was operating at the site there was an approximately 380,000-square-feet hospital building, an approximately 25,500-square-feet office building known as Barron Hall, a central boiler plant and four ancillary buildings. A 12-story, 133-unit apartment building located at 999 High St. served as workforce housing for the hospital and was occupied until approximately 2017.
Back in 2014, affiliates of Starwood Capital Group proposed redeveloping the site and plans for the proposed project were approved by Port Chester in 2017. Boston Post Road Owner LLC purchased the property from Starwood in 2019 and submitted its site plan application to Port Chester in 2021, which was approved in 2022 and subsequently modified.
Amy Rose, CEO of Rose Associates said, “This groundbreaking is an exciting milestone for all of us. We can be proud of the progress we have made at this site and even more energized with what lies ahead.”
Rose expressed her personal gratitude to Port Chester Mayor Luis Marino and the village’s Manager Stuart Rabin and the Port Chester IDA for their support.
“Enormous thanks goes to the state of New York and Empire State Development as well as to Westchester County,” Rose said.
Gov. Kathy Hochul issued a statement in Albany to mark the groundbreaking in Port Chester.
“This groundbreaking marks an important step forward in transforming an underutilized site into a vibrant mixed-use community that will deliver hundreds of new homes and strengthen the surrounding neighborhood,” Hochul said. “By investing in the critical groundwork needed to support nearly 1,000 residences, New York State is helping Port Chester create new housing opportunities, support local economic activity and move our housing agenda forward.”
Hope Knight, president, CEO and commissioner of Empire State Development (ESD), told those at the groundbreaking ceremony that Westchester Crossing complements other ESD investments in Port Chester, “projects that leverage publicly available funding like the Port Chester Waterfront Revitalization and the new Abendroth Green apartments on Main Street (that) will help create new interest and energy that welcomes residents and visitors alike.”
Marsha Gordon, president and CEO of the Business Council of Westchester and co-chair of the Mid-Hudson Regional Economic Development Council described Westchester Crossing as representing the very best of what can be achieved through true public and private partnership.
“Through the collaboration of New York state, Rose Associates, Port Chester, the county, this development will deliver critical infrastructure improvement to support nearly 1,000 new housing units including much-needed affordable and senior housing,” Gordon said. “Strategic investments in road, water and sewer systems, traffic flow and public spaces will not only serve this site but will strengthen the entire area for generations to come.”
Mayor Marino noted that it has taken more than two decades since United Hospital closed until the groundbreaking for the redevelopment is taking place.
“I’m so excited … we’re moving in the right direction …. it’s perfect for the Village of Port Chester,” Marino said.
According to Port Chester Village Manager Stuart Rabin, “Projects like Westchester Crossing don’t happen in places that are standing still. They happen in communities that are moving forward with vision, with courage and with a willingness to embrace change.”
Rabin predicted that the development will take what was once an underutilized and dormant site and turn it into a cornerstone of Port Chester’s future while sending a clear message that Port Chester is open, thriving and ready.
“Perhaps most importantly, this project reflects something deeper about our village,” Rabin said. “It reflects our belief that growth and quality of life are not competing ideas, they’re interconnected. That by investing in housing and infrastructure and thoughtful planning we are creating a stronger more resilient community for everyone who calls Port Chester home.”
Rabin praised members of the development team that saw the project through the approval process, during which time a number of changes were made including increasing the number of apartments.
“Rose Associates and Bedrock Properties have assembled not just a development team but a true network of professionals, individuals who have been a true pleasure and inspiration to work alongside, to grow with and to collaborate with in design, focus and vision. This is not a team that simply builds structures. This is a team that understands what it means to be here, that to invest in Port Chester is to help our village build its future.”
