The Tarrytown-based Housing Action Council is asking Yonkers to approve plans to build a new co-op building on a 0.32-acre vacant lot at 81 Elliott Ave., where a similar co-op building stood until it was destroyed by a fire in 2021.
Incorporated in 1974, the Housing Action Council describes itself as “a regional not-for-profit organization dedicated to expanding housing opportunities for low and moderate income households throughout Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, and New York counties and other parts of the Hudson Region.” It has helped make possible the development of more than 4,000 affordable housing units in the lower Hudson Valley.
According to Steven Stowers, director of real estate development for the Housing Action Council, the original building was constructed as a nine-unit residential property and was converted in 1979 into a Limited-Equity Housing Development Fund Corporation (HDFC) property to provide affordable homeownership opportunities for low- and moderate-income households.
The original building was constructed in 1915. The fire that fully engulfed the building also damaged three other structures on the block. Thirteen Yonkers firefighters were injured and required hospital treatment.
“Tragically, the building was destroyed by fire on Dec. 26, 2021, displacing all resident shareholders,” Stowers said. “Following this event, the HDFC engaged Housing Action Council as the development partner to lead the reconstruction effort and preserve the site’s historic mission of affordability. The proposed redevelopment will replicate the scale, massing, and unit configuration of the original structure while complying with all applicable zoning and building regulations.”
Stowers said that about one-third of the original co-op owners are expected to move back to the new building. He said that the units would be priced for households earning no more than 65% of the Area Median Income. Projected prices will range from approximately $223,918 to $235,314. There would be one two-bedroom, five three-bedroom, and three four-bedroom units.
According to Stowers, financing for the project is in place using a combination of public and private sources, including New York State Homes and Community Renewal’s Affordable Home Ownership Program, the New York State Housing Trust Fund Corporation, private construction financing from the Community Preservation Corporation, and a Housing Flex Fund grant from Westchester County.
When the Westchester County Planning board reviewed the plans, Chairman Bernard Thombs noted that the neighborhood consists of various mid-density residential buildings.
“We agree that the proposed development would be appropriate as it would replace affordable housing that was lost in a disaster, as well as provide residential uses near multiple bus lines and the various commercial services along the nearby South Broadway,” Thombs said while making some suggestions for features the developer should add. “We note that cycling could be a popular mode of transportation for residents, as the site is located within biking distance to the Ludlow Metro-North train station, downtown Yonkers, and the ongoing Yonkers Greenway. As such, a building of this size needs storage space for bicycles and e-mobility devices so that building tenants are not forced to store and charge these devices in their apartments.”
The county also urged the developer to include as much green, or sustainable building technology as possible within the proposed development and consider putting solar panels on the roof.
The Yonkers Planning Board is expected to begin reviewing the proposal when it meets on May 13.
