Ken Jenkins, who on Jan. 6 took over as Westchester County Executive pending a special election Feb. 11 to fill the unexpired term of George Latimer, on Jan. 7 signed into law the first piece of legislation during his tenure. The Land Acquisition Act had been passed by the Board of Legislators and authorizes $10 million in county funding to fund the purchase of property in downtown White Plains that will be used by WBP Development LLC to create 108 affordable condominium units. The project involves redevelopment of properties at 99 Church St and 6 Cottage Place that had been used by Berkeley College.
The Board of Legislators also authorized the county to enter into an Inter-Municipal Developer Agreement Act with the City of White Plains and the developer to finance the construction of the infrastructure improvements including, but not limited to, the construction of a new parking level and reconstruction of the existing below grade parking level at 99 Church St. Bonds are authorized to be floated to raise the $4,420,000 in infrastructure improvement costs.
It’s estimated that the total development cost of the project would be $78.37 million.
“This is a really an important opportunity for us as far as fair and affordable housing in Westchester County,” Jenkins said. “This specific fair and affordable housing project is one that has home ownership, 108 units of new affordable home ownership right here in White Plains. It’s not just rental units. We do so many rental units around the county, over 6,000 units of affordable housing since 2018.”
The county’s Planning Commissioner Blanca Lopez said, “The Planning Department is pleased to see this development get its final approval from the county. This particular development scores a lot of points in the planning sphere. It expands affordable home ownership right here in Westchester County. This is sorely needed. When construction is finished 108 households who are first-time homebuyers will be able to purchase a home. This is also a transit-oriented development located in downtown White Plains, walkable to so many different amenities, businesses, places of worship, parks, and it’s also close to our Bee-Line Bus System.”
Board of Legislators Chairman Vedat Gashi thanked Jenkins for moving so quickly to sign the legislation into law.
“This marks a monumental occasion for Westchester, a powerful collaboration between private development, the state, City of White Plains and Westchester government showing that the Board of Legislators and County Executive Jenkins are prioritizing affordable housing and in this case particularly home ownership for first-time homebuyers,” Gashi said. “This initiative addresses one of our most pressing needs and serves as an example of what we can achieve when we work together.”
