The developers of the Hamilton Green project in White Plains on the site of the former White Plains Mall are asking the city to amend the approved plans for the project to include a new office building for the New York Power Authority. One of the four approved buildings in the project would become the office building instead of being residential.
The developers are The Cappelli Organization and RXR, through their related entities W.P. Mall Realty, LLC, Hamilton Green I Partners, LLC, and SWD/WP LLC.
Attorney Janet Giris of the White Plains-based law firm DelBello Donnellan Weingarten Wise & Wiederkehr LLP told the White Plains Common Council that the proposed office building would serve as the headquarters for the Power Authority, which currently is headquartered at 123 Main St. in White Plains.
Giris described the Power Authority as “the country’s largest state power organization, with 16 generating facilities and more than I ,400 circuit-miles of transmission lines. It works with state and local entities, including Regional Economic Development Councils, the Empire State Development Corporation, the New York State Economic Development Power Allocation Board, and other local and regional economic development organizations to encourage businesses to locate and expand in the state and to create and retain jobs.”
Giris pointed out that the Power Authority is a national leader in the development of clean energy technologies and electric vehicles.
The Hamilton Green project is being built on a site encompassing 3.74 acres that is bounded on the north by Barker Avenue, on the east by Cottage Place, on the south by Hamilton Avenue, and on the west by Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
A topping off ceremony recently was held for the two apartment buildings in Phase 1 of the Hamilton Green project. In addition to a brownfield cleanup, Phase 1 includes: construction of 477 residential dwelling units in two buildings to be known as 25 Cottage Place and 5 Cottage Place; construction of approximately 35,491 square feet of non-residential space; and construction of a below-grade parking structure containing approximately 559 parking spaces.
Phase 2 of the project has been approved for the construction of 390 residential dwelling units in two buildings to be known as 220 Hamilton Ave. and 20 Barker Ave.
The developers are seeking approval change the building at 220 Hamilton Ave. from primarily residential use to office use, which will serve as the headquarters for the Power Authority.
Giris said that the applicant “also intends to seek funding to construct the building to be located at 20 Barker Avenue as for sale affordable condominiums containing 156 affordable units. This building is intended to satisfy the affordable housing requirement for the entire development site, including the 56 affordable dwelling units required for Phase 1. This would result in I 00 additional affordable dwelling units on the property, which would be in excess of the required number of affordable units for the entire project.”
There are nine specific modifications to the approved plans that are being sought ranging from the addition of approximately 270,000 square feet of office space to an increase from 964 parking spaces to 1,270 parking spaces for the entire project.
Giris said that as modified the project would continue to comply in all respects with the requirements of the TD-1 Zoning District and all other applicable provisions of the city’s Zoning Ordinance.
