Tarrytown continues review of Franklin Courts redevelopment

WBP Development LLC continues answering questions raised by the Village of Tarrytown and tweaking plans for its redevelopment of Franklin Courts, the housing project owned by the Tarrytown Municipal Housing Authority. In 2021, the housing authority chose WBP Development, co-founded by William Balter and Robert Wilder Jr., to handle redevelopment of Franklin Courts, which was built in 1952.

WBP is seeking site plan approval for the demolition of existing buildings and the construction of 90 new affordable rental units with 161 parking spaces and related infrastructure improvements. There would be two four-story buildings with 33 units in each along with two townhome-style buildings with 12 apartments in each.

The Tarrytown Planning Board was expected to take up the development again at its Dec. 23 meeting and review new submissions from Insite Engineering. The submissions include plans for dealing with steep slopes on the property and a stormwater pollution management plan. Richard Williams, senior principal engineer of Insite Engineering, advised the board that the developer is working with their lighting manufacturer on an updated lighting plan for the site.

The development parcel consists of about 7.4 acres of land owned by the Housing Authority and about an acre of village-owned land. The site is off of Franklin Street in an M-3 (Multi-Family Residence) zoning district. At present the Housing Authority has 70-units of multi-family housing there.

Insite describes the proposed redevelopment as including the removal of the existing buildings, parking and amenities, and then the construction of the townhouse style multi-family buildings and construction of the two 33-unit multi-family buildings. There also would be new a access driveway and parking, a new clubhouse building, recreation areas including an updated playground, a basketball court, an outdoor sitting area, a walking trail and a dedicated, expanded green space.

The latest plans include some disturbance of steep slopes at the development site. The developer takes the position that there would be no feasible alternative that would allow the modernization of the current residences at the site without some steep slopes disturbance. It says its plan minimizes the disturbance of steep slopes to the maximum extent practical.

Insite Engineering notes in its stormwater pollution prevention plan that storm water runoff generally drains toward the Metro North Railroad and that an existing village stormwater runoff system that runs through the property would be rerouted due to retaining walls being added as part of the new construction.

A timetable that had been suggested for the project once approvals were in place included a start of construction in September of 2025 and completion in the summer of 2028.