White Plains planned development site sold for $1M

The site of the former Nathan Miller Nursing Home at 37 Dekalb Ave. in White Plains that has been approved for redevelopment has been sold for $1 million. A document filed with the Westchester County Clark’s Office indicates that the property was sold by 37 Dekalb Owner LLC to 37 Dekalb LLC. The seller is an entity located in Brooklyn and the buyer is an entity located in the Bronx. The document only deals with the real estate and does not mention the development plans.

The development proposal had been approved by the City of White Plains. It calls for the property at the intersection of DeKalb and Carhart avenues to be developed with a 3-story building containing 21 apartments. A total of 21 parking spaces would be provided. Some of the spaces would be in an underground garage. The nursing home operated with nine spaces. The site covers approximately 19,100 square feet of land.

In 2012, Sunrise Detox proposed converting the former nursing home into a facility for people recovering from drug or alcohol addiction. The proposal generated intense neighborhood opposition. In order to satisfy the zoning for the site, Sunrise wanted to designate the facility as a “community residence.” The city’s building commissioner determined that it did not qualify as a “community residence” and the city could not act on the proposal until Sunrise either applied for a variance or appealed the determination. Sunrise went to court, alleging discrimination and a violation of the Americans With Disabilities Act, but lost the case and subsequently sold the property.

The approved project was designed by Philip Fruchter of Papp Architects, PC. and Pietro Catizone of Catizone Engineering, PC.

Garry Klein, managing director of Houlihan Lawrence Commercial represented both the seller and the purchaser.

“This was a unique property with many challenges in terms of its current condition, reuse of the existing structure, and zoning issues,” Klein said. “The project needed the right type of buyer who was familiar with the local building department and had a solid construction background and financing capability.”

When Attorney William S. Null of the White Plains-based law firm Cuddy & Feder, was working on getting approvals for the project, he noted that the nursing home had been a nonconforming use and the proposed building was consistent with two nearby buildings, Paladin’s Keep and Live Oaks, both of which are nonconforming with the zoning ordinance. “Certainly, the redevelopment of the Subject Premises for a residential purpose will be beneficial to the community,” he had written in a letter to White Plains Mayor Tom Roach.

Null said at the time that the property’s 19,100 square feet exceeds the zoning requirement for a minimum lot area of 17,500 square feet. He said that the building coverage also is consistent with zoning because it will not increase from the current 49%. In terms of height, the R2-2.5 district zone sets a maximum of 3 stories and 35 feet and the proposed height of the building would be less than 35 feet.