Yorktown’s Town Board has approved a zoning change that helps pave the way for Toll Brothers to build a 118-unit, age-restricted townhouse development at the Catharine Field Home property at 2302 and 2448 Catherine St. The site covers 50.51-acres. The Yorktown Planning Board would be called upon to review a formal site plan application from Toll Brothers, which is contract vendee for the site.
The Town Board voted to change the zoning for the property from the RSP-3 (Age-Oriented Geriatric Community) and R1-40 (One-Family Residential) zoning districts to the RSP-2 (Senior Citizens) zoning district.
The project is targeted to serve residents age 55 and over. Among the amenities would be a clubhouse and pool.
“This project offers Yorktown’s active empty-nesters who are downsizing from single-family homes the opportunity to remain in our community in an attractive, market-rate development that will help fund our public schools while not burdening them with more children,” said Yorktown Town Supervisor Ed Lachterman.
Yorktown’s Town Board determined that the proposed development would be consistent with the existing pattern of development in the area along Catherine Street. Across Catherine Street from the site is the Glassbury Court at Hunterbrook development, which like the Toll Brothers proposal is a 55+ community. Catherine Street has several senior living health facilities and related uses, including the Yorktown Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, a three-story residential and out-patient health center. Also in the area is the Yorktown Assisted Living Residence, an 85-bed senior living community.
The Toll Brothers development is expected to generate $1 million in property taxes, with almost $900,000 of the estimated total for the Yorktown school district. The current property owner pays $184,806 in yearly taxes, according to Yorktown.
Yorktown previously approved a proposal for a 108-unit complex at the site with the option to expand it by 30 or 40 units but that proposal did not get built.
The former Catharine Field Home on the property was originally founded by an Episcopal nun in 1887 as a home for older women. Toll Brothers agreed to donate a 2.5-acre portion of the property containing the Catharine Field Home to Yorktown for preservation and adaptive reuse. Currently the building is used by the Field Hall Foundation. Toll Brothers proposed dividing the property into an approximately 48-acre segment for its development and approximately 2.4-acres for the Field Home.
The Town Board noted that Toll Brothers originally intended to build 130 townhome units at the site, subsequently reducing the number to 118.
An approximately 14.3-acre portion of the project site would be subjected to a conservation easement, preserving it as open space and natural area in perpetuity.
Toll Brothers is proposing to contribute $150,000 to the Town of Yorktown to help with upgrading the Hunterbrook Upper Field to mitigate the loss of the practice soccer field that currently exists on the project site. In addition, Toll Brothers would contribute $150,000 to the town toward the maintenance of the Field Home Building should the town become owner of the building. Toll Brothers also would contribute $170,500 toward improvements to help prevent stormwater from entering the local sewer system. It also would contribute approximately $55,000 to the Voluntary Ambulance Corps (Mohegan EMS) to help pay for acquiring four cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) units for its vehicles.
