A rehabilitation project with an estimated price tag of $35.8 million has started on a 164-unit senior housing building in White Plains.
Kingsley House at 41 Baker Ave. was built in 1968 as a Mitchell-Lama development. The Mitchell-Lama Program, designed to make housing more affordable, was created by the Limited Profit Housing Act in 1955, and is named for its proponents at the time: State Sen. MacNeil Mitchell of Manhattan and Assemblyman Alfred Lama of Brooklyn.
Senior citizens earning up to 50% of the Area Median Income (AMI) are eligible to live in Kinglsey House. The 12-story building has of 33 studios, 115 one-bedrooms, 15 two-bedrooms, and one superintendent unit. There also is commercial space occupied by Diamond Chiropractic & Wellness.
New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) oversees Mitchell-Lama housing. Â Along with MDG Design + Construction LLC and Smith & Henzy Advisory Group Inc., HCR announced the start of the rehabilitation effort.
Improvements will include new cabinets, sinks, backsplash tile, interior doors, hardware and flooring. Bathrooms are to be updated with new medicine cabinets, toilets, faucet aerators and shower heads. There are to be new Energy Star appliances and high-efficiency heating and cooling systems along with new energy-efficient windows and balcony doors.
Upgrades to common areas of the building are to include new floors, new finishes in the library and community room, updated LED lighting, new mailboxes, security cameras, elevator modernization, balcony and façade repairs, a new roof and a wheelchair-accessible entryway.
RuthAnne Visnauskas, commissioner of HCR, said, “The rising cost of housing in Westchester County means that we must take great care to preserve and protect our existing housing stock, especially buildings reserved for older New Yorkers. Mitchell-Lama developments are incredibly valuable housing assets in communities across the state.”
The rehabilitation is to be paid for with a combination of tax-exempt bonds, Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, and funds from HCR.
Westchester County Executive George Latimer said that “Safe, affordable housing should be a basic right for everyone living in Westchester, and we are thrilled to see an existing property become rehabilitated to preserve its affordability, while modernizing and improving the development.”
White Plains Mayor Tom Roach noted that the building “has served as an important affordable senior building in our city for many years. Maintaining a diverse housing stock in White Plains is a priority for me as well as our City Council. This project will help ensure that there are viable living options for seniors in our city for years to come.”
