The Nepperhan Community Center at 342 Warburton Ave. In Yonkers is expected to begin undergoing a complete renovation beginning this spring that will double its usable interior space. Through a multi-million-dollar Community Benefits Agreement (CBA), Azorim North America, developer of Miroza Tower at 44 Hudson St., and Miroza at Ridge Hill has committed to rebuild and fully revitalize the center at no cost to taxpayers. The expected cost of the project was not disclosed.
According to Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano’s office, the community center was founded in 1942 in the Runyon Heights neighborhood and operated in several locations. In 1982 it moved to its present site on Warburton Avenue, which had been an A&P supermarket.
“The Nepperhan Community Center represents history, resilience, and opportunity,” Spano said during an event at the center that outlined the rehabilitation plans. “It has provided vital services to our families and it also has been that hub for the community. We’re going to see a doubling of the size of this facility and we’re going to be able to do that because we’re going to be able to utilize the basement. We won’t be able to go up in construction, we can’t do that, but we can rebuild this entire structure by utilizing the basement to double the size. We will have new offices, we will have Wi-Fi capability, workout equipment, a commercial kitchen.”
Spano said that he is working with the City Council to have the building, parking lot and basketball court at the center designated parkland so that in the future the facility could not be taken away from the community and developed commercially.
Michael Fragin of Azorim Properties described the project as a “terrific public-private partnership between us and the city. It’s a distinct honor for us to be able to participate in this project. We are going to partner with the city to make sure that this institution continues to be strong and robust and a beacon for the community and a place where everybody in the community young and old can flourish together.”
Yonkers City Council President Lakisha Collins-Bellamy said, “This multi-million dollar investment is more than a renovation, it’s a commitment to the people of our community. The redevelopment of the Nepperhan Community Center represents a renewed promise to provide safe, inclusive, and empowering spaces where our families, youth, and seniors can thrive for generations to come.”
The construction is expected to take from 12 to 18 months. All current city programming housed at the center will be relocated while the building is renovated.
