New Rochelle has petitioned Westchester Supreme Court to condemn an industrial property it had previously sought but abandoned in a 17-year endeavor to relocate the city”™s public works department.
The city filed an eminent domain action Jan. 29 to gain control of the 0.29-acre parcel at 21 Second St., owned by Roberto Sanchez of New Rochelle.
The acquisition is all but a foregone conclusion, under state law that grants municipalities broad power to take private property for public uses. The issue is mostly a matter of negotiating a fair price.
But New Rochelle officials have a track record of seeking private property for public use, only to change their minds.
The city has been trying since at least 2004 to relocate the city maintenance yard at 224 Main St. The old city yard is outmoded and contaminated, and the 3.9-acre site on Echo Bay is coveted by real estate developers.
The city needs 21 Second St. for public works offices and vehicle storage, according to a findings statement, and to allow for “redevelopment of the city”™s waterfront.”
City Council approved a payment of $675,000 for the site, as well as $410,000 for Webster Avenue, a 0.21-acre lot next to the Sanchez property.
Sanchez bought 21 Second St. for $700,000 and mortgaged it for $650,000 in 2017. The property has been used by General Landscaping Inc., operated by Martha Sanchez.
The city had previously tried to take the Second Street and Webster Avenue parcels.
The original plan was to relocate the city yard to 85 Beechwood Ave., the site of the public works transfer station under an I-95 bridge. That property wasn”™t large enough, so the city began looking at nearby parcels.
In 2004, the city was studying 75 Beechwood Ave.
In 2008, attention turned to 99 Beechwood and Webster Avenue.
In 2013, City Council authorized taking 75 Beechwood by eminent domain.
In 2016, council approved taking 21 Second St. and Webster Avenue instead.
Later that year, focus shifted to 70 Nardozzi Place, across the street from Home Depot and Costco stores. Council approved a $22.6 million public works facility as part of a $48 million commercial project proposed by Simone Development Cos. and G&S Investors. That structure is under construction now.
City officials still wanted more space for public works offices and a fueling station.
In 2017, the council approved the taking of 54 Nardozzi Place, the site of Auto Sunroof of Larchmont. The action stopped property owner Paul Spadaccini from selling it for about $6 million to a developer who wanted to build a self-storage facility.
The city initially offered $2.3 million for the property, according to Spadaccini. Last July, New Rochelle dropped that eminent domain case, and in September Spadaccini sold 54 Nardozzi Place for $7 million.
Now the city is coming almost full circle, going again after Webster Avenue and 21 Second St., the properties it wanted in 2008 and 2016.
