Residents of Davenport Lofts in New Rochelle who depict themselves as urban pioneers have sued the city and a developer to restrict a proposed residential tower near their building.
The city planning board failed to consider traffic, parking, pollution, neighborhood density and shadowing, according to a petition filed on March 27 in Westchester Supreme Court, when on Feb. 24 it approved plans by Crossroads Centre LLC to build a 28-story high-rise apartment building.
“After ten years of construction, noise and daily disruption due to the attempted redevelopment of the area,” five residents claim, “they reside in an overcrowded and congested neighborhood with quality of life at risk … by further development.”
“It appears that these parties don’t want anything built,” the developer’s attorney, Mark Weingarten, stated in a brief telephone interview. “It wouldn’t matter what we did on this project.”
Davenport Lofts is a 6-story structure built in 1914, on Leroy Place, a one-block, one-way street. It originally housed Ware’s Department Store and later a Bloomingdales. In 2004, after laying vacant for many years, it was converted to condominiums.
The petitioners – Shaun Wayawotzki, Jim Killoran, Marian Whitaker, Serge Vecher, and Thandiwe Watts-Jones – were among the new residents “serving as pioneers believing in and investing in the revitalization of downtown New Rochelle.”
A decade after Davenport Lofts opened, the city approved an ambitious plan to redevelop downtown New Rochelle with 5,500 residential units. Since then, 25 buildings with more than 5,000 units have been completed, according to the petition.
More than half of the new housing is within 600 feet of the Davenport Lofts, according to the petition, in an area that accounts for only 9% of the development zone.
Crossroads Centre LLC, also referred to as Allstate Ventures, is a developer based in Monroe, Orange County that is associated with Mikel Jeremias. Crossroads’ plan is to build a 28-story structure at 570 Main Street, adjacent to the Davenport Lofts, with 504 residences and 371 parking spaces.
The petitioners claim that the high-rise will increase traffic, impede parking, block sunlight, increase pollution, and possibly jeopardize the foundation of their 112-year-old building.
In March 2025, according to the petition, a traffic consultant told the planning board that a previous study of 29 street intersections determined that 21 would fail if developments were completed. And he said the Crossroads would be about 100 parking spaces short of city requirements.
A 2025 parking study found that in most places downtown the demand for parking is nearly three times higher than the supply.
The 28-story structure would be 30 feet from Davenport Lofts, and on most days put the 6-story building in shadows by noon, the petition states. The plans also call for excavations for a 3-story underground garage, six feet from the Davenport Lofts’ foundation.
The petitioners claim that the planning board acted capriciously and arbitrarily by failing to take a hard look “at real-world environmental impacts,” as required by the state environmental conservation law.
They are asking the court to annul the planning board’s approval of Crossroads’ site plan, and prohibit construction until the developer produces a full environmental impact statement.
Weingarten said Crossroads made significant design changes, such as moving the building 30 feet, after public hearings and receiving comments from neighbors. “Despite our efforts, five individuals have decided to try to stop the project.”
New Rochelle spokesman John Jones said in an email that the city has no comment at this time.
