Looking to tap into the growing demand for transit-oriented development in Westchester County, two New York City developers hope to break ground within a year on an approximately $90 million, 249-unit luxury apartment tower with streetfront retail space in the Fleetwood section of Mount Vernon.
The 18-story, approximately 269,000-square-foot building would rise at 42 W. Broad Street, at the corner of Broad Street and Fleetwood Avenue in the Fleetwood business district, on a commercial site currently occupied by a Metro Fresh Supermarket. The property to be demolished also includes vacant retail space formerly occupied by a Duane Reade drug store.
The site of the proposed project, on which Alexander Development Group in Manhattan is partnering with The Bluestone Organization of Queens, is about 700 feet east of the Fleetwood Metro-North Railroad station. It adjoins a deteriorated four-story municipal parking garage that the developers want to acquire from the city to extensively renovate and operate for both public use and apartment tenants.
The developers also want to add about 7,350 square feet of retail space along the garage”™s Broad Street frontage, in addition to 12,330 square feet of ground-floor retail space in the apartment tower.
- A rendering of a proposed 18-story, approximately 269,000-square-foot building at 42 W. Broad Street in the Fleetwood section of Mount Vernon.
Mark Alexander, president of Alexander Development Group, said their proposal has been received “in general very positively” among city officials, business owners and residents in Mount Vernon. “Obviously in a complex approvals process of this nature, there”™s a certain amount of back and forth,” he said. Alexander said parking and traffic have been predominant concerns heard in Mount Vernon.
Kenneth Plummer, the developers”™ project consultant at Kensworth Consulting in Mount Vernon, said a large majority of speakers at the Mount Vernon City Council”™s recent public hearing on the project favored the proposal. The council earlier this year approved a zoning text amendment to allow high-rise, transit-oriented development in the city”™s downtown business zone, Plummer said.
Designed by Perkins Eastman Architects, the residential building would include 33 studios renting at $1,350 per month; 118 one-bedroom units renting at from $2,000 to $2,200 monthly; 82 two-bedroom apartments with rents ranging from $2,400 to $3,100; and 16 three-bedroom apartments renting at $3,300 a month.
Banta Homes Corp., a Bluestone Organization affiliate in Queens, is the project”™s general contractor.
For Alexander, the Broad Street project would be his second luxury apartment venture in Mount Vernon”™s Fleetwood neighborhood. As a principal in Glenmark Partners L.L.C. in Manhattan, he formed a joint venture with Petro Real Estate Development Corp. in Mamaroneck to acquire a partially completed eight-story condominium building at 550 Locust St. at a bankruptcy auction in 2010. Completed in 2011 and marketed as rental apartments in the post-recession economy, The Horizon at Fleetwood is fully occupied, he said.
“We see a demand throughout southern Westchester for well-sited luxury residential communities,” Alexander said. “The Horizon demonstrated that there is deep demand and we should try to meet the demand.”
Alexander said the West Broad Street project has been strongly supported by Fleetwood merchants who expect a boost in business from an influx of downtown tenants with annual incomes over $100,000. “Something like $30 million of household income is going to be added to the community with this project,” he said.
Alexander said the developers hope to complete the municipal approval process and begin construction “within the next 12 months.” Construction is expected to be completed in 18 to 24 months, he said.
It is NOT supported by the residents.
First, the building does not conform with the existing architectural landscape of the Fleetwood Neighborhood making it an eyesore
Secondly, they are violating the air right views of residents who have lived in and supported this city for decades
Thirdly, they will be taking away the ONLY Supermarket within walking distance for the many transient and senior residents who do not have cars
Fourth, the small 4 corners will not be able to support the traffic flow of additional cars
Fifth, where will people park with no garage and will they contine to charge $0.25 per 15 mintues or more?
and most important, they will NEVER ever get the rents asked for above.
We are petitioning this development to at least be scaled back to building no higher than any of the exiting buildings..
This development is NOT WANTED BY THE CURRENT RESIDENTS OF FLEETWOOD !
How on earth can this project take place? What kind of planning was involved? There are still many store fronts in Fleetwood that are empty because rents are so high. Parking is already awful with that embarrassment of a 40 years old dilapidated parking garage. How can they even divert traffic (which is nuts during rush hour) during the construction? This makes no sense and there has to be people being PAID OFF! No surprise in Mount Vernon, the WORST city in Westchester County with the one of the worst public schools systems in the country.
In December 2012, this projects consultant Kenneth Plummer was found guilty by the New York State Joint Commission on Public Ethics
http://jcope.ny.gov/enforcement/2013/Plummer%20SBIR.pdf
There is not one resident or business owner who wants this development, we would like to see the City restore the dilapated garage but thats it.
I personally am very upset about both the supermarket and the garage being taken away. (You know that they will start charging through the nose for parking if the project is completed). And what about people who purchased a yearly space in there. I would be steaming mad if that were the case to be on a 6 year waiting list and then told I can’t park there.
The complex is simply too large for that corner and it’s liable to be another one of those ugly buildings to boot. The Horizon is really ugly, but that is at least further away from town where nobody sees it.
I personally do not want Fleetwood to turn into Yuppie-ville which will end in forcing me out after I just bought a coop there. I just know that no good can come of this because they will use it as an excuse to raise my property taxes.
What they need to do is to lower the rents for retail so that businesses can survive. It’s like $35 per square foot which is ridiculous. How can any little mom and pop shop make money at those prices?
My guess is that oung, upwardly mobile New Yorkers are not going to rush to Fleetwood to take advantage of rents half of what they may now be paying in NYC. They are used to amenities such as excellent food stores (such as Trader Joe’s and Whole Food markets), international cuisine, movies, theaters, and a myriad of other cultural and recreational activities. Also available are stores in which to buy the furniture and accessories necessary to turn an empty apartment into a home.
Presently, one cannot even buy basic tools here, such as hammer and nails, cooking utensils or window blinds–and the fact is, that most young, New York City dwellers do NOT drive cars, so finding themselves in Fleetwood with its excess of pizza parlors, and nail salons– and no recreational alternatives other than a nice, two-level sports bar and restaurant, offer little incentive to move here.
Though some of us live in Westchester County because of lower rental options, we find ourselves frequent riders on the Metro North railroad to seek stimulation in the city. So unless one is contented to stroll suburban streets and watch the grass grow, and are also immune to the raucous, ear-splitting noise of motorcycles racing along the nearby highway, I believe one’s money would be better spent paying higher rents in NYC where one can continue to enjoy a superior quality of life. i
The people who oppose this project are not thinking about the long-term benefits this project will bring to the entire Fleetwood community. As a Fleetwood homeowner, I am very worried about the large number of businesses on Gramatan and on Grand that are closing down due to lack of customers. I am also concerned about rising property taxes. If new high-rise apartment building brings more affluent residents to the community, that will help to restore the economic base in Fleetwood and, hopefully, reduce the city’s need to raise property taxes on those of us who are already over burdened. And I, for one, will not miss that dirty disgusting public parking lot filled with pigeon poop. I walk past it each day on the way to the train station and just cringe each and every time. I really hope this project is completed.
There are currently over 300 homes for sale or in foreclosure status in the 10552 area. The RENTAL building they want to construct is not needed. The Alexander Group is proposing to receive rents of anywhere from $1350 (studio) up to over $3300 (3 bedroom). That is unrealistc and once they cannot pay the taxes due to unrented units (they already have one on Locust Street that has a revolving door with never full tenancy..fact) the burden of keeping this proposed building standing will fall onto the Mt Vernon tax payers. Unless you are an empty nester with no need for a school system, which currently Mt Vernon has the worst in the County, there may be a small interest, however, for every reason ER. Booth Selig mentioned, highly doubt it. As far as the over abundance of Pizza and Nail salons I blame City Hall for not dealing with the 4 different land owners of the 4 Fleetwood blocks and not instituting retail laws that same business cannot open with a certain distance. Recently a wonderful yogurt shop opened next to Joe’s Pizza and in less than a few months some creep saw the good idea and opened one around the corner. And most importanty I did not BUY my cooperative to stare at an ugly 18 story building that will be out of conformity with the existing architectural landscape. Vote NO on September 10 at City Council Chambers, 2nd floor, open to the public.