The White Plains Common Council unanimously approved zoning changes Aug. 6 that will allow new uses, including retail and residential developments, among the city”™s Platinum Mile office parks.
The amendment to the comprehensive plan follows an extensive period of studies commissioned by the city to examine how incorporating mixed-use developments along Interstate 287 would impact the surrounding community.
White Plains Mayor Thomas Roach and the council members said allowing for a wider variety of developments and uses along the Platinum Mile would stimulate the office market and spur new investment in an area desperate for tenants and new business.
“By allowing these additional uses ”¦ we are providing for the future of the city of White Plains, making White Plains even more attractive to businesses and job producers,” Councilman David Buchwald said at the meeting.
The changes allow for retail and residential components to be added to office parks falling within the city”™s campus-office zoning district, including multifamily dwellings, commercial indoor recreation facilities, theaters, swimming pools, churches, public, private and nursery schools, scientific research facilities, stores and cafes, among other developments.
The amendment also calls for an increased emphasis on open spaces and connecting the office parks through a network of walking and bike trails.
Platinum Mile property owners looking to incorporate any of the newly permitted elements must first seek the city”™s approval as a planned office development district.
Roach stressed that the amendment to the city”™s comprehensive plan “will only permit the alternate uses in conjunction with office use,” adding that each site will be handled on a case-by-case basis.
“We”™re not looking to do anything out there that would siphon business away from our downtown,” Roach said just prior to the council”™s vote. “However, we do think that by being more flexible in what can be placed out there, we”™re going to enhance the value both of those properties as well as enhance the position of our city in general.”
At a public hearing held just prior to the council”™s vote, Marissa Brett, executive director of economic development for the Westchester County Association, stressed the importance of planning for the future of the Platinum Mile office parks.
“The demand has changed. The idea that we”™re going to fill up these office campuses with the tenants that have left is a fantasy,” Brett said. “We need to transform these office parks. We need to encourage planning for the future.”
