The entity 400 Main Street LLC is seeking approvals from Peekskill to construct a five-story apartment building at the foot of Main Street in the city’s waterfront district. The developer is seeking site plan and special permit approvals as well as waivers to add one story more than is permitted under current zoning. It also is seeking a waiver for not providing the required number of parking spaces.
For 41 apartments, 62 parking spaces would be required under zoning. A total of 18 parking spaces are proposed on site. The applicant intends to seek a waiver of parking and pursue a leasing arrangement for 21 additional parking spaces from the City of Peekskill at the existing parking lot on Main Street across the street from the project site.
The approximately 30,000-square-feet 400 Main St. parcel was purchased in 2022 for $1 million by Austin and Jake Deraaff.
Architect Joseph G. Thompson, who is located in Peekskill, told the Peekskill Planning Commission, “There is one building on the property that has been vacant for quite some time, it’s in disrepair, that we propose to raze as part of the proposal. We would provide some parking on site and potentially up to 41 units in the new building.”
Two of the apartments would be priced as affordable housing and two would be priced as workforce housing.
Thompson described the site as having a curved form that the building design tries to embrace. He said the plan includes putting in new street lights, new sidewalks and new street trees to enhance the area. He said that most of the apartments would have river views.
“It would include underground parking in the building, also at-street-level parking with two curb cuts,” Thompson said. He described the main level as having some apartments with the other floors having nine apartments each. He said there would be a mix of one-bedroom and two-bedroom units with apartments varying in size from about 650 square feet to 800 to 900 square feet. Balconies would be featured.
Thompson said that the rooftop would have patios and green roof areas. He said that Route 9 passes behind the property and is higher because of terrain upslope. He said that the rooftop would be visible from the roadway. He said that the building is designed with the corridors along the back and that would help insulate the apartments from traffic noise being created on Route 9.
“We do have quite a bit of water to deal with. There’s a problematic problem at the intersection of Main and Water where that area can sometimes flood and ice,” Thompson said. “That’s because the runoff from this property is uncontrolled.”
Thompson said that the green roof and other improvements would help deal with stormwater runoff in the area. He also said that the building is being designed to be energy efficient.
“There are going to be pretty spectacular river views from all of these units that look out across the train tracks, across the art park and walkway that’s across on the other side fronting water and capturing the Hudson River and the views of the Highlands.,” Thompson said. “We would hope that a development like this could inspire other investment into the waterfront. I know the city is studying potential opportunities at the waterfront. I know there’s some interest in properties further north for redevelopment. I suppose we hope that maybe we’re one of the first in a line of potential future improvements that may come to the waterfront.”
