The Stagg Group, through the entity 67 Grand Avenue Associates LLC, has withdrawn its application with Harrison to build a 140-unit residential building at 67 Grant Ave., according to Attorney Albert J. Pirro, Jr., of the White Plains-based law firm Abrams Fensterman, which represents Stagg.
Both the Harrison Town Board and Planning Board were notified of the application being withdrawn on May 20 by Stagg Group, according to Pirro’s announcement of the application withdrawal.
The property that was to be used for the project is located in the Town of Harrison’s General Commercial-Residential Floodplain (GC-RF) District and is bordered on the east by Beaver Swamp Brook. Much of the property is located within both the 100-year and 500-year floodplains. The plans called for residential floors to be constructed atop columns to permit floodwaters to pass through the grade level parking facility.
“Stagg Group has heard the concerns of both the Harrison Town Board and area residents, and as such has withdrawn its current application,” Pirro said in the announcement. “The Town will now seek a grant from the State of New York Environmental Facilities Corporation to address certain improvements in the Beaver Swamp Brook and its surrounding properties, including Park Avenue. The engineering team at Stagg Group wholeheartedly supports this effort and offers the Harrison Town Engineering Department whatever assistance is needed in identifying solutions for this flood-prone area. Future plans for the property are being evaluated.”
According to Pirro, Stagg Group had created a proposal to make downstream improvements along the Beaver Swamp Brook that town officials believed would not only mitigate present flooding concerns in the vicinity of Park Avenue, but would also facilitate later upstream improvements to help alleviate current and more frequent flooding events.
Stagg Group was prepared to expend more than $1 million for offsite improvements to the areas near the property, according to Pirro. This funding of off-site improvements for the flood-prone adjoining area was in addition to the extensive engineering that was required to build the proposed multi-family building.
Stagg Group has owned the property long before the Town of Harrison created the General Commercial-Residential Floodplain (GC-RF) Zone that was adopted in 2023. The Town drafted this new zone regarding development at its border with Rye, for which the Planning Board had recommended approval and the Town Board unanimously adopted.
According to Pirro’s announcement, “As a direct result of the rezoning, Stagg Group canceled the lease with its then tenant at the site, paying out hundreds of thousands of dollars for an early lease termination. Subsequently, Stagg Group retained architects, engineers and attorneys to prepare an application for the site plan and a special exception permit. The consultants retained were experts with particular knowledge of engineering and construction in a flood plain. Each of the zoning requirements were carefully evaluated and addressed.”
The plan for 67 Grant Ave. called for five studio apartments, 54 one-bedroom units, 76 two-bedroom units and five three-bedroom apartments, all with market-rate rents. There were to be 182 parking spaces.
The apartments were designed to be marketed to young people, empty nesters, and residents without young children. A study indicated that about 20 school-age children could have been expected to be living at the building. A marketing study indicated that there likely would be strong demand for units in the building.
