SME Development unveils 81-unit Elmsford apartment complex
Two years after the first shovels were put into ground on the hilltop property that would later become a luxury apartment complex, The Apex at 290 has become the new home to its first tenants.
Developed by Armonk-based SME Development Partners LLC, the 81-unit apartment complex is on 4.5 acres at 290 E. Main St. in Elmsford, overlooking the Route 119 corridor.
SME Development began leasing apartments at the two-building development in February before holding a grand opening ceremony earlier this summer. More than 80 percent of the complex”™s apartments are leased, according to Mark Eickelbeck, president of SME Development.
Photo by Aleesia Forni
“It took a little bit longer than we thought, but that”™s unfortunately the nature of the beast these days. For us, we”™d rather not rush it and make sure we got it right,” Mark said of The Apex, which received roughly $600,000 in tax exemptions from the Westchester County Industrial Development Agency. “We”™re really thrilled and excited with how it all came out.”
The roughly $29 million, 92,000-square-foot development includes a 71-unit, four-story structure that sits above a covered garage and a separate 10-unit, three-story building.
The Apex features one-bedroom, one-bath and two-bedroom, two-bath units, each featuring open-concept floor plans, a washer and dryer, private balconies and 9-foot ceilings. One-bedroom units range from 830 square feet to 1,000 square feet and start at $2,450 per month. The 62 two-bedroom units start at $2,950 for a 1,100-square-foot apartment and run to $3,600 for 1,300 square feet.
In order to entice prospective tenants, Mark and his brother Steven Eickelbeck, who is vice president of SME Development, placed a large focus on providing amenities that apartment-hunters would have a difficult time finding elsewhere.
“We wanted to create a community where people could find the space and amenities they wanted, but in a more suburban setting that would still keep them close to White Plains,” Steven said.
As part of its more than 13,000 square feet of amenity space, The Apex features a 3,000-square-foot community center with a television lounge, a wet bar and full kitchen, pool and ping pong tables, a party room and a separate business center.
“Everybody has a community room or a lounge,” Mark said. “Ours is big enough for probably a 400- or 500-unit complex.”
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There is also a 24-hour fitness center with large windows and personal televisions. Additional amenities include an outdoor park, personal storage rooms, package concierge services and an entrance system that allows residents to allow visitors into their building using their cellphones.
But for Mark, the “coup de grâce” of The Apex is a 3,000-square-foot rooftop deck complete with grilling stations, plush lounge chairs, a pergola-covered dining area and views of the high-rise buildings of downtown White Plains.
“That”™s the nice thing about new construction,” Mark said. “You can basically provide everything that people are looking for.”
The complex also caters to one unique set of tenants: pet owners. Adjoining the complex”™s ground-floor parking area is a pet washing and grooming station, along with a 2,000-square-foot, fully-fenced pet park.
“These are just things no one else really has,” Mark said.
Because of the apartment complex”™s proximity to the area”™s burgeoning medical and health care industry, Mark said a number of young professionals in the medical field have chosen to call The Apex their home.
“Probably professionals mostly is what we”™re seeing,” he said. “Not so many commuters to the city. We have some, but we”™re really seeing more locally based business professionals.”
Many of The Apex”™s tenants work from home or out of the complex”™s first-floor business center, Mark said.
“What we”™ve really kind of geared ourselves toward is we”™re the alternative to White Plains.” You”™re getting the high-rise living, it”™s that feeling, but in a much more suburban, relaxed environment.”
Empty nesters are another popular demographic who have taken up residence within The Apex.
“We”™ve seen a lot of people who are selling their homes and are making that decision not to be tied to a house,” Mark said. “They”™re long-term renters, and they love this, because they”™re getting that same feeling of community that they had at their house, but are able to get it in an apartment.”