Developer Presents Luxury Senior Housing Concept
(August 10, 2022) – A real estate developer is proposing luxury age-restricted housing for an empty office complex off Route 6.
AMS Acquisitions of New York City presented its concept to the Town Board on Tuesday for 800 East Main Street, the former headquarters of the Blue Book Network. The real estate investment firm’s vision for the 35-acre property includes 200 rental apartments and 50 townhome condominiums with upscale amenities in a park-like setting.
“The vacant site—just like numerous vacant or partially occupied office parks in our region—is in need of repurposing in the face of a very weak office market,” said Mark Weingarten, the developers’ attorney. “This type of repurposing is happening throughout our county.”
Weingarten said that a 55-plus upscale community would deliver many benefits to Yorktown, including returning a vacant site to productive use; increased property taxes for the Town and school districts without added school-age children; new construction jobs; a boost to surrounding small businesses that would benefit from the inflow of construction workers and new residents; and the creation of more diverse housing stock for older adults who want to downsize from single-family homes.
AMS Acquisitions has a significant presence in Westchester County, with more than 3,500 luxury residences in various stages of development and more than $1 billion in completed transactions. In Yonkers it has proposed building a mixed-use development on a six-acre site known as Chicken Island.
The concept for 800 East Main Street would leave 15 acres of the property as open space with two building clusters. One cluster is the ownership townhomes and the other is apartment buildings of various sizes. A clubhouse and other amenities would sit between the two clusters and serve as the center of the complex.
The developer needs a zoning change from the Town Board to proceed with the project, as residential uses are not currently allowed. No formal applications have been filed with the Town, as Weingarten explained that AMS Acquisitions wanted to present the concept first to gauge the Town Board’s interest. The Town Board took no action in response to the presentation.
After the presentation, Supervisor Matt Slater told the Town Board that he has received several redevelopment proposals from the current owners of 800 East Main Street—and most were undesirable.
“We told the people selling the property—a hedge fund—that we wanted to see it as a high-end, regional attraction,” said Supervisor Slater.
Councilman Ed Lachterman said some Yorktown residents have asked for this type of project.
“As the liaison for our Senior Advisory Committee, the availability of having some place they can downsize to has been very, very big for them,” said Councilman Ed Lachterman.
Councilman Sergio Esposito said that he experienced the desolation of a corporate office park on Westchester Avenue in White Plains while preparing one of his clients for a relocation.
“I was there today to look at the wiring make sure everything was good—prep them for the move—because we’re relocating them IT-wise, and there was nobody there,” said Councilman Esposito. “I can see the beauty of the concept.”
Contact: Yorktown Supervisor Matt Slater, 914-962-5722 x201 or mslater@yorktownny.org
