Developer of Former Morgan Manhattan Storage Building Demands Decision from Bronxville Planning Board
Written by Carol P. Bartold
Feb. 25, 2015: Sid Blauner, principal of 100 Pondfield LLC, which is the developer of the former Morgan Manhattan Storage building on Pondfield Road, has announced that if the company cannot obtain approval from the Bronxville Planning Board to add a fourth story to convert the structure into 11 luxury condominiums, the project will be redesigned as a market rental property. All or part of the units would be designated as affordable housing units.
Blauner stated that today the company would deliver a letter to the planning board chairman, Eric Blessing, calling for a decision on the application.
"If we do not get our preliminary conditional approval by Friday," Blauner said, "or at least get a meeting to hear actual objections that we can overcome rather than just generic ones we can't possibly overcome, then on March 11 at the next planning board meeting the project will become rental units."
The developer's architects are currently working on preliminary drawings for 11 apartment units with a total of 33 bedrooms that would occupy the existing upper two floors of the building.
Blauner reported that, according to Norma Drummond, deputy commissioner of planning for Westchester County, the new plan would require a minimum of two affordable housing units. Drummond, experienced in working with HUD programs, has handled the county's fair housing settlement agreement, which calls for development of 750 affordable housing units in less diverse Westchester communities.
"We have been trying valiantly to get our project approved," Blauner said, "and we just keep getting stalled for no reason. The board told us two years ago that it was a great project, and we've spent millions of dollars. We can't indefinitely pay real estate taxes, pay consultants, and sit on our hands."
During the two years that the 100 Pondfield LLC application has been before the planning board, board members have cited traffic and safety concerns surrounding the ingress and egress to the building for residents as well as for emergency vehicles. Board members have also expressed concerns about pedestrian safety.
"When we presented our plan to the Eastchester Fire Department, they approved it," Blauner stated. "Then someone on the planning board would object." Likewise, he added, despite the position of both the village's and the developer's consultants that the traffic safety plan would improve existing conditions, the plan has been met with skepticism by board members.
"We thought this would be the first project we could create as an adaptive reuse of an industrial property," Blauner said. "We're good community developers and wanted a good project. We were advised that these things are difficult but we didn't realize this would be impossible."
Eric Blessing, planning board chairman, was not available for comment.
Pictured here: The former Morgan Manhattan Storage building, the site of the proposed development.
Photo by N. Bower
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Bronxville is a quaint village (one square mile) located just 16 miles north of midtown Manhattan (roughly 30 minutes on the train) and has a population of approximately 6,500. It is known as a premier community with an excellent public school (K-12) and easy access to Manhattan. Bronxville offers many amenities including an attractive business district, a hospital (Lawrence Hospital), public paddle and tennis courts, fine dining at local restaurants, two private country clubs and a community library.
While the earliest settlers of Bronxville date back to the first half of the 18th century, the history of the modern suburb of Bronxville began in 1890 when William Van Duzer Lawrence purchased a farm and commissioned the architect, William A. Bates, to design a planned community of houses for well-known artists and professionals that became a thriving art colony. This community, now called Lawrence Park, is listed on the National register of Historic Places and many of the homes still have artists’ studios. A neighborhood association within Lawrence Park called “The Hilltop Association” keeps this heritage alive with art shows and other events for neighbors.
Bronxville offers many charming neighborhoods as well as a variety of living options for residents including single family homes, town houses, cooperatives and condominiums. One of the chief benefits of living in “the village” is that your children can attend the Bronxville School.
The Bronxville postal zone (10708, known as “Bronxville PO”) includes the village of Bronxville as well as the Chester Heights section of Eastchester, parts of Tuckahoe and the Lawrence Park West, Cedar Knolls, Armour Villa and Longvale sections of Yonkers. Many of these areas have their own distinct character. For instance, the Armour Villa section has many historic homes and even has its own newsletter called “The Villa Voice” which reports on neighborhood news.
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