Yonkers Insider: Press Release: WESTCHESTER COUNTY BOARD APPROVES $1.4M FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING AT YONKERS SITE.

 

PRESS RELEASE

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  May 25, 2021

 

BOARD APPROVES $1.4M FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING AT YONKERS SITE: Long Unused Property Near Downtown to Be Developed as 113 Affordable Rental Units.

 

White Plains, NY —  On Monday night the Board of Legislators unanimously approved a deal that will turn a lot in Yonkers where a long-vacant church building stands today into 113 units of affordable, rental housing for Westchester families.

The nearly one-acre lot at 76 Locust Hill Avenue has been unused for years.

Under the deal, Westhab with demolish the old structure and erect a development with 44 one-bedroom apartments, 45 two-bedroom apartments, 19 studio apartments and 5 three-bedroom apartments.  Apartments will be available to families earning 40, 50 or 60 percent of the area mean income.

The energy efficient building, with five stories of living space and a story and a half of parking below, will feature solar panels and electric vehicle charging stations, as well as ground floor retail.

Although the property has been appraised at more than $3.4 million, the county will pay $1.4 million to Westhab to acquire the land, selling it back for $1, to support the construction.  That's the same price Westhab paid for the property years ago.

Also helping subsidize development will be a range of state financing and tax credits, as well as federal housing money from the city of Yonkers. Under a deed restriction, the development will stay affordable for at least half a century.

The building will also provide a leg up to 45 formerly homeless households, providing not only affordable rental living space but also support services to help them build a better future.

Majority Whip Christopher A. Johnson (D-Yonkers), who represents the district and lives nearby, said, "I'm excited to see something finally being done with a property that has been unused for as long as I can remember. Westchester County is in serious need of fair and affordable housing for families, and spaces that can help people build themselves up. This development represents a model approach -- built on an unused lot, with truly affordable parameters, designed to serve an array of individuals and families, and within walking distance of businesses, jobs and transportation right downtown. We're going to turn it from a vacant eyesore, with two abandoned oil storage tanks, to a modern, green living space for people who really need and deserve the affordable housing it will provide. I’d like to thank the County Planning Department, Westhab, the State, the City and everyone involved in making this happen."