Fleetwood tower project wins critical votes
MOUNT VERNON – An estimated $85 million apartment tower near the Fleetwood Station got two critical approvals Tuesday night from the City Council. Mount Vernon's leaders approved a special permit for the 249-unit complex at 42 Broad St. West near the Gramatan Avenue exit of the Cross County Parkway. They also decided that the market-rate housing will not have a significant adverse environmental impact on the surrounding neighborhood.
Many Fleetwood residents had expressed opposition to the tower, claiming that the increased density was inconsistent with the character of their neighborhood. They also claimed the development would create too much traffic congestion. The Alexander Development Group and its partner, the Bluestone Organization, will spend about $4 million to renovate an adjacent municipal parking lot and build an 16-story, L-shaped building. The apartments would range from studios to three-bedroom units with amenities such as an indoor swimming pool and valet parking.
The proposed complex's street level includes about 12,000 square feet of retail space. The property next to the Fleetwood garage currently has a supermarket and an empty drugstore formerly occupied by Duane Reade. The Alexander group's first project in Fleetwood was the Horizon on Locust Street, which Alexander and a co-developer rescued from foreclosure when it was under construction. The Horizon is fully rented and the average yearly household income is about $125,000 to $150,000.
The Fleetwood tower is part of a trend among developers, urban planners and transportation advocates to build high-density residential complexes near Westchester County's Metro-North train stations.
On Wednesday Mark Alexander, president of the group, said the building makes sense for the neighborhood and the region from sustainability, economic and congestion standpoints. "Not everybody wants or needs to have a 3,000-square-foot home on a 30,000-square-foot lot," said Alexander. "I think the planners all over the country, including Mount Vernon, have determined that building greater density at transit nodes is a smart plan."
The project must now get approvals from the city's Planning Board and the Architectural Review Board. The Planning Board's next meeting is Jan. 7. 2015
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