Demolition Underway at Toll Bros. Townhouse Site in P’ville
Demolition has begun at a former Pleasantville business complex that will soon become a luxury townhouse development.
Mayor Peter Scherer made the announcement at last week’s village board meeting, saying he had received calls from residents curious about the now-bustling construction work on Washington Avenue.
“A number of people have asked me about what is being built there, and it turns out there is some misinformation about what it is,” Scherer said.
Site plan approval for the 68-unit project at the former Saw Mill Office Campus at 485 Washington Ave. was granted to national luxury housing developer Toll Brothers last December. The approved plan includes townhouses on an 18-acre parcel, a project with a far larger footprint than the two office buildings now being torn down. The units will be sold as fee-simple homes, as opposed to condos or co-ops, which generates less tax revenue.
“We have not been told what the price point will be, but we expect that these are fairly big and expensive units,” Scherer said. “And I think it will be a very good addition to the tax base in Pleasantville and to the range of housing options offered.”
There is a substantial planting plan that will put trees in front of the already installed retaining walls to create a more attractive streetscape and to shield the future residents from the road, he said.
About half of the planned units will have ground-level master bedroom suites, which Scherer said will be attractive to older residents and empty nesters.
Village Building Inspector Robert Hughes said the developer has approval for all site work – water lines, sewage, drainage, electrical work and the construction of the retaining walls on the property.
“There are no approvals for building permits for each of the 23 buildings yet, but that’s just because of the process,” Hughes said. “They have to do it in phases. There is so much site work that has to get done.”
Hughes said he anticipated his office will soon receive final design plans to be approved, and that site managers had told him the plans were being finalized.
Demolition of the current buildings was delayed due to the discovery of more asbestos at the site than previously expected, which led to a more involved abatement process, Hughes said.
Andrea Lastella, regional marketing manager for Toll Brothers, said she was not authorized to publicly comment on the project yet. Artist renderings of the development have not yet been released, she said.
The village will receive $340,000 from the Horsham, Pa.-based developer for its recreation fund.
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