Developer Proposes 570 Units for Hawthorne Cedar Knolls Site

The longtime owner of the Hawthorne Cedar Knolls property is in contract with a Houston-based development company that would build as many as 570 units of various types of housing on the 129-acre parcel.

Representatives for Hines, a global real estate investment and management firm, pitched a conceptual plan to the Mount Pleasant Town Board last Tuesday that included 100 units each of market-rate single-family carriage homes and townhouses, a building with 180 rental units and senior housing at the Linda Avenue site. The senior housing would consist of 76 units of independent housing, 48 assisted-living beds, 24 memory care units and 42 senior cottages.

If the developer receives approvals, that would trigger the sale of the property from the Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services, which has owned the property since 1908, to Hines. The property is currently zoned one-acre residential and would potentially be able to accommodate 87 to 90 single-family homes, although the actual number would likely be lower.

“Hines believes strongly in the product we’re about to present, and the need for housing specifically in the suburbs of New York,” said Grant Jaber, the managing director of multifamily housing for the company. “There’s a housing deficit in our area, a significant one, of quality housing that’s affordable and now meets the demographic that we have in New York, Connecticut and New Jersey, in the surrounding area, and there’s a shortage of senior housing specifically as well.”

The Jewish Board closed Hawthorne Cedar Knolls, a residential facility for children, in 2018 after several years of residents lodging complaints, upset with incidents by residents. The Hawthorne Cedar Knolls Union Free School District, a special act public school for students with special education needs, will continue to operate Linden Hill High School and Cedar Knolls Academy at the site. Attorney Mark Weingarten, representing Hines, said the property’s other 25 building would be demolished if a plan is approved.

Weingarten stressed that the proposal is preliminary and is meant to initiate talks between the town and the developer.

“This is the first time we’re showing it to you people, and I want to make it very clear we’re open to discussions about this proposal,” he said.

Hines is also the company behind the recently completed Edge-on-Hudson complex at the site of the old GM plant in Sleepy Hollow, Jaber said. That development features 246 rental apartments, 100 condominiums and 90 townhomes.

Town Board members quickly expressed concerns about the density of the Cedar Knolls plan, and the potential toll on services, including schools, roads and emergency responders.

“I’m overwhelmed by the size of it,” said Councilwoman Laurie Rogers Smalley. “It looks like it could become a new hamlet in town. We have hamlets and we have villages and this project looks like it could be a hamlet and that would be a lot for us to take on.”

Supervisor Carl Fulgenzi said while the need for more housing is a crucial issue for the region and the local area, he anticipates community pushback if a proposal this dense is submitted. He said there are some residents, including his vanquished political opponents in last month’s election, that don’t want new development.

“We have to find a middle ground somewhere,” Fulgenzi said. “What’s acceptable and what we could support.”

Councilman-elect Mark Saracino questioned the developer regarding the anticipated selling price and rental price for the various units, which could be steep for some town residents who might want to downsize and remain close to family and friends. He said there are residents who believe that they would be unable to afford the Toll Brothers townhouse project proposed for the Legionaries site in Thornwood.

“One thing that’s unique about Mount Pleasant, a lot of seniors stay their whole lives, and then their kids stay here,” Saracino said. “A lot of them are seeking a place for them to downsize to.”

Jaber said that it is estimated that the 100 townhomes would be in the $800,000 to $900,000 range. The 180 rental units would likely be rented for about $4 a square foot, similar to Edge-on-Hudson’s price. The senior housing would likely be somewhat higher because of extra amenities, he said.

Edge-on-Hudson, where the rentals are 800 square feet for one-bedroom units and 1,200 square feet for two-bedroom units, has commanded $4 per square foot, Jaber said. However, the 246 rentals have been fully leased.

Jaber also explained that anyone choosing to downsize to a rental would save on property taxes and maintenance, which drew some skepticism from the board.

Councilwoman Danielle Zaino said the developer will have to prove to officials that the non-senior housing component of the project would not burden the Mount Pleasant schools.

“I think my biggest concern is school impact,” Zaino said. “Already we have schools that are maxed out. My other concern is emergency services, our fire department and our ambulance are all volunteers and we’re struggling as it is.”

Jaber said the rental units at the Sleepy Hollow project produced just two additional school-age children.

However, there are clear benefits for the town, including providing a variety of housing and placing a property onto the tax roll, he said.

“It is going from non-tax generating to one that would generate a significant amount of revenue,” Jaber said without being able to provide an estimate of how much tax money could be produced.

The developer will look to address some of the issues raised by the board and return at an undetermined time.

“I think you get the gist from us that the numbers are big and maybe the ask is can you go back and be creative,” Fulgenzi said.