Mount Pleasant Ponders Public-Private Partnership for Senior Housing
The Town of Mount Pleasant is exploring the potential of entering into a public-private partnership to build a roughly 20-unit apartment building for seniors on a small piece of land behind the community center in Valhalla.
Supervisor Carl Fulgenzi said with the lack of choices in town for many seniors who may not want to stay in their single-family home but wouldn’t be able to afford a Toll Brothers unit, a smaller apartment around 1,000 square feet has not been available.
The town has long sought housing for seniors that is more reasonably priced but has not yet been successful in attracting a builder to construct that type of unit.
“I was thinking about trying a public-private partnership and to build it and then to rent it or we have someone handle the management of it,” Fulgenzi told the Town Board during its Apr. 4 work session. “But it would be something that’s more affordable for our senior population that could not jump into a townhouse.”
The parcel that Fulgenzi is eyeing is about 100 feet deep by a little more than 400 feet wide behind the community center and library off of Lozza Drive in Valhalla. The property would be part of a larger land donation that Toll Brothers representatives have told officials they would agree to if the luxury homebuilder receives approvals to build its 160-unit age-targeted townhouse complex on the former Baker residential site nearby.
In all, the town would receive about 18 acres from the luxury homebuilding company. Fulgenzi said he would like to see most of that land be used for recreation purposes.
He said he would be speaking with Town Attorney Darius Chafizadeh about issuing a Request for Qualifications to see if it is realistic for the town to engage a potential private partner.
While some downsizing Mount Pleasant seniors might be able to roll the money from the sale of a single-family house into a Toll Brothers unit, there would be likely many who would not, board members said. Some residents who are snowbirds might also be looking to own a unit down south and return to Mount Pleasant in the warmer months to a rental unit, Councilwoman Danielle Zaino said.
Others with the financial wherewithal to buy into the Toll Brothers complex may not want as much as 2,800 square feet.
“(Maybe) they live here full-time and they don’t want the hassle of it any longer. I see that a lot,” said Councilwoman Laurie Rogers Smalley.
It is unclear how much the Toll Brothers units would cost, but Fulgenzi said he doesn’t see any of those residences going for under $700,000. Other board members predicted the number is likely higher.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/