The Yonkers Planning Board is set to meet on March 8th to review a proposal for a new all-affordable housing development on the south west side of Yonkers. Macquesten Development LLC is putting forward plans for a 160-unit tower called, The Parker, complete with amenities like a fitness center and laundry facility. This developer is also currently underway with a 76-unit affordable housing project called the St. Clair Residences near Getty Square.
This new housing development will be placed directly on the border of Yonkers and Riverdale, adjacent to Van Cortlandt Park. The address is 632-636 S. Broadway. It is presently home to a gym that was formerly a car dealership. The current one-story commercial building building will be demolished in favor of this new 16 story residential tower.
This new tower will have a variety of floor plans. Per the design, it will include eight studio apartments, 75 one-bedroom units, 57 two-bedroom units and 20 three-bedroom apartments. However, there will only be 144 parking spaces for this development. While affordable housing typically requires few parking spaces than market-rate housing, 144 is far below the 243 that the City presently requires.
A variance for the reduced parking capacity was awarded by the Zoning Board of Appeals. This appointed board has authority to grant exceptions to many zoning ordinances throughout Yonkers. This project alone has exceptions not only for the limited parking, but also for the building to rise over 30% higher (~45ft) than the current limit. Furthermore, the board removed the building’s rear yard setback requirement altogether. So, that went from 25 feet to zero feet for The Parker. The Zoning Board of Appeals also determined that there would be no negative environmental impact from this development.
The Parker joins the long list of residential developments occurring throughout the west side of Yonkers. It will stand only about one mile from other new developments recently announced. Continued development in this area is seen by a boon to some, and gives caution to others. Regardless, nothing appears to be able to stop the change that is coming to this area.
