A proposed apartment building in northwest Yonkers faces community resistance as persistent issues like parking and affordability could derail the project at the upcoming City Council meeting on the necessary zoning change.
The proposal
The lot on 900 North Broadway sits on a busy corridor across from Untermyer Gardens and down the street from St. John’s Riverside Hospital and other medical buildings. The currently undeveloped land was unlikely to remain so considering its location and access to the Greystone Metro North station and the Saw Mill River Parkway. Originally zoned as “Planned Executive Park,” the owners seek a zone change to “MG,” defined as “apartment houses; low density.”
As such, a proposal for a four-story tall 60-unit apartment building came before the City of Yonkers for approval. The various floor plans consist of 6 studios, 46 one-bedrooms and eight two-bedroom apartments. However, while a residential building of this size would typically require about 80 parking spaces, the proposal calls for far fewer.
Instead of the one space per unit and .3 spaces per additional bedroom, only a 31 parking space below-grade garage exists on the plan. Justification for this reduced parking comes from the project’s self-classification as “senior adult housing” with a commissioned traffic study supporting a lesser need.
You can read the traffic study below or click here to download it.
Whether the new apartments remain senior housing, or the traffic study correctly assessed the needs, the Yonkers City Council must approve a zoning change for this property if any residential development is to be built.
Public hearing
On Tuesday, February 27, the City Council hosted a public hearing regarding the 900 N. Broadway development. Dozens of residents traveled to City Hall during a rainstorm to unanimously voice their opposition to this project. From the leader of a residents’ association to a new homeowner, all stood before their elected representatives pleading for their rejection of this zoning change.
A common complaint was the worry of inadequate parking. With fewer than half the required spots for a building that size, many fear the impact on that already congested neighborhood.
Beyond parking, some residents fear the negative impact on the environment and local wildlife. Even a local zookeeper spoke on how her adjacent apartment would suffer. She purchased her home two years ago; stating the greenery and local wildlife as a prime factor in her purchase. However, the construction of this new building would remove that all and harm the Untermyer Gardens ecosystem across the street.
Lastly, while the developer presents this project as affordable housing for seniors, there is no guarantee or enforcement of that policy. This lack of a requirement led many, including former Yonkers City Council member Joan Gronowski, to express their skepticism.
I would want low-income housing or affordable housing, but this is market rate. I believe the developers are taking advantage of what might be a loophole in the zoning statutes, in that there is no language to specify low income/affordable when applying the paltry one-half parking space per unit allowance.
Joan Gronowski
Watch the video of the public hearing below
The scheduled vote
The process to modify the zoning for 900 N. Broadway advances to this Tuesday’s Rules Committee meeting. The third item on the March 5 agenda can either be advanced to the next week’s full Council meeting for a vote to approve the change, or it can be held back for further discussion. While opposition exists, there appears to be enough support to advance this proposal to that full vote at the subsequent meeting.
Residents who are impacted and interested by this change are encouraged to attend both the Rules Committee meeting on March 5 and the City Council meeting on March 12. Residents may only speak at the March 12 meeting during the customary Committee of the Whole. That public session precedes the vote beginning at 6:30pm in the City Council chambers located on the fourth floor of City Hall.
