Aerial site photo of 3.02 acres of Armonk Square located in downtown Armonk.
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ARMONK SQUARE
Waiting for Godot
February 11, 2009
The original projected opening date of Armonk Square was during the summer of 2006, which has come and gone. Since then it has been almost a year when The New York Times reported that Supervisor Berman said, “We are close to approving the proposal for a 51,000 square-foot residential, retail and commercial space in downtown Armonk.”
Armonk Square is located in the center of town bound by Main Street on the west, Maple Avenue on the north and by Bedford Road on the south, all within the Central Business Zoning District. The only signs of construction of the 3.02 acre site is a heap of rocks, mounds of dirt, some heavy machinery, a trailer and a neutral picket fence along Main Street and Maple Avenue.
Presently the lot has a paved and gravel access drive off Bedford Road and a mud driveway from Maple Avenue. The historical house adjacent to the entry from Bedford Road will remain as possible housing to a grounds keeper.
UPDATE on ARMONK SQUARE
According to Adam Kaufman, North Castle Town Planner, Armonk Square does not have signed plans and will not unless all of the required conditions and modifications are completed. Mr. Kaufman has stated that there is a meeting scheduled with the applicant’s legal representation to move the application forward.
There are about thirty conditions to complete prior to The Town signing the Site Plan including: payments of all applicable fees; specifications to “sell, resell or rent four middle income units only to middle income families as defined in the Town Code;” received approval from NYS Department of Transportation for the proposed crosswalk relocation to about fifty feet south crossing Main Street within the proximity of the pedestrian plaza. An additional condition is a contribution of $75,000 towards off-street parking in the downtown area.
The Applicant has also committed to funding the cost of a light at Kent Place, Bedford Road and Route 128. This light depends upon NYS DOT’s authorization and will be considered post development if a traffic study indicates the need at this location.
Prior to issuance of a Building Permit The Applicant shall provide the Town with a Bond or letter of credit with respect to off-site improvements of reconstruction of “the sidewalks from the corner of Bedford Road (along Main Street) to the eastern edge of the property on Maple Avenue. The sidewalks will be reconstructed to be similar to the existing sidewalks on the west side of Main Street and shall include new curbing, sidewalks, street furniture and lighting fixtures.”
Armonk Square’s plans consist of a mixed-use development of 31,000 square feet of business and office space with the retail space on the first floor and 20,000 square feet of residential space on the second floor.
The plans set before the Planning Board feature five new buildings of different textures and materials with 121 parking spaces. The ground floor plan is approximately 22,106 square feet of specialty retail space including: 13,946 square feet of retail space; a 3,815 square foot bank (unconfirmed: Chase Manhattan); a 1,423 square foot restaurant; and 2,922 square feet of office space.
The approximate 20,000 square feet of residential development has been
proposed as second floor rentals for seniors, all one-bedroom units
with elevators. They are to be 21 second –floor, one-bedroom
residential units ranging in size from 820 to 1,215 square feet.
The
proposed vehicular traffic ingress/egress to the Square is off “Maple
Avenue and Bedford Road through a new street called Center Street.” The
access driveway out to Bedford Road was “reconfigured so as to preserve
a significant tree in the corner of the property.” Main Street will
provide pedestrian access to a large public area scattered with
streetscape of a clock tower, outdoor theatre, farmers’ market area,
bicycle rack, and benches.
Continued top of column two
Square
Armonk Square property as it appears now. This view is looking west from Center Street towards Maple Avenue.
Continued from column one
PUBLIC HEARINGS
Armonk
Square appeared on the agenda of the Planning Board meeting of February
9, 2009 requesting an extension of time for resolution of the site plan
and tree removal permits. The original approval date of Feb. 25, 2008
expires on Feb 25, 2009. The applicant has requested a 1-year extension
till Feb. 25, 2010 to complete all the conditions of approval. The
Planning Board has reviewed the request and has determined “there were
no reasons to deny an extension of time.”
Multiple plans on
record for the project range from: Armonk codes; floor plans; building
elevations; streetscapes; landscape plans; parking; lighting; sewer and
water profiles; signage; sidewalks; and traffic analysis.
The
Landmarks Preservation Committee held a public meeting in December
2007, reviewing and approving a Certificate of Appropriateness for the
Armonk Square project.
PUBLIC REACTION and QUESTIONS
Past
public hearings of Armonk Square drew mixed reactions from residents,
including questions if Armonk Square is to become “another investment
flip as we have seen in the past?” Further comments were that the
project has been “sitting idle for years”, and a question of “what
recourse or guarantee does the town have if the project stalls in the
middle of development?”
Even so, the proposed project has
seemingly much support from local residents and is anticipated to be an
improvement upon downtown Armonk. Although parking and traffic issues
remain uncertain and continue to be questioned, as is the potential
effect on the historical district surrounding St. Stephens Church and
the historical homes and access road on Bedford Road.
RECENT HISTORY of The SITE
Twenty-two
years of history of the project includes a proposal of Heritage Square
in 1987 as a 47,000 square foot space. Late 1990’s the property was
purchased by Pembroke, the name changed to Pembroke Square and
presented as an approximate 58,000 square foot building space. Pembroke
Square was sold to Antares Real Estate in 2005 and was renamed Armonk
Square.
CURRENT APPLICANTS
Current owner/applicants are
Armonk resident Alan Zaretsky of AZ Reservoir, LLC who is an investor
and key partner of this project. Partners include residents and
brothers Dominick & John Dioguardi of Poughkeepsie Development,
LLC, E-Z Rentals 1, LLC and Joe Beninati, prior Armonk resident, of
Antares Armonk Square, LLC.
Representatives of the property
were unavailable to speak with us. Information for this article was
researched and written by Michelle Boyle.
Armonk Square ETA is Summer 2009
The preferred first building phase of Armonk Square is the two buildings off Main Street. The plans above are drawings of the facades of buildings A, bottom, and B. Phase two will be determined by retail leasing.
July 10, 2009 Click above to view notice received today from the North Castle Planning Board regarding approval of the concept of phasing for Armonk Square project.
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Armonk Square, What We've All Been Waiting For
August 26, 2009
Armonk Square will be breaking ground shortly. The first building phase is to be the two
buildings off Main Street. Timing of phase two will be determined by future retail
leasing.
51,000 square feet of mixed development of retail, office and residential space is proposed for Armonk Square.
We Were Waiting for Godot but Got Armonk Square Instead
June 29, 2009 The developers of Armonk Square, Alan Zaretsky of AZ Reservoir LLC and Dominick and John Dioguardi of Poughkeepsie Development LLC, would like to see the project start this summer. They have asked the Planning Board for permission to develop the project in four stages.
Zaretsky stated that they would like to start with building the infrastructure, installing water, sewer and storm water systems. The options of the second and third stages are either Plan A: presenting buildings A and B which have frontage off Main Street and are the preferred ones to be built first.
Or Plan B: the other option is to construct the buildings C and D off Maple Avenue first. The order in which these two options are built depends upon marketing demands and which buildings can be leased first. The fourth stage presented was the Center of the five buildings, building E.
Discussion also covered the fencing off certain areas while phased construction was implemented. The need for the views to be as attractive as possible was emphasized with the possibility of some park areas with grace and benches and a pleasant amenity for the town until the third stage is built on the site in the interim.
According to owner and developer Allan Zaretsky he is prepared to install water, sewer and storm water infrastructure. He believes, “Activity on the site will lead to leasing of the premise". He would like to move it forward, hoping there will be a "....snowball effect driven by market conditions.”
The Planning Board, developers, and Town Planner all stated they would like to see the project move forward. The Planning Board responded, "The idea for phasing is a good idea." Further comments indicated if the planning board were to agree to phasing they would like to structure it and when decisions are required to be made that the applicant come back to the Board.
Also requested was a deferal of the recreation fee. The recreation fee is $8,500 for each new multi-family unit. Reductions of 50% of the fee will be applied with required provisions to the middle-income units. The Planning Board responded that there should be no problem having the fee phased in with the occupancy of each of the new multi-family units. The total recreation fee is projected to be $178,500.
Prior building conditions required that no Certificate of Occupancy would be issued for any of the five buildings until all residences and shells were complete. It is a new building where the rules of financing and leasing have changed.
Two years ago over 80% of the Armonk Square retail spaced was leased. All construction was in place and according to Zaretsky, “For no valid reason the project was held up.” He stated, “About 65% of the tenants have gone away, and all of the finance has gone away.” Lenders are currently looking for 60% pre-leased minimum.
The developers are willing to put their own money to move forward. Even so, he believes, “The site is as good as you can get in Westchester County.”
Zaretsky is prepared to sit on the property as long as he has to in this environment. Although his preference is to go ahead with the concept of phasing and approval of the infrastructure installation. A public hearing is to be held on July 13, 2009.
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