NYPA will immediately begin evaluation of technologies, business models, and locations for this first nuclear power plant and will secure the key partnerships needed for the project.
Construction Begins on Last Phase of Cottage Place Gardens Redevelopment in Yonkers
Located at 23 Bishop W.J. Walls Place, Willow at The Ridgeway will replace three vacant public housing buildings with a new eight-story, all-electric, 100% affordable building with 92 units for seniors.
From left, Joan Deierlein, Member of the MHACY Board of Commissioners; Denise Egiziaco, Vice Chair of the MHACY Board of Commissioners; Jesse Batus, Senior Vice President of Development for New York and New Jersey at The Community Builders, Inc; Linda Malave, Regional Director, Mid-Hudson Regional Economic Development Council; City Council President Lakisha Collins-Bellamy; City Council Member Deana Norman; Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins; Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins; Mayor Mike Spano; County Legislator Shanae Williams; City Council Member John Rubbo and Ross Karp, Downstate Development Director, New York State Homes & Community Renewal.
YONKERS—In the culmination of a 15-year initiative, federal, state, county and city officials were on hand to celebrate the groundbreaking for Willow at The Ridgeway. It is the sixth and final phase of the transformative redevelopment of the former Cottage Place Gardens public housing complex into a mixed-income community.
Located at 23 Bishop W.J. Walls Place, Willow at The Ridgeway will replace three vacant public housing buildings with a new eight-story, all-electric, 100% affordable building with 92 units for seniors. The unit mix includes 85 one-bedroom units and seven two-bedroom units, with average unit sizes of 550 and 800 square feet, respectively.
Thirty-one units are reserved for households at or below 30% of the Area Median Income (AMI), 29 units are reserved for households at or below 50% AMI, and 32 units are reserved for households at or below 60% AMI. All apartments will be designed for an aging population and reserved for seniors referred from the Yonkers Housing Authority Section 8 waitlist.
Officials from the City of Yonkers, New York State, Westchester County, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the NYS Homes and Community Renewal joined with the Mulford Corporation, The Community Builders and the Yonkers Housing Authority in participating in the groundbreaking ceremony.
“Today’s historic groundbreaking continues the ongoing and remarkable transformation of our city’s affordable housing. Willow at The Ridgeway will provide our city’s seniors with housing that is both attractively designed as well as energy efficient with outstanding amenities. Congratulations to everyone who has worked so hard to make this day a reality,” said Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano.
Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins said: "Westchester County was proud to support Willow at The Ridgeway, a transformational project that represents the best of what can happen when government, housing leaders and community partners work together. This project was all about creating opportunity and ensuring our seniors can age with dignity in safe, affordable and environmentally sustainable homes."
"We are very pleased with the financial support this incredible project has received at every level of government. Willow at The Ridgeway will let our senior population age in place in an environment that is affordable and transit-oriented,” said Wilson Kimball, President & CEO of the Yonkers Housing Authority.
Jesse Batus, Senior Vice President of Development for New York and New Jersey at The Community Builders, Inc., said, “Willow at The Ridgeway reflects what’s possible when strong public partners collaborate with mission driven non-profit organizations like TCB to commit to bold, long-term investment in communities. For over a decade, we’ve been honored to work alongside the City of Yonkers, Westchester County, New York State Homes and Community Renewal, our investors and lenders, and our development partners at the Mulford Corporation and the Yonkers Housing Authority. Together, we’ve created not just high-quality, affordable homes for seniors, but a resilient, mixed-income neighborhood that will serve 500 Yonkers households for generations to come.”
Yonkers Housing Authority, TCB, and Mulford will also cultivate relationships with local partners, such as the Yonkers Office of Aging, to offer additional services through direct referrals. Lastly, the building is transit-oriented, located near multiple bus lines and a train station serving Metro-North and Amtrak lines.
With sustainable features, the project is designed to achieve Passive House Institute US certification upon completion, delivering an extremely energy-efficient building that also maximizes the health and thermal comfort of its senior residents. By extension, the building will also achieve EPA ENERGY STAR Multifamily New Construction certification as well as compliance with both DOE Zero Energy Ready Homes and EPA Indoor airPLUS standards.
The building will be all-electric, except for a natural gas-powered emergency generator. A rooftop solar PV array will generate renewable energy to offset the building’s common electricity needs. Willow at The Ridgeway will also be designed to achieve Enterprise Green Communities certification upon the building’s completion. Amenities in the apartments will include free internet, air-conditioning, electric ranges, and Energy STAR appliances. The building will provide common laundry rooms on each floor, a community room, a gym, and a resident terrace on the 7th floor with seating and a solar canopy.
Funding for the project is being provided by NYS Housing Finance Agency; NYS Homes and Community Renewal; State of New York Mortgage Agency; NYS Department of Environmental Conservation; NYS Empire State Development; RBC Community Investments, LLC; The Bank of New York Mellon; Westchester County; City of Yonkers: Yonkers Housing Authority and Community Capital New York.
Willow at The Ridgeway is designed to meet Passive House Institute US and Enterprise Green Communities criteria, delivering an extremely energy-efficient building that also maximizes the health and thermal comfort of its senior residents. The development includes a rooftop solar array, and all units will utilize Energy Star appliances.
State financing for Willow at The Ridgeway includes support from Homes and Community Renewal’s (HCR) State and Federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Programs that will generate nearly $30 million in equity and $10 million in subsidy from HCR. The development also benefits from over $500,000 in Clean Energy Initiative, a partnership between HCR and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) that aligns the development and preservation of affordable housing with New York’s affordable and just transition to a clean energy economy. Empire State Development is providing $2.7 million through the Restore New York Communities Initiative.
Additionally, the site is participating in the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation's successful Brownfield Cleanup Program and, when completed, would be eligible for $12.7 million in tax credits administered by the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. Westchester County is providing $7 million in Housing Flex Funds and the city of Yonkers is providing $1 million in HOME funding.
NYPA will immediately begin evaluation of technologies, business models, and locations for this first nuclear power plant and will secure the key partnerships needed for the project.
The Mid-Hudson region had the highest aggregate value of new projects of any region with $2.4 billion, followed by the Finger Lakes ($1.8 billion), Long Island ($1.4 billion), and Western New York ($832 million).
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