Demolition Begins on Yonkers Public Housing Project

YONKERS—City of Yonkers officials and executives from the Municipal Housing Authority for the City of Yonkers and The Community Builders gathered on Jan. 11 for the demolition of a 1940’s era public housing apartment building that is being replaced with 178 Warburton at The Ridgeway, a new $56-million mixed-income residential complex of 81 apartment homes.

Attending the demolition event were Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano; MHACY President and CEO Wilson Kimball; MHACY Board Chairman James Landy and Lauren Hauck, Development Project Manager of The Community Builders.

“Today is yet another important step forward in the ongoing transformation of these outdated buildings into beautiful new multifamily residences. We look forward to working with The Community Builders, The City of Yonkers and Westchester County on this transformative residential development,” said Wilson Kimball.

“The redevelopment of Cottage Gardens into The Ridgeway is yet another example of how Yonkers is revitalizing our neighborhoods and improving the lives of our residents. We commend the leadership of MHACY and The Community Builders on this very significant development that is creating quality affordable housing,” said Mayor Spano.

“178 Warburton, the next phase of The Ridgeway, will soon be under construction where this building once stood. 178 Warburton will offer high-quality housing and amenities for Yonkers residents. The Community Builders Inc. (TCB) is excited to be here with our partner Municipal Housing Authority for the City of Yonkers to witness this exciting milestone which would not have been possible without the support of the city, county, state and many others,” said Lauren Hauck.

Community Builders, which has offices in Boston, Chicago, Columbus, OH, New York and Washington, D.C., owns or manages approximately 13,000 apartment homes in more than 14 states.

The new eight-story building will feature a unit mix of six studio units, 35 one-bedrooms, and 40 two-bedrooms, with average unit sizes of 417, 652 and 914 gross square feet, respectively. The units will include dishwashers, microwaves and air conditioning. The building will include a common laundry room, on-site management, and a rooftop resident center comprised of a resident meeting/lounge space, an outdoor terrace, and a fitness room. Parking is free of charge. The units are affordable to families with a mix of incomes, ranging from 30% to 90% of Area Median Income (AMI), according to the MHACY.

The mixed-use building will also include a new Early Head Start day care center serving infants and toddlers from families with lower incomes. The space will include eight classrooms, a family resources room, a warming kitchen, washer and dryer, staff offices, storage and refuse areas, plus an additional 1,271-square-foot rooftop play area.

The project also includes a 33,000-square-foot central open space to be constructed to the east of the building. The recreation area will consist of passive and active spaces, including play equipment for children, adult fitness equipment, a fully accessible meandering path from east to west, and a picnic area. The open space will be constructed in partnership with the City of Yonkers, utilizing funding from Westchester County.

178 Warburton at The Ridgeway is the fifth phase of the six-phased master plan to redevelop Cottage Place Gardens, a 256-unit distressed public housing complex built in 1945, into the mixed affordable and market rate development, The Ridgeway. It replaces three outdated public housing buildings (Cottage Place Gardens Building #4, 8, and 12) and a former gasoline service station with a new, energy efficient residential building.