Demolition of Cottage Place Gardens Makes Way for New Willow at the Ridgeway Community

YONKERS—After 15 years in the making, the demolition of the final building of the former Cottage Gardens Housing Complex took place on March 20 to make room for Willow at the Ridgeway, a new community featuring a new eight-story, all-electric, 100% affordable building with 92 units for seniors.

Attending the demolition were officials from the City of Yonkers, Yonkers Housing Authority and The Community Builders. The project is being developed by Mulford Corporation, The Community Builders and the Yonkers Housing Authority.

“The demolition of Cottage Place Gardens is a historic milestone for our city as we begin yet another chapter in the ongoing transformation of our city’s affordable housing. There are so many people to thank for making this wonderful project a reality. We look forward to a groundbreaking in the months ahead,” said Mayor Mike Spano

“Tearing down the last of Cottage Gardens marks an end of an era that provided Yonkers Housing Authority tenants with less than their neighbors in terms of quality, craftsmanship and accommodation. Today, Yonkers Housing Authority meets the market in all areas in its housing,” said Wilson Kimball, President & CEO, Yonkers Housing Authority.

Willow at the Ridgeway, which is located at 23 Bishop W.J. Walls Place, is replacing two vacant public housing buildings. All apartments will be designed for an aging population and reserved for seniors referred by the Yonkers Housing Authority Section 8 waitlist.

The unit mix includes 85 one-bedroom units and seven two-bedroom units, with average unit sizes of 550 square feet 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.

Amenities in the apartments will include free resident internet, air-conditioning, electric ranges, and Energy STAR appliances. The building will provide common laundry rooms on each floor, a community room, a fitness center, and a resident terrace on the seventh floor with seating and a solar canopy.

Willow at the Ridgeway is designed to promote aging-in-place for seniors. Tenants will have access to on-site property management, maintenance and resident services and programming. 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-orientated, located near multiple bus lines and a train station serving Metro-North and Amtrak lines.

Willow at the Ridgeway is designed to achieve Passive House Institute US certification, 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.

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.

“The Community Builders together with the Yonkers Housing Authority and the Mulford Corporation is committed to bringing opportunity to many future generations at Willow at the Ridgeway. We are thankful for the support of the community and the residents, and all the stakeholders, including the city, county, state, and financing partners that are working with us to continue the revitalization of this part of Yonkers,” said Jesse Batus, Senior Vice President of Real Estate Development for The Community Builders.