YORKTOWN HEIGHTS, N.Y.—Several resolutions tied to AMS Acquisitions’ plan to redevelop 800 E. Main St. were on the agenda at the Yorktown Town Board’s May 13 meeting, where members voted—split on the decision—to approve a rezoning request that would allow the former Blue Book Network headquarters to be replaced with a 55-plus housing complex featuring 180 rental apartments.
In a series of 4-1 votes, with Councilwoman Susan Siegel in the minority, the board accepted the SEQRA Findings Statement, amended the RSP-2 zone to allow the main building to be 55 feet rather than 45 feet, and rezoned the parcel to the amended RSP-2 zone.
Siegel abstained from the first vote on the findings because she said she disagreed with some of the statements. She voted no to the changes to the RSP-2 amendment because she didn’t agree with the change in height and opposed rezoning the AMS site because she objected to the units being age restricted in addition to the building height.
Her objection, she told Yorktown News, is that all 180 units are age-restricted, and she believes that the town needs rental housing to serve all ages, adding that “not all seniors want only an age-restricted place.”
“There was no provision to set aside some units available at an affordable price,” she added.
Siegel believes that since the “developer got [a] major density bonus,” the town "should have gotten something back in return.”
Supervisor Ed Lachterman and the other three board members (Luciana Haughwout, Sergio Esposito, and Patrick Murphy) voted to approve all the resolutions.
In a May 19 press release from the town, Lachterman said that the rezoning “marks a significant step forward in adding value to a currently underutilized property.”
“This redevelopment will not only increase the Town’s property tax revenues but also provide a much-needed housing option for our empty nesters who wish to remain in Yorktown as they downsize from their single-family homes,” he added.
The next step is to move the project through the approval process with the planning board before construction can begin.
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