Yorktown formally accepts Catucci property as town-owned

The Town of Yorktown sought to clear up a long-running discrepancy over who owns a patch of land behind the Fieldstone Manor development that has been under scrutiny for quite some time.

The approximately 8.9-acre property has raised questions among some residents and town officials after reports indicated that the town owned the land but developer Bill (William) Catucci was using it as a parking lot.

By unanimously accepting the property on Sept. 15, the Town Board formally recognized the parcel on Lexington Avenue as town-owned. The property was transferred by Lake Mohegan Mansion LLC, with the town’s ownership dating to Oct. 26, 2016, or the date any related closing documents were signed, whichever came first.

Town officials said retroactively accepting property through a resolution is not uncommon, occurring about five or six times a year for various matters.

The land was originally intended to become a developed park with tennis courts and a basketball court, fulfilling recreation requirements set by the Planning Board as part of the approval for Catucci’s Fieldstone Manor development.

The courts were never built on the parcel between Strawberry Road and Lexington Avenue, which is located between the Fieldstone Manor property, George Washington Elementary School and the Hudson Valley Islamic Community Center.

But Catucci told the board during the public comment period Sept. 15 that he still owns the property and disputed the resolution, saying previous Town Boards never formally adopted a resolution accepting the donation.

“I've been telling the board for years that the park is still my property—now that you've all seen the correct information from the town, which was at your fingertips right next door, I had to bring it to you, and now you can see that it's my property,” Catucci said. “When an approved development includes a signed deed to dedicate land for Recreation Park, but the town board never formally votes to approve it and accept it, the dedication is considered incomplete. Thus, the town does not legally own it or control it.”

A deed transferring the property to the town was filed in 2019, a year after the death of former Town Supervisor Albert Capellini, who had served as Catucci’s attorney. While the deed had been signed, it reportedly was not supposed to be filed with the county at that time and was intended to take effect once Catucci met the requirement to turn the land into recreational space. Catucci has not paid taxes on the property since then.

According to Westchester County’s online Municipal Tax Parcel Viewer, the parcel, listed as 3650 Lexington Ave., was owned by the Town of Yorktown in October 2025.

At the time, however, the Town Board had never formally accepted the land through a resolution, the standard step before a deeded property becomes town property.

When the board was scheduled to adopt the resolution Sept. 15 formally accepting the parcel retroactive to October 2016, it entered executive session to discuss the resolution. The board returned to open session and, without comment, unanimously approved the resolution.

“The Town Board resolution formally accepted the conveyance of the property from Lake Mohegan Mansion LLC,” Town Attorney Adam Rodriguez told Yorktown News. “Retroactive resolutions are commonplace and generally accepted.”

The dispute over the property and its use as a commercial parking lot remains the subject of litigation.

“When a municipality or town officials falsely defame and slander a developer like you've been doing, the legal consequences fall under the tort law, civil rights violations thus, the developer can sue the town, its officials, or both,” Catucci told the board.