Planning board approves final phase of 28‑story MJ Garden affordable tower on Garden Street

The New Rochelle Planning Board voted to approve site plan PB‑18‑2024 for MJ Garden LLC’s phase 3 at 26 Garden Street, a 28‑story residential tower that will deliver 211 apartments designated as affordable housing.

The project, presented by Kathleen Brasher, general counsel for MJ Garden, and architect Brian Newman of Newman Design, includes 36 studios, 106 one‑bedroom and 69 two‑bedroom units offered at 40, 50, 60 and 80 percent of area median income (AMI). Project materials presented to the board indicated roughly 2,763 square feet of ground‑floor retail, two below‑grade parking levels and 10 above‑grade levels totaling 321 parking spaces. The applicant described a right‑turn‑only exit from the building garage onto Garden Street.

Board members and city staff emphasized environmental review and downtown allocation rules. Kevin Kane, director of planning and sustainability, described the city’s SEQRA process (referred to in the hearing as “Seeker”), saying the city engaged outside planning consultants to analyze traffic and school impacts and that the reallocation of residential units into the DO‑2 overlay “would not result in a…