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 significant impact.” With that analysis, the board declared lead agency, issued a negative declaration, and approved the site plan.

Why it matters: The project completes a multi‑phase master plan anchored by an existing family courthouse and an earlier residential tower, and it places 211 affordable units in the DO‑2 downtown overlay zone—an outcome that city staff and the developer said required careful SEQRA/overlay allocation review.

The board’s approval included more than the standard DOZ conditions. Planning staff noted a set of 52 draft conditions for DO‑2 approvals and the board added several project‑specific items during the meeting. Those additions include a requirement that interior spaces meet HUD standards for interior sound levels, and that any outdoor furnishings on the building amenity terrace be permanently affixed (bolted) to address wind and safety concerns. The board also added a condition that the applicant return for an administrative amendment to refine façade treatments for the parking screens facing Garden Street and the I‑95 side of the building.

Architect Brian Newman described the building as “the final culmination of the original master plan,” with a base that accommodates two retail components, a residential lobby and elevator cores that will also provide vertical access to two commercial floors built above the adjacent courthouse. Newman described the parking garage treatment as matching the fenestration and materials of the existing courthouse garage, and said the residential floors would be mainly one‑bedroom units with a recreation room and an outdoor roof terrace on the 11th floor.

During discussion planning board members raised particular concerns about the visual scale and pedestrian experience of the parking‑garage façade. A member described the garage screen as reading as a “large, largely untreated surface” along a busy downtown intersection and suggested additional architectural articulation—mullions, murals or other treatments—to reduce the visual mass of the perforated metal panels. Board members directed the applicant to return administratively with detailed façade revisions.

Noise and safety questions focused on the 11th‑floor amenity area. The applicant said the indoor recreation room would have upgraded glazing to address interior noise and confirmed interior spaces will be required to meet HUD sound‑level guidance as a condition of approval. The applicant said outdoor terrace furnishings would be fixed and that a minimum parapet height of 42 inches is standard, but the board required further administrative review of outdoor sound mitigation and safety details.

Project timing and mitigation: MJ Garden representatives estimated construction would take roughly 18–24 months, with work to begin “within 12 months” depending on financing and coordination with nearby bridge construction. Planning staff said the project’s fair‑share mitigation calculation totals $1,760,000, and that the developer’s community‑benefits bonus amounts to $3,500,000 for the city, both captured in the conditions.

The board recorded a motion to approve the site plan; the motion passed with one opposition and otherwise favorable votes. The applicant was informed it must coordinate permitting and approvals with other agencies, and return for the agreed administrative amendments addressing garage facades, the rooftop amenity safety/noise items and final landscaping and signage as required in the DO‑2 conditions.