Planning Board approves 28-story mixed-use tower at 2 Sherwood Place

The New Rochelle Planning Board voted to approve a site plan for a 28-story mixed-use building at 2 Sherwood Place, a development proposed by Toll Brothers, Inc.

The board approved the application after a public hearing in which the applicant described a 28-story tower with 369 residential units, retail at grade and parking; the board also adopted conditions requiring construction management, coordination with city projects and other mitigations.

Why it matters: The project sits across from the transit center and is part of a series of downtown developments the city says are intended to activate the pedestrian realm and link new housing to transit. Neighbors and commuters raised concerns at the hearing about pedestrian safety, taxi queuing, loading access and construction impacts; the board and staff said conditions and coordination with the city’s ongoing transit center redesign (ITC) and Metro-North would address many of those issues.

Tony Joffrey, an attorney with Cuddy & Feder representing Toll Brothers, told the board the proposal updates a plan originally approved in 2019 and “is consistent with the site plan that was originally approved in 2019.” He said the redesign aims to reactivate the pedestrian realm and provide retail along Station Plaza South nearest the transit center. Paul Albano, partner at SLCE Architects, described facade treatments, a recessed garage entrance on Bridge Street, a ground-floor leasing office and resident amenities including a seventh-floor terrace with an outdoor pool and a rooftop amenity level.

Lauren McMahon of Langan Engineering, the project civil engineer, described vehicle and pedestrian safety measures included in the submission: automated roll-up garage doors activated by key fob, parabolic mirrors to improve sight lines at garage exits, stamped concrete crosswalks to highlight pedestrian crossings, a truck-turning analysis using a 30-foot box truck and a two-entrance parking configuration that separates above-grade and below-grade parking. Langan’s traffic summary estimated about 57 vehicle trips in the AM peak hour and 73 in the PM peak hour distributed across the two garage entrances.

Several nearby property owners and residents spoke at the hearing. Patrick Grosso, who said he manages nearby property, urged the board to reconsider sidewalk widths and warned the project could impede his building’s loading dock. Serge Thatcher and other residents said taxi queuing and pedestrian flows at the transit center are already congested during peak hours and recommended closer coordination between the city and project during design and construction. Carmen Perez and other speakers asked about construction timing, truck staging and whether sustainable systems such as geothermal would be considered.

City staff and the applicant addressed many of those concerns in the hearing. The applicant said a construction management plan will be required as a condition of approval and that the city’s Department of Public Works and other agencies will coordinate permitting and enforcement during construction. Staff noted the project’s shadow study followed the required guidance and said Metro-North had been notified and its comments were incorporated into the conditions. Planning staff also said the project must meet the city’s sustainability requirements and other standards, and the board added a condition requiring a safety plan for rooftop furniture and outdoor amenities prior to issuance of a temporary certificate of occupancy.

The board voted in favor of three procedural and substantive motions: to declare lead agency, to issue a negative declaration, and to approve the site plan. Each motion passed by voice vote; the transcript records the motions as passing but does not record a roll-call tally.

The approval carries conditions for construction management, DPW permits and repair of any right-of-way damage, compliance with fire and building requirements, and coordination with the transit center redesign and Metro-North. The applicant agreed to the conditions as presented at the hearing.

The project team indicated ongoing coordination with the city and Metro-North as the design advances; the planning board’s conditions require continued staff review during permitting and construction stages.