Larchmont trustees designate West HAB as preferred developer after heated debate over parking and process

The Larchmont Board of Trustees voted to designate Washington Housing Line/West HAB as the preferred developer for the Hunter Tier request for proposals after an often-heated discussion over competing proposals, parking capacity and whether the village should rebid the project.

Members debated two revised offers from developers and a planning-team study that presented two alternatives: a larger public–private project that could consolidate municipal facilities, or a smaller, all-affordable housing project. "You have the last final offers from both developers... you have the appraisal... and the study from the planning team," a staff member told the board, summarizing the materials trustees had been given.

The debate centered on scale and parking. One trustee described the choice as a "fork in the road," saying both proposals had improved in negotiation but asking whether the village should "go big or small." Another trustee said a larger proposal with roughly 176 units would worsen traffic and pedestrian safety near downtown and favored a smaller proposal in the 30–62 unit range.

Trustees repeatedly flagged parking shortfalls. The presiding official noted the village currently has about 200 spaces and said "bare bones minimum" needs are roughly 150 spaces; the planning consultant and trustees said neither proposal supplies the parking required. A staff member explained that structured parking typically costs about $80–$100 per square foot and that, using roughly 300 square feet per space, the developers' $400,000 payment to the village would fund only a small number of additional spaces.

Process and transparency concerns also surfaced. A trustee said a November 13, 2023 parking analysis that concluded neither proposal provided enough parking was not shared with the full board until recently and argued that, given the divergence in proposals and the study's findings, the village should have rebid the project.

Amid the debate, one trustee offered to support the smaller Luna proposal that night and proposed issuing a parallel RFP to pursue a broader, consolidated project later. "I'll vote for Luna tonight and start a parallel RFP on this property right now," the trustee said.

The motion to designate "Washington Housing Line / West HAB" as preferred developer was made by a trustee and seconded; the transcript records a roll-call exchange naming at least three members (Geiser Reed and Young voting yes; Lucas voting no) and multiple vocal "ayes" before the mayor closed the vote. The motion was recorded as approved in the meeting record and the board adjourned.

Next steps were not detailed in the record: trustees discussed options to replace or redistribute parking over time and the possibility of pursuing a public–private partnership to finance municipal facilities, but the transcript does not record a specific implementation schedule or binding commitment to a follow-up RFP.