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Greenburgh Housing Authority pitches 78-unit expansion of Maple Street Residences; board presses on displacement, funding and flooding
Summary
The Greenburgh Housing Authority proposed replacing 131 aging units on the Maple Street campus with 209 units, financed through New York State HCR. Presenters detailed phasing to limit relocations, AMI bands for regulated units, parking and stormwater improvements; board members sought firm timelines and clarified resident return policies.
Janet Garris, counsel for the Greenburgh Housing Authority, introduced a redevelopment plan for the Maple Street Residences in Greenburgh that would replace the existing 131-unit campus with roughly 209 residential units across new 3-to-4-story buildings.
For the record, Garris said the site is about 7.98 acres and currently contains 131 units across 10 buildings. She told the town board the authority intends to finance the redevelopment through New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) and to offer a mix of regulated affordable units (30% to 80% of area median income, AMI) alongside some unregulated units that could be offered up to roughly 120% to 130% AMI to accommodate existing households over 80% AMI.
Raju Abraham, executive director of the Housing Authority (introduced to the board earlier in the meeting), detailed resident outreach and approvals work: the authority has held two resident meetings and has presented early plans to the Greenburgh Central School District and the State Historic Preservation Office, which has already approved aspects of the plan.
Architect Ed Vogel walked the board through site plans and a phasing strategy intended to minimize off-site displacement. Vogel said about 15 residents total would likely require temporary off-site relocation; others would move internally on campus or be able to return directly to new units. "We're looking at limiting moves; the majority of them will have only one move from their existing unit into new construction," he said.
Board members pressed for details on unit mix, parking, senior accommodations and stormwater. Vogel said the proposed distribution would be roughly one-third one-bedroom units, one-third two-bedrooms, about 30% three-bedrooms and approximately 5% four-bedrooms; he said the design eliminates five-bedroom units. He estimated current parking at "over 280" spaces and said the project aims to keep parking in that range, including visitor parking.
On stormwater, Vogel confirmed the new design will include a stormwater management system to collect and retain run-off rather than releasing it directly into the adjacent tributary, and said the team has engaged civil engineers and planners (AKRF) to coordinate with town staff.
On rents and affordability, a development consultant explained that regulated units (30% to 80% AMI) are needed to secure tax-credit financing; unregulated units above 80% AMI are allowed to accommodate existing households while remaining capped to avoid true market-rate rents. "HCR will determine the rents for the regulated AMI bands," the consultant said, and the authority's objective is long-term affordability and a breakeven operating model.
On schedule, the team said site-plan approval and zoning actions (including variances for height or parking if required) are typically a six-to-eight month process; HCR funding rounds happen annually in early fall and awardees can start construction the following summer. The presenters estimated the construction cycle itself would be roughly 18 months for a phase and three to four years for the full phased redevelopment after funding is secured.
Board members asked that the authority produce a proposed approval calendar and provide more precise figures for bedroom counts, square footage and the share of units in each AMI band; the authority said it would return with those details. No formal vote was taken on the redevelopment at this meeting.
