The Arc Is Filling Up: City's Newest Luxury Tower Reaches Milestone

NEW ROCHELLE, NY — New Rochelle's building boom is turning into moving days for both new neighbors and longtime city residents.

More than half of the 144 units in "The Arc," the first of three buildings in New Rochelle’s Westchester Place development, were already leased in its first 90 days on the market, according to EXR, the development's exclusive broker.

A combination of unmet demand and changing consumer preferences is behind the aggressive pace, with only studios, one-bedroom apartments and the last of the two-bedroom units remaining, the brokers explain. The penthouse floor with 11-foot ceilings is sold out.

According to EXR, tenants are moving in from New York City, along with new arrivals from out of state, mainly young professionals working virtually, or locally in White Plains, Stamford, or Greenwich, along with New Rochelle residents looking for a fresh outlook.

According to EXR’s agents, the new residents report they like the city feel, but are less enthused about the trade-offs of living in New York City. Perhaps surprisingly, very few of New Rochelle's newest residents are commuting daily into Manhattan, though several get to in-office team meetings in Midtown once a week, and just take the train in from New Rochelle.

"This is what we call urban-suburban," said developer Abraham Jeremias of Allstate Ventures. "If you haven’t been to New Rochelle lately, imagine Stamford, CT – by the water, lots of public parks, with a direct train, an old city with new buildings – but without all those office towers; we don’t need them here, everyone is working from home."

And what a home to work from.

The instantly recognizable pop art painted rooftop bbq deck on the 17th floor is just one of the reasons the tower is billed as a work from home paradise. The rooftop deck of the Arc features Long Island Sound and New York City views, but the shared workspace a floor below helps tenants maintain a health work/life balance.

"The amenities are really extraordinary here," EXR’s Carmen Pena explained. "Literally, live in this modern, high-ceiling space with designer finishes, full height, soundproof windows and every detail correct, from the rainfall showers, to the wifi-enabled appliances, to the local art and concierge in the lobby; then work away on what’s basically an executive floor in a hotel with unstoppable views."

Allstate is now completing the second building, The Atelier, at 40 Westchester Place, a mid-rise with 65 affordable units for artists, tipping its hat to New Rochelle’s historic artistic reputation.

Construction is active on the third building, the largest in the development, with 315 market rate units in an adjacent, 27-story tower with a rooftop pool, at 33 Westchester Place. That final phase is expected to open in 2025.