New Rochelle's Newest Luxury Tower Takes Root Downtown

NEW ROCHELLE, NY — 33 Westchester Place will soon sprout from the soil overturned by city leaders and developers. The 27-story tower that will soon grow downtown promises to offer the most luxurious rental properties in Westchester.

On Tuesday, Allstate Ventures, joined by New Rochelle City Manager Kathleen Gill, Mayor Noam Bramson, Development Commissioner Adam Salgado, City Council Member Ivar Hyden, building architect Fogarty Finger’s Chris Fogarty and John Zimmer, and representatives from project lender Enhanced Capital and Crossroads Impact Corp, broke ground on 33 Westchester Place, the final piece of the planned three-building, arts-centric, Westchester Place development.

SEE ALSO: The Arc: New Luxury Tower In Downtown New Rochelle Opens Leasing

"New Rochelle continues to make enormous strides in implementing our visionary plan for downtown development," Mayor Noam Bramson said. "The high-quality design of 33 Westchester Place will raise the bar once again for our city, and, in conjunction with Allstate Ventures' two adjoining projects, will have a dramatic positive impact on the street-level energy and appeal of our arts and cultural district. "

Future residents of the 315-apartment building can expect to enjoy what is being billed as one of the most aesthetically striking new construction buildings in Westchester County. The tower was designed by New York City architect Fogarty Finger.

Plans also boast "superior modern amenities addressing life areas of wellness, career and relaxation on the top floors." Those luxury amenities will include fitness rooms dedicated to yoga, cardio and strength training, designated areas for co-working, movie/television screenings, barbecuing, and social gatherings held in the "Sky Lounge" located atop the roof, adjoining the pool area and its terrace, which is soon to be the highest rooftop terrace in town. All of the resident amenities share sweeping views to the Long Island Sound and across Westchester, according to the developers.

It turns out the Sky Lounge option took a bit of creative design work.

Unlike many residential towers that house their cooling towers on the roof, taking away from rooftop space that can be enjoyed by residents, 33 Westchester Place will instead employ a highly efficient, heat recovery HVAC system with no need for a cooling tower. The building is able to use the majority of its roof surface for the resident pool, terrace and, of course, the Sky Lounge. The architecture and design team opted for a solid wall design with a white terra cotta façade and bronze features for the exterior, saving energy over a glass façade.

"We have worked closely with the community and Allstate to bring its vision for a new arts and cultural district to life," Chris Fogarty of Fogarty Finger explained. "At the base of the building, glazed storefronts and a perforated bronze screen enliven pedestrian activities and serve as a focal point for the neighborhood. For residents of the building, we created a variety of amenity spaces that afford wellness and socializing opportunities, both indoors and out. The restrained elegance of the building is pleasing at the level of the street as well as the skyline."

The residences will be spread between the fourth and 26th floors, with a mix of 110 studios, some of them having separate alcoves giving them the feel of a one-bedroom, 161 one-bedrooms and 44 two-bedrooms. Valet parking will be available to residents.

"As we designed this building after the full impact of the pandemic was felt, with offices closing and employees making their homes into work spaces, some of whom continue to work fully or partially remotely, the work from home or hybrid lifestyle was very much taken into consideration," Allstate Ventures Project Manager Rachel Spater said. "The team designed a 2,000-square-foot co-working area, including six private work booths and a conference room for meetings, and made sure to incorporate flexible space in many of the residences that can be used for home offices."

Construction is expected to be completed at the end of 2024.

"With the continued investment into New Rochelle’s downtown commercial area, 33 Westchester Place together with The Atelier and The Arc offer collaborative business and residential opportunities for all members of our community," New Rochelle City Council Member Ivar Hyden said. "These properties will welcome new neighbors and businesses, and support active engagement in the arts that will benefit our entire City."

Allstate Ventures, and its Westchester Place, was the first large-scale development to partner with New Rochelle as part of the city’s planned creation of an arts and cultural district. The development also fits within the overall master plan to build a pipeline of more than 7,000 new residential units, including 1,500 affordable units, while adding requirements for ground-floor retail in new residential buildings.

Westchester’s Place’s second building, The Atelier, will provide 65 affordable apartments for artists, and the development will showcase a rotating art program in all three buildings.

"New Rochelle's progress in downtown development is tremendous. The exceptional design of 33 Westchester Place adds greatness to our skyline," Deputy City Manager Adam Salgado said. "Collaborating with Allstate Ventures' adjacent projects brings a remarkable transformation, injecting vibrant energy into downtown, engaging residents at street level. This collective endeavor reflects our shift in focus from buildings to community, fostering a vibrant and captivating atmosphere."

The luxury rental, 16-story building The Arc, the seven-story affordable artists’ residence The Atelier, and 33 Westchester Place, will all feature ground floor commercial establishments, which are expected to offer a range of casual to fine dining, and other retail deemed most indispensable to the daily lives of today’s city residents.

Westchester Place’s mission to provide an immersive arts community, in a downtown development that also serves to provide nourishment for residents’ wellness, career, family and social aspects, was inspired by New Rochelle’s historic artist colony that was settled in the early twentieth century.

Enhanced Capital’s Impact Real Estate Group and Crossroads Impact Corp financed the environmental remediation of the brownfield site and construction of 33 Westchester Place. A total finance package of approximately $150 million was provided and includes a senior construction loan, a brownfield tax credit bridge loan and $31 million in C-PACE financing facilitated by Energy Improvement Corp, a NY C-PACE program administrator.

EXR opened leasing this month for The Arc, with an expected occupancy for July. Developers said potential residents have been drawn to the idea of a smaller building, with a large array of useful amenities, such as the indoor and outdoor dog parks, fitness facilities, golf simulator, basketball court and panoramic roof terrace, combined with the feeling of being part of an artistic community.

Live tours of model units in The Arc began in February.

"Prospective renters meeting with our leasing team at The Arc are enthusiastic about the range of co-working areas we planned - from individual spots to set up your laptop and work solo, to the areas for breaking out as a small team and the larger conference rooms. Some of them are solo entrepreneurs who used to rent co-working space where they had to commute before the pandemic, while others now have a hybrid model where they go to the office a couple of days a week, but would like some options on their WFH days outside of their apartment,” said Archibald Rowan, Director of New Development, EXR. "We have found that it provides a ton of value to renters, and really enhances their experience in the building, especially since workspace wasn’t an afterthought here, but a focus when planning the amenity package."

The lottery for the 65 units at artist residence The Atelier will open to certified artists in June, with construction wrapping up around August. The building will have a gym, a public art studio open to all residents, and a roof terrace. Murals will adorn building walls inside and out. Private studio space also will be available on a limited basis to certified artists.

Westchester Place will feature permanent art installations and murals throughout, rotating art displays by resident artists, and ongoing arts programming open to residents and the community in indoor gallery spaces, the walkways and outdoor plaza courtyard, which will have permanent sculptures.

"We want the residents to feel like they live in a community here, not three separate buildings," Westchester Place Property Manager Olivia Bayona said. "And we aim to help foster that through extensive arts programing and events that will tie the buildings together."