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The proposal calls for 54 units of affordable housing on a two-acre property near the intersection of Theodore Fremd Avenue and North Street. The property is owned by the county, and there has been talk about adding senior affordable housing there since the 1980s. The units will be built by Lazz Development, the company that built the new affordable housing project on Cottage Street.
The project would consist of two buildings, each with 27 units, according to Lou Larizza, the developer for Lazz Development. The buildings will be three stories tall, with parking underneath and in front. There would be 42 one-bedroom units and 12 two-bedroom units, with rents varying between $900 and $1,300 a month. The buildings will also include community rooms, courtyards and laundry rooms, Larizza said.
The units would count as Rye's contribution towards the 750 units of affordable housing that Westchester County is obligated to develop under its agreement with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The units would be restricted to residents 55 years or older. Larizza said that the county has agreed that children would be prohibited from living in the development, so that there are no impacts on the school district.
"I welcome the opportunity to come back to Rye," Larizza said. In addition to the Cottage Street development, he also worked on another development on Cottage Street several years ago. He said that he wants to build nice apartments, and that he focuses soley on affordable housing projects. "I have a passion for it."
In addition to going through the regular planning and review process to get the units built, Lazz will also have to get the city to change the zoning for the property. The property is currently zoned as "General Business" and "Neighborhood Business," according to City Planner Christian Miller. It would need to be re-zoned as "Senior Citizen's Apartments," similar to Rye Manor on Theall Road. Miller said that the size of the development is about the same as Rye Manor.
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