Westchester & Fairfield Cheat Sheet: Westchester beckons Amazon HQ, Starwood plans to sell $450M Port Chester project … & more

Come to Westchester, Astorino tells Amazon
Westchester County jumped into the frenzy around the location of Amazon’s second North American headquarters. County Executive Rob Astorino held a news conference on Sept. 26 at the Westchester County Center to make his pitch to lure the retail behemoth’s “HQ2,” which would employ up to 50,000 and could cost $5 billion to build and operate, according to LoHud. Amazon seeks a metro area with at least 1 million residents, which is slightly higher than the population of Westchester, but its proximity to New York City and commuter rail lines are considered pluses. Bids are due Oct. 19. [LoHud]

Starwood changes course, putting Port Chester’s United Hospital site up for sale
In a change of plans, Starwood Capital Group told Port Chester officials that it plans to sell the former United Hospital property. The company had received a zoning change over six months ago to enable its $450 million development to go forward, according to Westchester Business Journal. Starwood planned a mixed-use development with a 135-room hotel, medical offices, retail space, 730 homes, plus an acre of open space at the 406 Boston Post Road site. The zoning change allows a developer to build beyond the floor-to-area ratio on the site, but comes with a $3 million fee. No reason was given for the withdrawal from the project by Starwood, which purchased the land in 2006 for $28 million. Any new owner has to follow the plan created by the zoning change, the report said. [WBJ]

Project to finally break ground at Stamford’s “hole in the ground”
At long last, a housing development planned for Stamford’s notorious “hole in the ground” appears primed to move forward. Groundbreaking for Urby, an 11-building residential complex is scheduled for Oct. 3, more than three years after co-developers F.D. Rich Co. and Ironstate Development Co. were granted approval from the city’s zoning board, according to the Stamford Advocate. The project calls for a total of 648 units to be built in two phases on the site at Tresser Boulevard and Greyrock Place, which earned its nickname thanks to the 4.3-acre pit that’s been there for over two decades. [Stamford Advocate]

Proposed tower would also create street for downtown New Rochelle
A new high-rise planned for New Rochelle will also come with a new street. Boston-based DSF Group, which owns an existing 412-unit residential building at 255 Huguenot Street, plans to demolish a section of the building, freeing up 10,000 square feet space for a new thoroughfare connecting Huguenot to nearby Station Plaza South, according to LoHud. The developer would build a new neighboring tower with up to 25 stories, the report said. The project received approval from the New Rochelle Industrial Development Agency and goes before the Planning Board in October. [LoHud]

Rye home on the Long Island Sound on the market for $9.9M
Paddle, sail or cruise up to this waterfront home on Rye’s coveted peninsula. Located at 310 Stuyvesant Avenue, this 2011 custom-built home has five bedrooms, five full baths and three half baths and is set on 1 acre. According to Rye Patch, every room on the first and second floor has great views of the Long Island Sound and Manhattan skyline. Lisa Hogan of Julia B. Fee Sotheby’s International Realty has the listing. [Patch]

Georgian-style home with modern features in Greenwich asks $5.8M
An elegant Georgian home in Greenwich is on the market for $5.8 million but don’t let the classic design fool you: this home was built in 2007 and has modern features like a Lutron lighting system. Located at 79 Dingletown Road, this stone spread is 9,742 square feet and has six bedrooms, five full bathrooms and three half bathrooms and is set on a two-acre property, according to Greenwich Patch. Notable features include a two-story foyer with a sweeping staircase, a study with French doors to a wide terrace and cook’s kitchen with double island. Francoise Levinson of Coldwell Banker has the listing. [Patch]