Westchester & Fairfield Cheat Sheet: New Canaan imposes temporary ban on “for sale” signs in yards … & more

New Canaan imposes temporary ban on “for sale” signs in yards
“For Sale” signs will vanish from New Canaan for half a year starting on July 1 as part of a trial ban, according to the Stamford Daily Voice. Realtor associations in the area agreed to the experiment because many consider the signs eyesores that “can reduce a neighborhood’s beauty and appeal,” according to the outlet. The president of the New Canaan Board of Realtors, Janis Hennessey, noted that prospective buyers already search for homes online, and that other towns have benefitted from a lack of lawn signs. [Stamford Daily Voice]

Coworking space added to proposal for White Plains Mall redevelopment
A 27,000-square-foot coworking space could be part of the project that replaces the White Plains Mall, the Westchester County Business Journal reported. Hamilton Green has proposed demolishing the 1970s-era mall and replacing it with apartment units, a public space and a food hall. The project will now also include the coworking space if it gets approved. The space would likely be run by a third-party operator. [WBJ]

Retail vacancies shrink in Larchmont’s business district
The village of Larchmont has seen a drop in retail storefront vacancies as part of a “revival” of its business district, LoHud reported. Larchmont mayor Lorraine Walsh told the outlet that vacancies have dipped from 12 percent to around five percent within the past two years. A number of stores and restaurants have opened and an online shopping website that supports Larchmont businesses launched at the beginning of the year. “We have a strong, loyal community, affluent demographic and a broad mix of ages and lifestyles so we present a wonderful market opportunity for creative business operators,” the mayor said. [LoHud]

64-unit apartment complex on the former Reader’s Digest campus is completed
An apartment complex on the former Reader’s Digest campus in Westchester County is officially completed, LoHud reported. The complex known as Chappaqua Crossing, at 480 North Bedford Road, houses 64 apartments, 26 of which are affordable, the outlet reported. Hundreds of people applied for the affordable units. “It’s going to be really one of the prime addresses in Westchester County,” Bill Balter, the president of development company Wilder Balter Partners, said. Along with the apartment complex, the property will soon be home to a Whole Foods and a Life Time Fitness. [LoHud]

Judge upholds dismissal of libel suit against man who called developer a criminal
A developer who sued a town official who called him a criminal has lost his case in court, the Westchester County Business Journal reported. After developer Peter Stolatis started demolishing a building on a historic property in Ossining without the Historic Preservation Commission’s approval in 2015, Miguel Hernandez — at the time a member of the commission — alerted the village, and the village forced Stolatis to stop. But Hernandez then posted photos of the site to two Ossining-centric Facebook pages — one of which was captioned “Peter Stolatis at the site of his crime.” Stolatis filed a libel suit against Hernandez, but a state appellate court upheld a judge’s dismissal of the suit. [WBJ]

Developer hoping to build Newtown housing project seeks approval for fifth time
A developer that has submitted four proposals for a housing project in Newtown to no avail is hoping the fifth time’s the charm. The LLC 79 Church Hill Road had applied to build a 224-apartment, multi-building apartment complex called Hunters Ridge, but the proposal has been shot down four times by Newtown’s Water & Sewer Authority because the town would have to extend its sewer district, according to the Fairfield County Business Journal. Now, the developer hopes to build a six-story building with 141 rental apartments — 43 of which would be affordable. [FBJ]