An age restriction might be the compromise that gets Toll Brothers’ planned 162-townhouse project in Westchester County over the line.
In response to feedback from the Mount Pleasant Town Board, Toll Brothers agreed to require that each unit in the proposed development between Columbus Avenue and West Lake Drive have at least one full-time resident that is age 55 or older, the board said this week.
The move reflects a common challenge developers face when trying to get big projects approved in the suburbs: Local families, fearful of overcrowding in schools, don’t want other young families to move in.
With the restriction in place, Toll Brothers is expected to submit a new rezoning application within the next few weeks. The proposal will now move to Mount Pleasant’s zoning board, which will review changes needed to allow for townhouses on the land, which was previously zoned for commercial offices.
As part of the deal, Toll Brothers also agreed to donate 18 acres to the town, which will be used as parkland.
The undeveloped 161-acre tract, owned by the Legionaries of Christ, a Catholic clerical order, has been through multiple twists and turns over the past decade. Developer Baker Residential bought the land from the Legion for $11.4 million in 2018, in a deal that was contingent on certain land-use approvals, according to the Westchester & Fairfield County Business Journals.
Baker, which planned to build 73 single-family homes with no age restrictions, ended up suing the Legion in 2018, demanding that it convey the title to the property. It’s not clear when Baker gave up on the project.
The Real Deal reached out to Mount Pleasant Town Supervisor Carl Fulgenzi for more information.
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