3.1 LAND USE, ZONING and PUBLIC POLICY This Section Sets Forth an Examination of the Existing Land Uses, Zoning and Public Polic
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3.1 Land Use, Zoning, and Public Policy 3.1 LAND USE, ZONING AND PUBLIC POLICY This section sets forth an examination of the existing land uses, zoning and public policies within the quarter‐mile study area surrounding and including the Project Site located at 60 South Broadway (Tax Assessment Map Section 125.84, Block 3, Lot 1). Under analysis are the potential impacts that could occur in connection with the Proposed Rezoning of the Project Site from the B‐6 (Enclosed Mall) District to the CB‐3 (Core Business District), which will facilitate the creation of new residential, hotel and office development, along with additional height and bulk allowances. Finally, any necessary measures needed to mitigate potential adverse impacts are set forth. 3.1.1 Existing Conditions 3.1.1.1 Land Use Project Site The Project Site is located at 60 South Broadway, White Plains, New York. According to the City’s Tax Assessment Map, the Project Site is identified as Section 125.84, Block 3, Lot 1. The site is currently occupied by the Westchester Pavilion, a 185,000 square foot vertical enclosed shopping center, and The Westchester, an approximately 820,000 square foot regional mall. Abutting these structures and occupying the eastern portion of the property is a multi‐level parking structure. At this time, there is 156,949 square feet of vacant commercial space in the Westchester Pavilion. This amount of vacant space has been accruing since 2009, when the 41,840 square foot space occupied by Border’s Books became vacant. Since this time, an additional three spaces became vacant: the 25,259 square foot space formerly occupied by Daffy’s; the 46,850 square foot space formerly occupied by Toys‐R‐Us; and the 43,000 square foot space formerly occupied by Sports Authority. Study Area The study area, defined within a quarter‐mile of the Project Site boundary, contains a diverse mix of land uses, including high‐, medium‐ and low‐density residential, commercial‐retail, mixed‐use, office and research, institutional uses and associated parking lots and garages (see Figure 3.1‐1). On and in the immediate vicinity of the Project Site, the focus is large‐scale, auto‐ oriented retail that serves the region, including The Westchester Mall and Source at White Plains shopping centers, both along Bloomingdale Road between Westchester Avenue and Maple Avenue; auto dealerships along the northern side of Westchester Avenue; the Crowne Plaza Hotel due east of the Project Site; the Westchester One office tower due north; and the Esplanade Senior Residences to the west. Elsewhere in the study area, smaller scale retail and other commercial uses are found along portions of East Post Road (Route 22) and Mamaroneck and Martine Avenues. In total, commercial uses – consisting of office buildings, professional 60 SOUTH BROADWAY REZONING DGEIS 3.1‐1 July 2014 3.1 Land Use, Zoning, and Public Policy offices, banks, retail services, large retail food stores and restaurants – occupy 50 parcels, including some of the study area’s largest single sites. Residential uses are largely concentrated in the Carhart neighborhood, the relatively low density residential area that lies outside the Downtown to the south, which accounts for roughly one quarter of all parcels. This neighborhood is characterized by a mix of two‐ and three‐family residences and small apartment complexes. Higher density rental apartment and condominium buildings are found north and west of the Project Site, generally along Tibbets Park around Franklin Avenue, Martin Avenue and Mitchell Place, and comprise roughly 16 percent of the total parcels. Substantial mixed‐use development (residential in combination with retail/commercial uses) is also found in the study area, amounting to 57 parcels, and is generally located along Mamaroneck Avenue and East Post Road, corresponding to the City’s traditional central business district containing shops, restaurants and other commercial uses on the ground floor and offices or apartments above. Institutional and public assembly uses are focused primarily along the periphery of the study area, and include part of the Eastview Campus of White Plains Middle School along the eastern side of Bloomingdale Avenue and along Mamaroneck Avenue, including the Fire Department Headquarters and White Plains YMCA, and also include several houses of worship and Westchester County government buildings. Open Spaces in the study area consist of the southern portion of Tibbets Park and the Mitchell Place Tot Lot. Some 18 residential and commercial lots remain vacant in the area and 42 other parcels represent potential development sites currently in use as parking lots, though many are small and scattered. The 60 South Broadway site thus provides a major redevelopment opportunity within a relatively balanced commercial and residential area of Downtown White Plains. As shown in Table 3.1‐1: Existing Generalized Land Use, Transportation/Utilities are the predominant land use category, representing 29.1 percent of the study area, primarily reflecting the significant road network in the area. Commercial uses are the second most prominent land use, representing 22.5 percent of the study area and include, as described above, both large‐ and small‐scale retail, offices, parking garages, hotels, motor vehicles sales and restaurants. Residential uses comprise approximately 15 percent of the land area, while mixed‐use accounts for approximately 10 percent. 60 SOUTH BROADWAY REZONING DGEIS 3.1‐2 July 2014 Cottage Pl I 287 E J Conroy Dr I 287 S Church St K e n s i c Hamilton Ave o A Franklin Ave v R e e City Pl n a is s Broadway South a n t c S e am illi S W q Westchester Ave Westchester Ave l Main St P Court St y r o m Paulding St r Martine Ave A Westchester Mall Pl d R Hiram St e l a Mitchell Pl d g n i m o o l B St pas arro Qu M a r t i n L u Maple Ave t h e L r yon Pl K Grand St i E Post Rd n Lyon Pl g B l v d Fisher Ct Chester Ave Project Site Waller Ave Study Area (1/4 mile) Mamaroneck Ave Low Density Residential Cromwell Pl Winchester St Dekalb Ave Medium Density Residential High Density Residential S Broadway Commercial-Retail Hale Ave Mixed Use Carhart Ave Institutional/Public Assembly Open Space Transportation/Utilities 0.1 0.2 0.25 miles Manufacturing/Industrial Vacant/Undeveloped 60 SOUTH BROADWAY REZONING PROJECT DGEIS FIGURE 3.1-1: EXISTING GENERALIZED LAND USE IN THE STUDY AREA WHITE PLAINS, NY SOUR CE: BFJ PLANNING 3.1 Land Use, Zoning, and Public Policy Table 3.1‐1: Existing Generalized Land Use in the Study Area Generalized Land Use Classification Acreage Percent Residential Single Family Residential 3.5 Two Family Residential 6.4 Three Family Residential 2.0 Multifamily 15.1 Total 27 15.3 Commercial Commercial and Retail 26.7 Parking Garages and Lots 6.4 Hotels, motels, inns 3.4 Motor vehicles, sales and services 2.6 Restaurant/bar 0.5 Total 39.6 22.5 Office Office building 15.3 Total 15.3 8.7 Mixed Use Mixed Use 4.6 Mixed Use/Downtown row type 13.3 Total 17.9 10.2 Manufacturing/Industrial Distribution facilities/Warehouse/Storage 0.5 Total 0.5 0.3 Institutional/Public Assembly Government building facilities 0.3 Public safety facilities 0.4 Religious 0.7 Social and health services 0.7 Cultural facilities 1.7 Hospitals 16.2 Total 19.9 11.3 Parks/Recreation Public Parks, Conservation, Forest lands 2.3 Total 2.3 1.3 Transportation/Utilities Transportation Facilities 5.2 Transportation Right‐of‐Way 46.1 Total 51.3 29.1 Other Vacant land 2.5 Total 2.5 1.4 TOTAL 176.24 100.0 Source: Westchester County GIS, 2013. BFJ Planning/Perkins Eastman Architects, 2013. 60 SOUTH BROADWAY REZONING DGEIS 3.1‐4 July 2014 3.1 Land Use, Zoning, and Public Policy Nearly 9 percent of the land in the study area contains office uses while just over 11 percent contains institutional and public assembly uses. According to Westchester County GIS data, approximately 2.5 acres, or 1.4 percent, of the land comprising the study area is vacant. The property situated immediately to the north of the Project Site is Westchester One, the largest office building in White Plains, which is mapped in the CB‐3 (Core Business 3) District. It stands 21‐stories and contains approximately 852,000 SF of gross floor area on approximately 2.6 acres of land. A 13‐story parking structure containing approximately 2,600 parking spaces is adjacent to the office building. At the time of its construction in 1976, the Westchester One building was the largest office building between New York City and Albany, and east of Hartford. Immediately to the south of the Project Site is Maple Avenue. Across the median and the multi‐ lane Maple Avenue are several properties classified in the RM‐1 (Residential Multi‐family 1) District and RM‐0.35 (Residential Multi‐family 0.35) District within the community known as the Carhart residential neighborhood. Among other things, the RM‐0.35 District permits multi‐family apartment buildings up to 125 feet in height. Along Maple Avenue is a shopping center comprising approximately 245,000 SF of retail and restaurant space and standing approximately 100 feet in height known as The Source, including Whole Foods, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Raymour & Flanagan, on property that is mapped in the B‐1 “S” District. The property situated to the east of the Project Site is mapped in the CB‐3 (Core Business 3) District and is improved with the 14‐story Crowne Plaza hotel standing approximately 168 feet in height with an adjacent multi‐level parking structure.