Behemoths on the Hudson?
For Yonkers residents of Woodworth Avenue, between Babcock Place and LaMartine Avenue, time is running short. If the community wants to try to stop a development of two 32-story residential towers in the middle of their low and mid-rise neighborhood, they now have approximately two weeks to bring a court challenge to the Yonkers Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) February 20, 2025, decision to approve the project. Alternatively, the City Council can assert its statutory authority over this zoning matter, and step in on behalf of the neighborhood.
Zoning Board of Appeals Green-Lighted All
The decision approving the project (click link to read) is shocking for many reasons including, but not limited to, the fact that:
- The ZBA approved the project without submitting it to the City Council for a zone change. The proposed development site is in a Commercial Zone where new residential projects are not allowed. Common sense dictates that the ZBA cannot usurp the Council’s authority over zoning changes by simply issuing a “use variance,” and asserting that the property really is for practical purposes in a “residential-focused district.”
- The ZBA’s finding that the towers “will improve the surrounding neighborhood” also defies logic. The proposed buildings will be among the tallest in the City. There will be 672 new apartments and a parking structure for 672 cars. The development will simply overwhelm the current neighborhood of low and mid-rise commercial and residential buildings, and the lower and middle-class residents current living there will likely soon be squeezed out. The ZBA decision did not directly acknowledged the impacts the development will have on the people who live nearby.
- The decision provides a windfall for the property owner because overnight, the land has likely become worth hundreds of thousands of dollars more than its fair market value before the ZBA decision. Moreover, the decision grants the owner/developer virtually every single thing on his or her wish list, without change. There is very little indication that the ZBA made any effort to decrease the density of the project to limit adverse impacts on the neighborhood.
These are not the only reasons for questioning the ZBA’s decision. The Yonkers Ledger has already reported on other troubling aspects of the approval process. For more information click on the following links: https://yonkersledger.creativeopen.net/news/the-twin-towers-of-yonkers/51405/ and, https://yonkersledger.creativeopen.net/opinion/letter-to-yonkers-city-officials-eileen-oconnor/51817/
Will the City Council Weigh In?
The ZBA decision makes no mention of the role of the City Council and doesn’t directly address any specific concerns of the surrounding community. The Council, however, plays an important role in the development process because zoning changes can only be effected through the legislative process. In addition, individual Council Members are the eyes and ears of their constituents, and if they are doing their jobs, they need to ensure that with every large development project, the neighborhood voices are heard and considered.
To date the Council has played no official role in the Woodworth Avenue, Twin Tower development project, and Council Member Deana Robinson, representing the 1st District, and City Council President Lakisha Collins-Bellamy apparently have not been part of the vetting process. But it’s not too late. The City Council should immediately refer the ZBA decision to their legal counsel for review, and then take appropriate action before it is too late. That is the very least that the residents of Woodworth Avenue deserve.
What Can You Do?
Contact your City Council Member. Click here to find your Council Member by your address.
City Council District 1: Deana Robinson 914-377-6311 or deana.robinson@yonkersny.gov
City Council District 2: Corazon Pineda-Isaac 914-377-6312 or corazon.pineda.isaac@yonkersny.gov
City Council District 3: Tasha Diaz 914-377-6313 or tasha.Diaz@yonkersny.gov
City Council District 4: John Rubbo 914-377-6314 or John.Rubbo@yonkersny.gov
City Council District 5: Mike Breen 914-377-6315 or mike.breen@yonkersny.gov
City Council District 6: Anthony Merante 914-377-6316 or Anthony.Merante@yonkersny.gov
