Construction Begins on Westchester Housing

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the start of construction on North White Plains, a $178 million mixed-income, transit-oriented development that will create 296 new apartments in the city of White Plains. The development, which will feature two six-story buildings, retail space and a publicly accessible park, is the first development to utilize the Governor's Housing Acceleration Fund, an innovative program designed to jumpstart construction of shovel-ready mixed-income housing projects across New York State. Under Governor Hochul's leadership, New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) has created or preserved more than 4,600 affordable homes in Westchester County. North White Plains continues this progress and is part of the Governor's $25 billion five-year Housing Plan, which is on track to create or preserve 100,000 affordable homes statewide.

“To combat the state’s housing crisis and deliver more housing options for New Yorkers, we have to be creative and use every resource at our disposal to accelerate new development,” Governor Hochul said. “Today we’re putting shovels in the ground on a great new housing development in Westchester that hundreds of households can soon call home. With smart, innovative programs like the Housing Acceleration Fund, we’re delivering projects like this to New Yorkers even faster. That’s how we build an affordable and more liveable New York.”

Developed by BRP Companies, North White Plains will include a mix of studios, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments designed to serve households of varying sizes. Five of the affordable homes will be reserved for households earning up to 60 percent of Area Median Income (AMI) and 25 will be reserved for households earning up to 110 percent of AMI. The remaining apartments will be market-rate.

Located adjacent to the North White Plains Metro-North station, the project will connect residents to job opportunities throughout Westchester County and New York City while encouraging a walkable, transit-oriented lifestyle close to dining and retail.

North White Plains will include a fitness center, resident lounge, co-working lounge, event space and patio. There will be a 1,000-square-foot ground-floor retail space envisioned as a coffee shop. The development will also include a publicly accessible park featuring a dog run, as well as a 383-space parking garage.

The all-electric project will include electric heat pumps for heating and cooling, electric vehicle charging, and is designed to meet or exceed ENERGY STAR Multifamily New Construction standards.

Financing for North White Plains includes a mix of public and private sources, including $18 million from the Housing Acceleration Fund, $120 million from Merchants Capital, $10 million from The Community Preservation Corporation, and $30 million in equity from Basis Investment Group and BRP Companies.

Administered by HCR, the Housing Acceleration Fund provides low-interest, revolving loans to shovel-ready mixed-income housing developments that face financing gaps preventing construction from moving forward. The program leverages public capital to attract private investment and accelerate housing production. HCR's financing is repaid with three percent interest upon project completion, allowing the State to reinvest the funds in additional housing developments.

New York State Homes and Community Renewal Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas said, “Governor Hochul's Housing Acceleration Fund will, simply put, get shovels in the ground and help communities in Westchester and throughout the state deliver the housing they need. North White Plains is a perfect example of how this innovative approach can work, bringing nearly 300 new homes to a transit-rich location where housing demand continues to grow. With apartments available to households across a range of income levels, this development will provide more opportunities for people to live near jobs and transportation, while giving a much-needed boost to housing supply that will strengthen the market and benefit renters and homeowners alike. We are proud to partner with BRP Companies and our financing partners to make this exciting project possible, and we look forward to putting the Housing Acceleration Fund to work across the state.”

Partner of BRP Companies Steven Smith said, “Today marks an exciting milestone for North White Plains and for the future of housing in Westchester County. This development will bring nearly 300 new homes, including affordable residences, right across from the Metro-North station, giving residents easy access to jobs, transit and everything the region has to offer. We’re grateful to HCR, our financing partners and the White Plains community for their support in getting shovels in the ground.”

The Community Preservation Corporation Head of CPC Building Innovation Sadie McKeown, said, “North White Plains is a great example of how thoughtful investment can help create housing that connects residents to transit and opportunity. CPC is proud to invest $10 million in this development and to work alongside BRP Companies and our partners to bring nearly 300 new high-performance homes to a growing region. Projects like this show how we can expand housing supply while creating more sustainable, connected communities that will serve residents for years to come.”

State Senator Shelley Mayer said, “I am thrilled to see the start of construction on 'North White Plains,' the first project to begin under the Housing Acceleration Fund. This mixed-use, mixed-income, transit-oriented development in the city of White Plains incorporates green building design, retail space, access to employment and transportation opportunities and essential park space. It is exactly the type of construction we need in our communities and it is made possible because of Governor Kathy Hochul's commitment to investing in preserving and creating affordable housing throughout the state, particularly through the Housing Acceleration Fund, which helps these essential projects move forward.”

Assemblymember Chris Burdick said, "I am delighted with the groundbreaking of North White Plains, which will bring nearly 300 units of critically needed housing, 30 of which will be affordable units. This development is the product of public-private collaboration meeting a need, while providing an economic boost to the area. I thank Governor Hochul and her excellent team at HCR for providing linchpin financing for the project. Well done!"

Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins said, “Breaking ground on North White Plains marks an exciting step forward in expanding affordable housing opportunities in Westchester County. This new development will bring nearly 300 homes to a very desirable, transit-oriented location, creating more availability for people of different income levels to live and work in our County. This project will strengthen our communities and support our County’s continued growth, and I thank Governor Kathy Hochul, BRP Companies and all of our partners who helped bring this important investment to Westchester.”

Governor Hochul’s Housing Agenda

Governor Hochul is dedicated to addressing New York’s housing crisis and making the State more affordable and livable for all New Yorkers. Since FY23, the Governor has worked to increase housing supply to make housing more affordable by launching a $25 billion five-year comprehensive Housing Plan, enacted the most significant housing deal in decades and implemented new protections for renters and homeowners. Under Governor Hochul’s leadership, HCR has created new programs that jumpstart development of affordable and mixed-income homes — for both renters and homebuyers. These include the Pro-Housing Community Program, which allows certified localities exclusive access to up to nearly $1 billion in discretionary state funding. There are currently more than 460 certified Pro-Housing communities throughout the state, including the city of White Plains.

As part of FY27 Enacted Budget, Governor Hochul secured a number of landmark reforms to New York’s State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) to speed up housing and infrastructure development and lower costs as part of her “Let Them Build” agenda. “Let Them Build” also includes executive actions to expedite critical categories of projects that have been consistently found to not have significant environmental impacts, but for too long have been caught up in red tape and subject to lengthy delays.

The FY27 Enacted Budget completes the Governor’s current five-year Housing Plan to create or preserve 100,000 affordable homes statewide, including 10,000 with support services for vulnerable populations plus the electrification of an additional 50,000 homes. Nearly 90,000 affordable homes have been created or preserved to date. The FY27 Enacted Budget also invests $250 million in capital funding to accelerate the construction of thousands of new affordable homes.

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