Westchester Municipal Planning Federation presents planning achievement award to the Yonkers Housing Authority and City of Yonkers on May 30
From left to right: Jaime Martinez, Yonkers Planning Director; Karen Ramos, Acting Planning Commissioner and Jim Cavanaugh, former Planning Commissioner and YIDA President.
YONKERS, NY (June 11, 2024) – Yonkers Housing Authority’s decades long revitalization plan for a blighted affordable housing complex in Yonkers has been recognized as a model project by the Westchester Municipal Planning Federation (WMPF).
On May 30 WMPF presented the Yonkers Housing Authority and the City of Yonkers with a 2024 Planning Achievement Award for The Ridgeway (formerly Cottage Place Gardens) redevelopment at its annual awards dinner at the Harrison Meadows Country Club in Harrison.
YHA and Yonkers City officials were there to accept the award. The City of Yonkers was also named a City of Excellence for its planning achievements.
“The Ridgeway was a major milestone for the Yonkers Housing Authority and the City of Yonkers. It took decades of planning and coordination with multiple partners to achieve,’’ said Wilson Kimball, President and CEO of the Yonkers Housing Authority. “It not only improved the quality of life for our residents, but transformed an entire neighborhood, adding to the revitalization of our city. We accept this recognition knowing that all of our partners – New York State Home and Community Renewal, the City of Yonkers, Westchester County and The Community Builders (TCB) share in this award.’’
The six-phase master plan redeveloped the Cottage Place Gardens public housing complex into The Ridgeway, a mixed-income community of choice. Constructed in the 1940s, the 256-unit Cottage Place Gardens long outlived its useful life. The buildings were walk-ups, units were small, and, while adequately maintained by TCB’s partner at the Municipal Housing Authority for the City of Yonkers, had substantial outstanding capital needs which could not be met through day-to-day maintenance.
The project has had a significant economic impact, employing construction workers, engineers, architects, lawyers, consultants and others in the development and finance industries, utilizing MWBE and local businesses. The Ridgeway at 172 Warburton also employs at least 30 full-time staff to operate the pre-K center and two to four new, full-time property management and maintenance positions.
Westchester Municipal Planning Federation said of the project:
“The project’s first phase, Schoolhouse Terrace, replaced the long vacant former Public School #6 with a senior building and a family building containing 120 units. Each subsequent phase included the demolition of old buildings and replacement with new, modern buildings and the creation of open space and play areas for residents. The project included collaboration among all levels of government, including two Empire State Development Restore NY grants, Yonkers HUD funding, Westchester County HIF funds and financing and tax credits through New York State Homes and Community Renewal.”