The Village of Pelham Board of Trustees and the Pelham Local Development Corp. approved agreements last night to develop a new state-of-the-art consolidated municipal center and a 127-unit mixed-use luxury residential development at the corner of 5th Avenue and 3rd Street. The development agreement with Pelham House saves Village taxpayers over $17 million in potential debt that would be needed for repairs to Village facilities and will generate nearly $17 million in tax revenue for the School District, Town, and Village governments over the next twenty years.

 

Under the agreement, Pelham House will construct a 21,000SF municipal center which will be the new home for the Fire Department, Police Department, and Village Hall located at the former “Capital One” site. They will also construct a 60-space public parking facility within Pelham House’s mixed-use residential property. Pelham House will cover all costs related to the project and make additional cash payments of $1.3 million to the Village for public improvements related to traffic and pedestrian safety, parking, and other important infrastructure needs. The total benefit to Village taxpayers exceeds $15 million.

 

The Pelham House residential development will feature a mix of studio, one, two, and three bedroom apartment and duplex homes along with approximately 6,000SF of first floor retail space along 5th Avenue. The development will be designed to complement Pelham’s traditional architectural vernacular and will feature a whole host of resident amenities including a club room, fitness center, EV charging stations, outdoor courtyard, and a rooftop deck. Pelham House hopes to attract a locally based family friendly restaurant for the commercial space at the corner of 5th Avenue and 3rd Street. Both the municipal center and the mixed-use project will be designed and constructed to LEED Gold standards.

 

It has taken nearly three years to get to this point. The Village of Pelham issued a Request for Proposals in 2018 soliciting bids from developers to form a public-private partnership to tackle the daunting public infrastructure challenges facing the Village and to develop a mixed-use building which would add to the life and vitality of Pelham’s historic downtown. A facilities assessment report commissioned by the Village documented significant inadequacies related to Village facilities and estimated the costs to address the most significant issues at over $17 million to Village taxpayers—which would require a Village tax levy increase of approximately 11%.

 

Pelham House was one of four respondents to the RFP. The Village Board unanimously selected them as the preferred developer in March 2019. Pelham House purchased the Capital One property in August 2019. Pelham House is led by Village of Pelham resident, Patrick Normoyle, with his partners, developer Mark Reed and their general contracting partner, Sisca Northeast Associates, led by Joe Sisca, III and Rob Masiello.

 

Pelham House’s principals expressed excitement at getting to this stage of the development. “Our goal from the beginning was to understand what was most important to the Village and to work in partnership to achieve the Village’s vision. We’re looking forward to working collaboratively to create two beautiful new landmarks in downtown Pelham that will add to its charm and vitality,” said Patrick Normoyle. Pelham House principal Mark Reed, added, “I have learned how close-knit Pelham is and what a special community it is. We’re excited to play a part in continuing to shape its future.”

 

In terms of next steps, Pelham House will work hand-in-hand with Village officials to design the new municipal center, soliciting input from the community during the design process. Pelham House expects to submit site plan designs to the Village Board under the Village’s Business District Floating Zone (BDFZ) by April 2021. At that point, the project will be reviewed by the Village Board along with the Planning Board and Architectural Review Board.

 

“This project is a grand slam for the Village,” said Mayor Chance Mullen. “We’ll look back on this twenty years from now with so much pride in what we were able to accomplish for our community.”