New Rochelle, N.Y. : new tower planned

[NYguy]

Lower Hudson Online

Sales are brisk at The Residences at The Ritz-Carlton, Westchester

February 20, 2007

High-rise condominiums are on the market for $750,000 to $10.49 million at a 44-story story tower scheduled to be completed this fall in downtown White Plains.

The prices at this complex, known as The Residences at The Ritz-Carlton, Westchester, are well above the median $375,000 price for a Westchester condo as tracked by the Westchester County Association of Realtors. But there have been plenty of buyers willing to pay a premium for an address inside the county’s tallest building. In fact, the project’s developer says that condo sales are occurring at a “sizzling” pace with 70 percent of the units selling during the past four months.

“I never dreamed that it would happen this quickly,” developer Louis R. Cappelli said in a telephone interview. “We didn’t expect to be at this sales point until the end of 2007.”

Cappelli credited the brisk sales in part to the strength of the New York economy, record Wall Street bonuses and surge of empty nesters. New York’s luxury real-estate market also appears to be holding up better than some overheated markets around the country, including Florida and Las Vegas.

“In the high-end market of New York, I don’t know if there is a real estate slowdown,” he said. “Whatever correction there was, it seems to have corrected itself.”

The tower features 181 condominiums in what is billed the tallest building between Manhattan and Boston. The residences, which offer views of Manhattan, Long Island Sound and the Hudson Valley, range from 1,028 to 5,243 square feet with versions that include one to three bedrooms. The tower is expected to be ready for residents to move in by September or October.

Still available for nearly $10.49 million is the complex’s most expensive unit—a 5,243-square-foot penthouse on the 40th floor that features views of both the Manhattan skyline and Long Island Sound.

Young professionals and empty-nesters from Westchester, Manhattan and southern Connecticut are the typical buyers of the condos. Some buyers have also been attracted by costs per square foot that are about half the prices of similar-sized units in Manhattan.

“There was need in the marketplace for this product,” Cappelli said.

The development in downtown White Plains is the latest project to transform the city during the past five years through an influx of new retailers, restaurants and condos.

The Residences at The Ritz-Carlton will be next to a 10-story Ritz-Carlton hotel expected to open in early 2008. Owners of the condos will have access to amenities such as maid service, room service, concierge and a luxury spa.

[NYguy]

Press Release (earthtimes.org)

The Residences at The Ritz-Carlton, Westchester 70% Sold Just 16 Weeks After Opening for Sales

Tue, 20 Feb 2007
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.

Sales activity at The Residences at The Ritz-Carlton, Westchester, the region's best-selling luxury high-rise condominium, continues at a sizzling pace with 70 percent of the residences reported sold in just 16 weeks after opening for sales.

"No one could have predicted the tremendous response this unique and exciting concept in luxury residential living has received from buyers throughout the region. Our sales activity is nine months ahead of schedule. And what's more, we are getting record prices never before seen in this market," said developer Louis R. Cappelli. "The Residences at The Ritz-Carlton, Westchester is setting a new benchmark for luxury living in Westchester," he added.

Prices for The Residences at The Ritz-Carlton, Westchester currently range from $750,000 to over $10 million. A 5,243-square-foot penthouse on the 40th floor with spectacular views of Manhattan and Long Island Sound is on the market for $10,486,000.

The 44-story tower, which is Westchester's tallest building, will be completed this fall with residents moving in by the end of the year. It features 181 condominium residences ranging in size from 1,028 to 5,243 square feet and offers spacious floor plans from 1-bedroom, 1.5 baths to 3-bedroom, 3.5 baths. The residences offer breathtaking views of Manhattan, Long Island Sound and the Hudson Valley.

Construction of the second tower is moving ahead quickly with an announcement expected soon on the opening of sales.

Located in the heart of downtown White Plains, The Residences at The Ritz-Carlton, Westchester is an entirely new concept in luxury living that combines the carefree convenience of a condominium with the amenities and services of a world-class hotel. Owners at The Residences at The Ritz-Carlton, Westchester will have exclusive access to a wide array of The Ritz-Carlton's legendary five-star amenities and services including maid service, room service, concierge and luxury spa. Owners will also benefit from The Ritz-Carlton privileges around the world, including a 30 percent discount off hotel rack rates.

"People are buying The Ritz-Carlton brand and lifestyle. They want the excitement and convenience of living downtown while enjoying the maintenance-free lifestyle, amenities and services of a Ritz-Carlton hotel," said Mr. Cappelli.

Mr. Cappelli noted that the buyers are a mix of young professionals and empty-nesters from Westchester, Manhattan and southern Connecticut. "We are seeing a dramatic demographic shift in the region's housing market where buyers are moving from their large single-family homes into downtown luxury high-rise condominiums such as The Residences at The Ritz-Carlton, Westchester," he said.

The Residences at The Ritz-Carlton, Westchester is rising next to The Ritz-Carlton, Westchester, a 10-level luxury hotel which is expected to open in early 2008. The 123-room hotel will feature a 10,000-square-foot luxury spa and fitness center, 10,000 square feet of meeting special event space and a two-story glass "winter garden" restaurant fronting on Main Street. An announcement is expected soon of a well-known Manhattan restaurant to open in the winter garden overlooking the plaza and fountains at Main Street and Mamaroneck Avenue. A second restaurant with magnificent views of Manhattan will be located on the 42nd floor.

Cappelli

[NYguy]

NY Post

NEW POINT OF VIEW
BEYOND SUBURBIA: LOWER WESTCHESTER GROWS UP, UP, UP



Jose Lim Jap and his wife, Melinda, bought at Trump Plaza, the second Trump/Cappelli project in Westchester.



FOUND IN YONKERS: If all goes well for Struever Fidelco Cappelli, they'll be bringing minor-league baseball, among other attractions, to southwest Yonkers.


By KATHERINE DYKSTRA
April 5, 2007

When Jose Lim Jap and his wife, Melinda, sold their Carnegie Hill apartment a little more than three years ago, the plan was to take that money and buy a bigger, better place, preferably somewhere else in Manhattan. But the couple quickly realized their money wouldn't get them bigger or better.

"Prices had skyrocketed," says Lim Jap. So in lieu of purchasing, the couple opted to rent on Roosevelt Island.

Fast forward to this year, when the Lim Japs started looking to buy again. Just like last time, they were disappointed by every Manhattan property they were shown.

"They were all too small; it just wasn't worth the money," says Lim Jap, 56. "We found a one-bedroom that was under 1,000 square feet for more than $800,000. We had owned a [one-bedroom] duplex with two full baths before. Why would we downgrade?"

It was on a Sunday drive through Westchester, just north of New York City, that the answer to the Lim Japs' problem presented itself.

"We passed by White Plains and saw Trump [Tower at] City Center, and then we heard [Trump] was building in New Rochelle, so we looked, and the space and the lifestyle fit right into our budget," Lim Jap explains.

Add to that a shorter commute - it takes Lim Jap 40 minutes to get from Roosevelt Island to his job in the city, but just 30 minutes from New Rochelle on Metro-North - and the couple were sold. They purchased a two-bedroom, 2 1/2-bath condo, with nearly 1,500 square feet of space, for $840,000 at Trump Plaza. They hope to move into their new digs by this winter.

Though a Manhattan mass exodus it's not, lower Westchester's proximity to New York City and its slew of spanking-new modern high-rises overflowing with Manhattan-style amenities have started to attract city buyers.

"We have found that [the buyer in lower Westchester] is either a New York buyer, or a young professional who is from Westchester and wishes to remain in Westchester," says Kathleen Murray, vice president at Houlihan Lawrence.

Buyers are coming because lower Westchester is seeing a city-by-city revitalization, starting with New Rochelle and White Plains.

"Years ago [from the 1930s to the early '80s, when Macy's left], New Rochelle was an unbelievable city to live in because of its proximity to Manhattan and the water and all the beach clubs and country clubs," says Joseph Simone, president of Simone Development, of the city, which is located on the Long Island Sound. "Then [the cities in lower Westchester] got rundown over the years when a lot of people began heading northward to find more land ... But now people have begun to realize the importance of being close to Manhattan and now there's a renaissance."

Simone Development is betting on the area's resurgence by constructing a 41-story, 410-unit tower with 60,000 square feet of retail on Main Street.

New Rochelle's revival was kick-started in 1999 with the opening of New Roc City in the heart of its languishing downtown district. The 1.2- million-square-foot entertainment megaplex includes an 18-screen theater with IMAX, a bowling alley, a Go-Kart track, a pool hall, a mini-golf course, an ice-skating rink, restaurants and more. A lethargic teen's paradise, no doubt, and one that sparked development in the surrounding city blocks.

Shortly after, the Lofts at New Roc opened as 98 luxury rentals. And AvalonBay's Avalon on the Sound, a 25-story, 412-unit rental tower was built.

All this was followed more recently by Trump Plaza, a 40-story, 187-unit condo building with 138,000 square feet of retail space; the 588-unit rental Avalon on the Sound East; and Simone Development's project, all of which are still being developed. The decision to convert the Lofts at New Roc to co-ops has also added to the area's resurgence.

On the horizon is LeCount Square, with plans for two 32-story towers that include 459 residential units, a 162-room hotel and 85,000 square feet of office space. There will also be a three-level, on-site parking garage with 800 spaces. All of these developments are in close proximity to one another and to the Metro-North trian.

"It was natural to go into an urban location where all the roads and sewers and water and train stations were there and natural to build up because you couldn't build out," says Louis Cappelli, the developer of Trump Plaza (with Donald Trump, of course), New Roc City and LeCount Square.

__________________________________________


Fast on New Rochelle's heels is White Plains, 20 minutes away.

In 2001, construction began on the city's first mega-project, City Center. The development, which sparked the city's renaissance, was conceived to replace the historic Macy's building on Main Street that had been sitting vacant for five years. It includes a 17-screen cinema and a performing arts stage, as well as the 35-story 212-unit Trump Tower, the 27-unit Lofts at City Center, and the 35-story, 311-unit One City Place rental tower. There's also a major retail component including Starbucks, Circuit City, Barnes & Noble and Filene's Basement.

The project infused the area, which had been strictly 9-to-5, with an energy that spurred the creation of even more buildings - and high-end ones, to boot.

Renaissance Square, currently under construction, includes the Residences at the Ritz-Carlton, White Plains - two 44-story residential towers with 181 units and a Ritz-Carlton hotel.

The buildings, the tallest in Westchester and entirely constructed of glass, would be right at home in Midtown Manhattan.

And buyers will have access to maid service, room service, a concierge and a spa … la many luxe Manhattan buildings.

But the Residences at the Ritz, averaging about $1,000 per square foot, is decidedly not at the Manhattan ultra-luxury price point.

"This would be at least double in Manhattan," says Cappelli.

And while Manhattan is Manhattan, the cropping up of restaurants and shopping is giving lower Westchester a bit of a big-city pulse.

"White Plains is a fully developed metro area with restaurants and nightlife," says Mandell Crawley, 31, who is getting ready to move from Manhattan into the Residences at the Ritz-Carlton in order to be closer to his job in Purchase, N.Y. "I mean, it pales in comparison to Manhattan, but there's enough here to keep me interested."

Says Cappelli: "White Plains, New Rochelle and now Yonkers are embracing the idea of living downtown in a city environment."

Yes, you read correctly: Cappelli has his sights set on Yonkers.

Less than half an hour away from Manhattan via the Metro-North express train, and abutting the Hudson River across from Jersey's breathtaking Palisades, Yonkers, the fourth-largest city in New York State, is an obvious choice for large-scale redevelopment despite its somewhat seedy reputation.

"I've lived in Yonkers for 20 years and I've always thought because of its proximity to Manhattan it's undervalued," says Monica Klingenberg, executive vice president of The Marketing Directors, who's working on the Trump buildings in New Rochelle and White Plains. "It's ripe for change, and we're seeing housing values appreciate, for sure."

Cappelli has joined forces with two other developers to form Struever Fidelco Cappelli, which has presented a $3.1 billion redevelopment plan for the Southwest section of Yonkers and is awaiting approval.

"Yonkers ... seems to be way more complex to navigate [than New Rochelle or White Plains]; there's more politics involved, it's a lot harder to get something done," says Cappelli. "It will take a year longer or more to get approval in Yonkers."

Cappelli's plan is expansive. It includes Palisades Point, two 25-story residential towers planned for the Hudson riverfront; River Park Center, which will include 800 residential units, 580,000 square feet of retail space, 175,000 square feet of office space, 100,000 square feet of hotel space and a 6,500-seat minor-league baseball park; and Riverwalk, a public space that will incorporate the "daylighting" of the Saw Mill River, which runs underneath the city.

Struever Fidelco Cappelli's concept, though certainly the largest, is not the first major redevelopment proposal Yonkers has seen. In 2003, Hudson Park South - two rental towers consisting of 266 apartments and 15,500 square feet of street-level retail and restaurant space - was completed and filled to capacity. The beaux-arts Metro-North train station was restored in 2004.

And already under construction is Hudson Park North, 294 one- and two-bedroom rental apartments in two towers, 12 and 14 stories, connected by a four-story building.

If the success of New Rochelle and White Plains is any indication - the first Ritz tower is already 80 percent sold and the Trump building in White Plains sold out in seven months - Yonkers is bound to boom. And it just might be one of the last townships in lower Westchester to get the Manhattan treatment.

"New Rochelle has harbors and the Long Island Sound, White Plains has retailers and Yonkers has the Hudson," says Murray. "In the smaller cities there isn't the land possibility for this product."

"For those who get in on the ground floor, there is great opportunity for appreciation," says Klingenberg. "For those who have the courage."

[Swede]

Maybe it's time to move this thread to the City Compilations section?

[tdawg]

I'm always impressed with New Rochelle's skiyline whenever heading north on I-95.

[NYC2ATX]

i would love for someone to shoot some current pictures of renaissance square, if its not to much trouble for one of you out there.

-thanx

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by Swede

Maybe it's time to move this thread to the City Compilations section?

Probably. Maybe a Westchester developments?

[NYguy]

Just a little more from Yonkers...

(Architectural Record)

Alsop Makes U.S. Debut in Yonkers



April 3, 2007

The latest European architect to hop the pond for a U.S. debut is Will Alsop, a Brit who hopes to transform a long-unused power plant along the Hudson River in Yonkers, New York, into a sweeping residential complex featuring a museum, restaurant, and park.

Under the plans, which Alsop unveiled to a 50-member audience at a public hearing in Yonkers last week, the hulking 80,000-square-foot power plant will lose its two smokestacks and gain a large residential tower. A third of the 400 units will be luxury condos and the rest rentals, with some reserved for low-income residents, said Erik Kaiser, principal of developer Remi Companies.

The $250 million project also calls for adding a contemporary art museum, located in a former switch-house, and a new apartment structure, nicknamed the “magic tower,” with a boxy upper portion balanced on tentacle-like stilts.

“Good architecture does make a difference,” Alsop said at the hearing. But some audience members expressed concern that the main building, at 25 stories high, will block river views. Others said they favor preserving the power plant as it is now. Alsop countered, “the building will fall down if nobody does anything about it.”

These issues could surface again as the zoning-approval process begins in May. What went unchallenged, however, is the whimsical style of Alsop. In 2000, he won his country’s top architecture prize, the Stirling, for London’s Peckham Library and Media Centre. A red, tongue-like decorative disc tops the building’s hefty cantilevered main volume.

“World class architecture should be in Yonkers,” Kaiser said. “You should be demanding something that is not typical.”

C. J. Hughes

[Scruffy]

^ thats awful.

Got some pics of Avalon 2 in New Roc last week










Its going to have kind of a slanted roof in the front. kind of a trend lately. Both renaissance towers are going to have slants.

[patrick10801]

Hi-
Actually, the two towers planned for LeCount by Cappelli are now approaching 50 stories. He will get final approval for this at an upcoming council meeting. They are all in favor, except for Mike Boyle. This will secure New Rochelle with the tallest buildings in Westchester.

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by Scruffy

^ thats awful.

Got some pics of Avalon 2 in New Roc last week

Thanks for the pics. Didn't realize it was that massive. With the weather getting nicer (eventually), I've got to get up to the area myself and get a look at things, both there and in White Plains.

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by patrick10801

Hi-
Actually, the two towers planned for LeCount by Cappelli are now approaching 50 stories. He will get final approval for this at an upcoming council meeting. They are all in favor, except for Mike Boyle. This will secure New Rochelle with the tallest buildings in Westchester.

Nice to hear of the mini-height race in Westchester county. Wonder how long it'll go on before the inevitable backlash...

[Swede]

^At 2x50s it's not all that mini
/still no 30s buildings here

[NYguy]

http://newyork.construction.com/feat...4_feature5.asp

Suburban Skyscraper
White Plains Adds a New Glass-Faced, Two-Tower Complex

Feature Story - April 2007



A new mixed-use development is primed to add glitz and a pair of 44-story high-rises to a city on the rebound.

by Debra Wood

One developer’s belief that White Plains is a city on the rebound has led to the construction of Westchester County’s tallest buildings and first Ritz-Carlton.

”We see the city emerging as a destination – as a great place to live, work, and play,” says Bruce Berg, executive vice president of Cappelli Enterprises of Valhalla, N.Y., which is building the new Renaissance Square complex in the heart of White Plains. “It’s becoming a 24-7 city.”

Cappelli had previously built the $350 million, 1.1-million-sq-ft City Center at White Plains in 2005. That complex, across the street from Renaissance Square, contains two 35-story towers with rental apartments and residential condominiums, a parking garage, and a retail and entertainment complex.

“City Center was a catalyst for the revitalization of White Plains,” Berg says.

Now, Cappelli and the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co. of Chevy Chase, Md., are co-developing the $500 million, 950,000-sq-ft Renaissance Square, which will have two towers linked by a low-rise component.

The new development includes the Residences at the Ritz-Carlton, Westchester, a 44-story residential tower with 181 condominium units and 32 suites furnished in the Ritz’s signature Atelier style; a 123-room Ritz-Carlton hotel in the 10-story low-rise component; retail on the first floor; a 1,000-space, below-grade parking garage; and the second tower, which is expected to also be 44 stories and have a mix of commercial office space on the first 10 floors and residential units above.

“[With a high-end hotel], it’s the first of its kind in terms of type of development in White Plains,” says Peter Palazzo, president of George A. Fuller Co., Cappelli’s general contractor subsidiary.

Fuller broke ground on the complex in mid-2005. Work began first on the residential tower, which topped out in October and is slated for completion this year. The second tower topped out in February and will wrap up in 2008. The 10-story hotel would also open next year, as will a 42nd-floor restaurant.

Cappelli announced in February that it had sold 70 percent of the first tower’s units in 16 weeks. The 1,200- to 5,200-sq-ft units are listed at prices ranging from $750,000 to more than $10 million.

Costas Kondylis and Partners of New York, which designed the complex, placed the towers at angles to each other to create a contrast and allow expansive views from both structures. The illuminated tops of the wedge-shaped buildings will distinguish Renaissance Square and serve as a beacon for the city, while recesses will give the building a more slender appearance, Kondylis says.

“We were conscious that we were to design a centerpiece of the development of White Plains,” he adds. “It will mark the skyline.”

Construction of the complex has proven to be a large effort in coordination. Fuller assigned seven different teams to the hotel rooms; the garage; each of the towers; pool deck, spa and fitness center; ballrooms; and back-of-house spaces.

“There’s a difficult challenge of manpower and materials availabilities for each of these areas,” Palazzo says.

The complex, which sits on a conventional spread-footing foundation on bearing rock, has a reinforced concrete superstructure and will consume more than 60,000 cu. yd. of concrete.

Further evidence of the compartmentalized nature of construction on the complex is that Cappelli signed a comprehensive safety agreement with the U.S. Occupational Safety & Health Administration for work on the second tower of Renaissance Square. Palazzo says the agreement was developed only for the second tower because it had begun research on the process after work on the first tower was already under way. advertisement

While it has not changed Fuller’s normal safety practices, workers have received additional training in hopes of creating a safety-first mindset, he adds.

“The agreement highlights and focuses everyone on the importance of safety and running a safe project,” Palazzo says. “We’re trying to be as proactive as possible to avoid unsafe conditions.”

On the interiors, Ritz-Carlton sought specific interior touches, Berg says.

“Ritz-Carlton had input on all of the finishes to make sure that they are consistent with the brand standard,” he adds.

Harvey Kaufman Architect of New Canaan, Conn., designed the Ritz-Carlton residences, while Frank Nicholson of Acton, Mass., handled the interiors.

Each of the residential units comes with a control system in the foyer that lets the homeowner adjust the lights, air conditioning, and window treatments. A remote control provides portability within the unit. The system also enables owners to request services from the hotel.

On the exterior, the buildings have a glass curtain wall. Palazzo says it is the first such glass façade for a residential building in the city.

“[The decision to use curtain wall] was driven in part by the desire to build something sleek and luxurious,” he adds. “Curtain wall has a cleaner appearance than precast and, typically, connotes a different type of dwelling.”

Kondylis says the crystalline design also transforms the interior spaces.

“There’s nothing like a bright, sun-filled room,” he adds.

Capping the project is a winter garden by Thomas Balsley Associates, a New York landscape architect. Framed by split-faced slabs of granite at the entrance to the towers, the garden evokes the countryside and has large pine trees and low-canopy deciduous trees in an outdoor plaza.

In addition, illuminated wall panes of translucent glass set in a shallow pool, with fog and lights, separate the arrival space from the street. Outdoor restaurant cafés will surround the water.

“We wanted to import a metaphorical slice of the rugged nature that is part of the heritage of Westchester,” says Thomas Balsley, principal of his namesake firm. “We wanted this landscape to have a deeper meaning than just trees and shrubs.”

____________________________________

Key Players

Owner: Cappelli Enterprises, Valhalla, N.Y.

Construction Manager-General Contractor: George A. Fuller Co., Valhalla

Architect: Costas Kondylis and Partners, New York

Consultant, Ritz Carlton Residences: Harvey Kaufman Architect, New Canaan, Conn.

Consultant, Ritz-Carlton Interiors: Frank Nicholson, Acton, Mass.

Structural Engineer: Rosenwasser-Grossman Consulting Engineers, New York; Tadjer-Cohen-Edelson Associates, Silver Spring, Md.

Mechanical Engineer: Ace Engineering, New Rochelle, N.Y.; Edwards & Zuck, New York

Site Engineer: Divney Tong Schwalbe, White Plains

Landscape Architect: Thomas Balsley Associates, New York

[Scruffy]

I GOT PICS. It looks good. The glass changes above the 10th floor to a cheaper glass. But still looking good. I will post the pics tomorrow when I get home

[hoosier]

Damn, White Plains will surpass Buffalo for the city with the second best skyline in the state of New York.

White Plains is New York's answer to Jersey City.

[NYguy]

^that entire Westchester boom is amazing...

Originally Posted by Scruffy

I GOT PICS. It looks good. The glass changes above the 10th floor to a cheaper glass. But still looking good. I will post the pics tomorrow when I get home

Looking forward to it.

[nick22185]

Any news on LeCount Square, 2 proposed 545 foot towers for New Rochelle?

[NYguy]

Haven't followed...

Originally Posted by patrick10801

Cappelli aims higher in New Rochelle

By ALEX PHILIPPIDIS :: October 13, 2006

Cappelli Enterprises is asking the New Rochelle City Council to add five stories to the two apartment towers planned as part of LeCount Square, the $500 million project proposed for the downtown block bordered by LeCount Place, Anderson and Huguenot streets and North Avenue.

Joseph V. Apicella, senior vice president of Cappelli Enterprises Inc., blamed higher-than-expected acquisition and construction costs for the request. He said it cost $32 million to acquire the several commercial parcels comprising the 2.2-acre project – compared with $12 million budgeted.

Apicella also said Cappelli needed a larger project to improve the project’s return on investment since construction costs have risen 25 percent in the past three years. Earlier this year developer Martin Ginsburg and Manhattan builder A.J. Rotunde made the same argument successfully when they asked and won approvals from White Plains for five more stories for their planned $200 million complex The Pinnacle.

LeCount Square would consist of 1.1 million square feet of space configured in a three-story retail “podium, atop which would rise the project’s apartment towers. The project would contain 371 dwelling units, 180,917 square feet of retail space, 21,560 square feet of restaurant space, a 172-key hotel with unspecified number of residences, and 189,924 square feet of office space.

“We’re talking to Starwood,” Apicella said – as in White Plains-based Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc., which is searching Westchester and Connecticut for a new headquarters office site. “Boy would I love to lure Starwood to this site.”

He said LeCount Square would allow Starwood to locate in one place offices and a new hotel-residences project for Starwood’s W brand: “That’s something we’re considering.”(Top of Page)

[NYguy]

http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/p...066/BUSINESS01

New Roc City to add more retail to business mix

By ALLAN DRURY
April 18, 2007

NEW ROCHELLE - New Roc City, the downtown entertainment center popular with excitement-hungry youths, will get a personality makeover when the owner buys out the leases of a games arcade, go-kart track and ice skating rink and replaces them with large retailers.

Developer Louis Cappelli said this week that he and the city have been discussing the changes for months, well before the Easter melee, when hundreds of teens jammed the center and faced off with police who tried to eject them.

Cappelli said he is in talks with retailers who want "big chunks of space" and the sites now occupied by The Fun House, the New Roc Speedway and the New Roc Ice Skating Center provide that. The Fun House is 55,000 square feet and the speedway and ice rink are each 35,000 square feet.

In addition, the high ceilings in the speedway and ice rink make it possible to build another floor, turning them into what Cappelli called "double deckers" and doubling the amount of space.

"We're talking to some large national tenants," he said. "We're talking to many of them about coming to New Rochelle."

Cappelli's plans mark another major turn in the renaissance of the once-lifeless downtown area in the past decade. The 39-story Trump Plaza is under construction on Huguenot Street, and Cappelli is seeking approval to build two towers more than 500 feet tall at LeCount Square.

New Roc City, a flashy 1.2 million-square-foot complex that includes restaurants, movie theaters and a billiards parlor, has been a central part of the the downtown revival, drawing - by Cappelli's count - 15 million visitors since 1999.

Cappelli said the approval of the LeCount Square project is the next key event that has to take place before his company begins buying out leases. He said the changes at the center could take place by the end of the year.

LeCount Square, Trump Plaza and New Roc City would contain a combined total of about 1 million square feet of retail space.

To Cappelli, that represents "critical mass," meaning space for enough stores to draw crowds of people downtown to shop alongside the residents of the residential towers that have been built.

When New Roc City was planned and built in the 1990s, that critical mass did not exist, making it impossible for the developers to pack the center with retail businesses, he said.

"Entertainment really has served us well," he said. "In nine years, 15 million people have had a good time there. But if it needs to change now because the city is growing and becoming a renaissance kind of 24-hour city, we'll change it."

Cappelli said the violence that broke out at New Roc City on Easter had not depressed prospective retail tenants' interest in the center.

The Easter chaos included three assaults, three robberies and gunshots fired in two locations.

Cappelli said he "just sort of threw up a trial balloon" to gauge the city's reaction about possible changes about six months ago when it appeared the LeCount Square project was heading toward approval.

A representative of the one of the businesses at the center said he thought big-name retailers would help his business.

"There's sort of a maxim in corporate American life: You follow the bigs and the volume will follow," said Michael Mehiel, the chief operating officer of Four M Capital LLC, the franchisee of Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar.

Mehiel said he thinks that of the other businesses in the complex, the Fun House is the one that helps the restaurant the most. He said the New Rochelle eatery does more business on weekends than the Four M-owned Buffalo Wild Wings restaurants in Port Chester, Brooklyn and Milford, Conn.

But as long as the Regal Theater and Imax remain at the center, the restaurant will draw crowds on weekends, he said.

And the retailers will help build up the restaurant's weekday business, he said.

Mayor Noam Bramson supports the changes.

Bramson said the changes can't happen immediately but are possible because of the transformation of the surrounding area, including the Trump Plaza and LeCount Square developments.

The mayor said that 10 years ago when the developers and city first began discussing New Roc City, it was expected to be a "primarily retail facility."

But the planners quickly realized a large retail center would not be viable downtown, the mayor said. However, the city's transformation, which Bramson referred to last week as the "most dramatic economic and physical transformation in our modern history," has changed that, he said.

"We believe the evolving conditions - the completion of Trump Plaza and the expected commencement of LeCount Square - will change market conditions and make it much more realistic and achievable for us to bring in a larger number of retailers," he said.