Yonkers begins process to take land from NYC

YONKERS - City officials have begun the legal process to take riverfront land from New York City.

The board of the Yonkers Industrial Development Agency on Tuesday authorized its attorneys to file legal papers allowing the agency to forcibly buy a Metropolitan Transportation Authority bus parking lot at 59 Babcock Place.

For years, Yonkers officials have sought to buy the New York City-owned land as part of the massive redevelopment of the Hudson River waterfront.

"We've gotten nowhere with them. It was just an echo until we did this," Mayor Mike Spano, the IDA chairman, told the board, adding that, after Yonkers threatened legal action, New York City officials recently met with Yonkers officials on the matter.

Yonkers officials estimated that the 3.6-acre parcel has a market value of $5.3 million but, once the matter goes to court, a judge will decide the fair value. The IDA's attorneys told the board the acquisition of the land could be finalized by mid-2018.

One of the redevelopment projects allegedly blocked by the bus depot is at the former Glenwood Power Station, which can't be developed successfully unless there is a street connecting it to the downtown.

Another development adjacent to the depot is controlled by the New York City-based Extell Development Co., which is preparing to start the first phase of a 1,359-unit complex. Extell's project includes 1,931 public and private parking spots, about 8 acres of open space, a half-mile waterfront esplanade and 4 acres of private roof gardens.

The IDA board also voted to forcibly buy other properties not connected to the MTA bus lot.

One of the properties is a former funeral home parking lot at 116 Yonkers Ave. Spano said the development of thousands of units downtown means that the city will have to enhance traffic flow on Yonkers Avenue, so the lot could become municipal parking if parking on that stretch of Yonkers Avenue is eliminated.

City officials have received an appraisal of $800,000 for 116 Yonkers Ave.

The final set of properties that will be forcibly bought are 60 and 76 Point St., and 81 Ravine Ave. The city already owns a number of properties on that block and the goal is to control the whole block so the land can be developed together.

The parcels total about 1.2 acres and are appraised at $1.3 million. City officials have discussed building a public school there.

Twitter: @ErnieJourno

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