SUITE TALK: TARYN DUFFY
STRONG DEVELOPMENT CONTINUES
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JULY 9, 2018 | VOL. 54, No. 28
White Plains Mall redevelopment efforts take step forward with zoning approval BY RYAN DEFFENBAUGH
YOUR ONLY SOURCE FOR REGIONAL BUSINESS NEWS, COVERING THE HUDSON VALLEY
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rdeffenbaugh@westfairinc.com
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lans to tear down White Plains Mall and replace it with mixed-use apartment towers and an open central “Hamilton Green” took a step forward July 2. The White Plains Common Council approved a necessary zoning amendment to allow for the project and opened review on the development’s next required municipal approval, its site plan. The plans from developer Street-Works Development would tear down the mall and replace the block with open public space and four separate buildings hosting a mix of apartments, co-working space and street-level stores and restaurants. The retail portion would be headlined by a craft food hall featuring smaller, artisan purveyors. White Plains Mall was built in the 1970s on a 3-acre block surrounded by Hamilton Avenue, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Cottage Street and Barker Avenue. While the mall is home to the city’s Department of Motor Vehicles and a mix of small businesses, it has struggled with vacancies. The development team characterized it as outdated; as White Plains Mayor Thomas Roach dryly noted Monday following the zoning change, “Historic preservation didn’t come up in this one.” » WHITE PLAINS
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Mark Morganelli takes time out to play a tune on his flugelhorn outside the Jazz Forum Club in Tarrytown that he and his wife opened to critical success. Photo by Aleesia Forni.
IDEALab brings immersive media artists to downtown New Rochelle BY RYAN DEFFENBAUGH rdeffenbaugh@westfairinc.com
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rom the upper floor of the city’s gabled-roof train station house, New Rochelle has taken the first steps in a quest to become a hub for immersive arts and augmented
and virtual reality. For the past two months, the train station’s top floor has hosted the IDEALab Fellowship program, a live/work residency project focused on augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) arts. The fellowship space has been outfitted with a lab and studio, as well as living space, for three
resident artists. Another five fellows live off-site but work within IDEALab’s studios. The lab is equipped for VR, motion capture and other immersive arts, while the rest of the floor contains a lounge, bedrooms and living space for the three resident fellows. The first cohort of artists, chosen through a competitive
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selection and interview process, are pursuing projects and studies focused on smart cities and sustainability efforts, along with VR, AR and mixed reality. IDEALab is the first major program launched by IDEA New Rochelle, a nonprofit founded last year through the New » IDEALAB
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