County seeking developers for ambitious new housing complex.

The old Post Office parking lot in downtown White Plains would be the site of an innovative and ambitious affordable housing complex that has the potential for more than 200 rental units for seniors, under a proposal announced by County Executive Andy Spano.

The property, owned by the county, is the focus of a just-released "request for proposals" (RFP). The site of the proposed project is the southwesterly corner of Court and Quarropas streets, adjacent to 143 Grand St.

The Board of Elections and the county's One-Stop Employment Center now uses the property for parking.

"Our senior population continues to grow in Westchester, and with it an incredibly large need for safe affordable housing," Spano said. "In White Plains alone, there are long waiting lists at the seven senior housing projects. My goal is to take an underutilized site, strategically located in the heart of downtown White Plains, and convert it to a project that developers will use as a model in other parts of the county."

Current demographic data illustrates the growing housing need:

Census 2000 reported that White Plains has 8,058 residents age 65 and over--about 15 percent of all its residents.

About one-third of this senior population was found to be disabled and almost half of those seniors who lived in rental households were paying more than 30 percent of their incomes toward rent. This population is projected to increase by 40 percent over the next 25 years.

Under Spano's proposal, the property would be developed with approximately 250,000 square feet of space, to create potentially 200-250 one- and two-bedroom apartment units.

The lengthy RFP, prepared by the Planning Department, may be downloaded from www.westchestergov.com/rfp. Completed proposal packages must be in writing and delivered by 5 p.m. on June 15, 2005.