First Phase to open for affordable Units in Mount Kisco. Helen Fratturna admiried the hardwood floors, closet space and a stacked washer-dryer in a new one-bedroom condominium apartment in Mount Kisco near Leonard Park yesterday.
"I couldn't live in my home anymore. All my money was tied up in the house," said the 77-year-old widow, who sold her four-bedroom home in Brewster Heights and expects to move into the affordable housing off Route 172 by next month.
"Oh heavens, this is nice." she said walking through a unit with a patio similar to hers. "I like to sit outside and listen to my music and have a little wine."
Fratturna and nearly 200 other senior citizes and their families celebrated the near completion of the first of three buildings atWoodcrest Village, a $45 million complex developed by Wilder Balter Partners in Elmsford. All 90 units were sold from plans within four months after sales began last May, the builder said.
The units are for people over 55 years old. There are 66 affordable units for couples with annual incomes under $59,000 or singles with incomes under $50,000. A one-bedroom unit sold for$175,000 and a two-bedroom for $215,000.
Another 24 units are for senior citizens with moderate incomes. A two-bedroom unit sold for $289,700, said development manager Tom Imperato. Maintenance costs include roughly $2,400 a year in property taxes and $300 a month for property upkeep and recreation fees. The complex will have a 3,000-square-foot clubhouse with exercise space and meeting rooms, and an outdoor swimming pool.
The 24-acre site also includes 8 acres of open space with walking trails and a pond. The development is next to another site, Glassbury Court, which has 34 single-family luxury homes to be sold at $800,000 and above.
Since 1990, Wilder Balter has proposed more than 3,000 housing units that are affordable or moderately-priced in Mount Kisco, Cortlandt, Carmel and Southeast.
Fratturna said she wanted to live in Mount Kisco to be near her family and better manage her finances.
"It will be fun to get to meet sometimes at Starbucks," her grandson John Hochstein, 12, of Mount Kisco, said.
Savita and Girish Hatwal also checked out their new home, a two-bedroom unit for moderate-income families.
"I have always wanted to be close by my children," said Savita Hatwal, 67, whose two daughters live in Chappaqua.
"But townhouses are so expensive. and being retired we couldn't really manage it," she added. She said she hoped to spend some time taking care of her two grandchildren, 5 and 2, while her daughter worked.
The project took five years to complete, said vice president William Balter. He is also working on Jacobs Hill, a 161-unit senior housing project in Cortlandt with 103 affordable condominiums.
"This allows seniors, who are part of the fabric of Mount Kisco, to stay here," he said.
Joining him at the tour and barbecue were County Executive Andrew J. Spano, Mount Kisco Mayor Michael Cindrich and other officials. The completion of this project fulfills the county's request for affordable housing in the community.
