SHARE

Seventy-Nine Homes Proposed Near Downtown Bedford Village

BEDFORD, N.Y. -- Developer Wilder Balter Partners is proposing a 79-home project on a site near Bedford Village's downtown, a location that Rippowam Cisqua previously sought to use for a high school.

Developer William Balter stands next to a site plan for his housing proposal, currently called Bedford Farm.

Developer William Balter stands next to a site plan for his housing proposal, currently called Bedford Farm.

Photo Credit: Tom Auchterlonie
The site plan for a 79-home proposed development, currently called Bedford Farm.

The site plan for a 79-home proposed development, currently called Bedford Farm.

Photo Credit: Tom Auchterlonie
A screen shot of a rendering of the Bedford Farm housing proposal.

A screen shot of a rendering of the Bedford Farm housing proposal.

Photo Credit: Screen shot/Wilder Balter
A screen shot of a rendering of the Bedford Farm housing proposal.

A screen shot of a rendering of the Bedford Farm housing proposal.

Photo Credit: Screen shot/Wilder Balter

The project, which carries the working title "Bedford Farm," calls for using the northern portion of a 113-acre site, which is bounded by Old Post Road (Route 22) to the north, Crusher Road to the west, Vinton Avenue to the east and the Mianus River to the south. 

Seventy of the homes would be "age-targeted" and consist of single-family and two-unit structures. Nine of the units would be affordable homes and be located across the developed portion of the site.

Additionally, the project calls for a four-acre farm, which would be used for growing produce that residents and local restaurants could use. A full-time farmer would work and live at the site.

Other amenities include a gazebos and a 5,000-square-foot clubhouse containing a gym, potentially a pool, a catering kitchen, a billiards room and a personal-training space.

The project includes two additional parcels, which bring the total land size to 118 acres. The other parcels include a quarter-acre lot at the intersection of Vinton and Route 22, along with a five-acre site at the intersection of Crusher and Route 22, which is called the Ruti property.

Marvin Schwartz, who is with investment-management firm Neuberger Berman, owns the main property and the small lot by Vinton, Daily Voice confirmed. His ownership is through a pair of limited-liability companies, Old Post Holdings and OP Holding II.

The developer is in contract to purchase the main property and the lot by Vinton, according to William Balter, who is a principal with the company. 

The company would close on its acquisitions once it receives all town approvals for the project, according to Balter, whose firm already owns the Ruti property.

Wilder Balter seeks to preserve about 70 acres of the 118 for open space, which would include the southern area. Balter, in a letter, explains that there have been conversations with Mianus River Gorge and the Westchester Land Trust. Additionally, there would be more than four miles of trails and sidewalks.

Balter, who lives in Mount Kisco, has housing-development experience in Northern Westchester. His firm worked on two projects in Mount Kisco: Glassbury Court and Woodcrest. The company also developed the Bridleside apartment complex in North Salem.

The company is seeking a special permit from the Town Board to allow for a conservation development, which would mean that lots would be arranged in such a way so that there is less area disturbed. In his letter, Balter cites having larger buffers for neighbors as a reason.

The project also requires approvals from the Planning Board and Bedford's Wetlands Control Commission. The Planning Board voted at its Jan. 29 meeting to declare its intent to be lead agency for the project's environmental review.

Rippowam Cisqua's high-school proposal was highly controversial in the late 1990s, according to a New York Times article, which can be read here. The project was dropped in 2002, according to The Record-Review.

to follow Daily Voice Bedford and receive free news updates.

SCROLL TO NEXT ARTICLE