State of Economy Panel Focuses on Impactful Projects in Mount Vernon, Port Chester

The BCW’s latest edition of the State of the Economy series welcomed developers who are building transformative mixed-use projects in Mount Vernon and Port Chester.

BCW Executive Vice President and COO John Ravitz moderated the Thursday morning panel—the third State of the Economy this year that addresses Westchester’s transformational projects. Panelists included Jonathan Gertman, Senior Vice President of Development at The NRP Group; Christopher Gibaldi, Managing Director of Development at Rose Associates; Steve Horton, President of the Grandview Consulting Group; Andrea Mignone, Director of Development Marketing at Rose Associates; Peter O’Keefe, Director of Development at Rose Associates; and Kenneth Plummer, President of Forward Thinkers Development LLC.

Ravitz began the panel by noting the strong developer interest in Westchester County despite the region’s excessive land-use bureaucracy.

“Even with all the challenges they face daily, they continue to want to build housing; they continue to want to help bring revenue into the county; and continue to want to create new jobs; and they also want to continue to build relationships with all the related businesses in the communities in which they’re working. And that’s what makes Westchester so special and vibrant,” said Ravitz.

Gertman, Horton and Plummer said their mixed-income, 315-unit project at 115 S. Macquesten Parkway highlights the importance of urban planning in a community. Mount Vernon has a form-based code around the Mount Vernon West Station that allows developers to build mid-rise residential towers within a defined area.

“Planning unlocks development, and it has unlocked local support and political support to make development happen,” said Gertman.

The $228 million project includes 5,000 square feet of retail and about 8,300 square feet for a community center to be managed by the City of Mount Vernon. Gertman said his company was attracted to the location because of the transportation options, the proximity to other Westchester communities and the certainty that comes with form-based zoning.

“To walk in and be able to know that you have the legislation in place to build a sizeable project was really exciting to us,” said Gertman, adding that he expects to break ground on the project in the coming weeks.

The Rose team—Gibaldi, Mignone and O’Keefe—began their presentation with an overview of United Hospital, which closed in 2004 after decades of decline. The project includes 775 rental units, 200 units of senior housing and a 120-room hotel.

It took almost 20 years for developers to get the 15-acre property on High Street off Boston Post Road into the demolition phase. Construction is expected to begin in early 2026.

The Rose team explained that their project will fit elegantly into the surrounding area.

“When we were planning this project, we were really focused on what we could do to incorporate it into the surrounding community,” said Mignone. “We wanted this to be a place of light and air that fits into the suburban nature of the community, so even the tallest buildings in our development will be shorter than the old towers they are replacing.”

After the presentations, one attendee asked about the developers’ outlook on building in Westchester County. Gertman said that rising rents in the New York metro area continue to make the area attractive to residential builders, despite the region’s notorious bureaucratic hurdles.

Ravitz concluded the event by noting that the BCW will continue to push local and state leaders to reform land-use and environmental-review laws that create barriers to construction and exacerbate the region’s housing scarcity.