RPW Group Leading the Way in Transformation of Platinum Mile

Andrew Weisz, President of BCW Member RPW Group, was the focus of a Journal News report on August 2 about the reimagining of the Platinum Mile, which was once home to major corporate office parks and now is a booming multi-family residential market.

“The 9 to 5 office park no longer works. People are looking for 24/7 communities,” Weisz said. “They need that mix of office, residential and entertainment.”

The front page article noted that in the ’70s and ’80s, Westchester’s Platinum Mile took shape on both sides of Interstate 287 in White Plains and Harrison. CEOs wanted their headquarters closer to their homes in Westchester and Connecticut, without having to commute into Manhattan. Among those with corporate offices along the Platinum Mile were IBM, Philip Morris, Texaco, Starwood Hotels (now owned by Marriott), Kraft and Pepsico.

The Platinum Mile is now the home address for hundreds of renters who have turned office parks into bedroom communities. Among the residential communities with hundreds of units are Carraway by the Toll Brothers, RPW’s The Halden, and Trammell Crow’s The Alexan Harrison.

“What is happening here on the Platinum Mile, with some of the better offices staying for the long haul, the introduction of brand-new modern apartments and the Wegmans and the Life Time Fitnesses of the world — coupled with best-in-class medical — you can cater to all age and demographics, and it becomes very appealing,” Weisz said.

Weisz said the corporate park addresses give renters options, adding: “Not everyone wants to be in downtown White Plains,” he said. “The market for renters in Westchester is robust,” Weisz added, noting that RPW’s 303-unit Halden at 1133 Westchester Ave. is 100% leased.

Who is signing those leases at The Halden?

“The divorced community is a significant pool of the renters,” Weisz said. “They want to stay in the communities where their children go to school. So that is a component. We see a lot of former New York residents, grandparents who raised their families here, moved to Florida as their main residence. Their kids and their grandkids live in Westchester, so this is sort of a pied a terre, if you will.”

RPW, which is a member of the BCW’s Smart Growth Working Group, is partnering with residential manager NRP Group to build 200 units at 1 Webb Ave., in Harrison. Half of the 10-acre site will restore wetlands and include trails and a community garden while the other five acres will have structures with covered parking and solar panels. Weisz said plans call for a summer 2026 opening.

Weisz is bullish on Westchester. “The introduction of so much medical, residential and retail/entertainment is the way of the future. And so, I think we are headed in the right direction. We want to see more of all of it. I think that will continue to assist the remaining office buildings.”