Photo by Dylan Utschig, HD Property Pros
From an amenities-rich affordable-housing development set in a busy downtown to a 16,000-square-foot private, country retreat on 30 wooded acres, these are the builders and developers changing the residential landscape of Westchester County and the Hudson Valley.
Golden Shovel Winner: Michael Murphy, Murphy Brothers
—
Best 55+ Luxury Development
National Development – WINNER
Waterstone of Westchester, EPOCH Senior Living, White Plains
Photos by Robert Benson
Designed for discerning seniors to the level of a luxury condominium or five-star hotel, Waterstone is set on 2.8 acres and offers 132 spacious apartments with floor-to-ceiling windows, gourmet kitchens, and designer finishes. The design team was inspired by White Plains’ sophisticated, urban feel and the flagship Bloomingdale’s across the street. Elevators feature large-format historic ads, with artwork and signage evoking the retailer’s glamorous heyday. A two-story lobby with bar, brushed-brass railing, and concierge desk engender the feel of a boutique hotel. Amenities include a fitness center, pool, therapy areas, theater, salon, art studio, and sunroom, to name a few, with services such as meals, housekeeping, and access to medical care available.
Architect and Designer: Elkus Manfredi
Azorim
Miroza at Ridge Hill, Yonkers
Photos by Rare Photography
Located across from the Ridge Hill shopping center and 30 minutes from Midtown Manhattan, Miroza offers city-living accessibility in a suburban setting. Convenience meets luxury in this full-service building offering spacious layouts with on-site resort-style amenities. Deluxe residences feature double-paned, oversize windows; open-concept kitchens; bathrooms with rainforest showerheads and deep tubs; multiple closets and individual washer/dryers. Select units have terraces. A 20,000-square-foot multilevel amenities center with indoor pool, sauna, hot tub, basketball court, fitness classes, and gym make the lifestyle a particularly attractive one for its active 55+ residents. A lounge with bar, kitchen, playroom, screening room, and outdoor patio round out the offerings.
Architect: David Mammina, H2M architects + engineers
Best Custom Home
Larsen Builders – WINNER
Cat Hill, Kerhonkson
Photos by Brad Feinkopf
This spectacular modern retreat is surrounded by forests at the foothills of the Catskill Mountains. Its highlight is a treehouse-like studio for the homeowner to pursue her passions of music and art collecting. A long hallway with periodic windows connects the main body of the home to the studio and acts as an art gallery for her favorite pieces. Much of the home’s furnishings were designed and created by local craftspeople, including a dining-room table whose warm wood-and-steel plates draw one’s eye to a fireplace wall clad in a steel-gray Viroc panel. The same artisan designed the living-room coffee table and a credenza in the primary suite.
General Contractors: Tim and Rich Larsen
Architect: Marica McKeel, Studio MM Architect, PLLC
Gatehouse Partners LLC
Creative Couple’s Home, Rhinebeck
Photos: Interior by Michael Biondo; Aerial Exterior by Kirt Washington
Situated on 30 wooded acres, this 16,000-square-foot retreat was designed for an artist-musician couple to provide living, studio, and exhibit space for each. Constructed of steel, concrete, and stucco, with a bronze-clad copper roofing system, the house has an upper living level and a lower recreational level and is designed as a series of interconnected pavilions linked by a spine-like gallery. The interior serves as an environment for art, exhibiting the client’s paintings and collected objets d’art. On the lower level, an indoor lap pool and spa are located beneath a skylighted roof. Other creative spaces include an art studio, music studio, sound room, and painting studio.
Architect: Ira Grandberg
Goldan Home Development, Builder Daniel Cores, Elite Design, LLC
Orienta Point Home, Mamaroneck
Photos by Matthew Turri and Deborah Aulfinger
A bluestone front porch with custom metal railing and stone veneer accents welcomes visitors to this stunning, modern home. With an exterior of both vertical and horizontal Hardie plank siding, this new construction features a spectacular grand entry hall with a built-on-site, split-glass staircase with solid-oak treads and handrails, 9-to-12-foot-high ceilings, and natural, white-oak flooring throughout. Other details include four-inch LED recessed lighting, Metro Collection crown and base moldings, and pre-wired CATV. The gourmet kitchen, with its oversize quartz island, opens directly to the family room and overlooks the deck and backyard. The five bedrooms include a luxurious primary suite and first-floor guest room.
Architect: Gregory Lewis, Lewis + Lewis Architects
Comstock Residential Contracting
World-Class Georgian Estate, Northern Westchester
Photos by Charles Raspler
A basic 1980s builder’s spec house — a Colonial with clapboard siding and asphalt roof — was totally transformed into a gracious Georgian estate with a new port cochere, stone exterior, and a slate roof imported from Spain. The resulting 20-room home features extensive trim and millwork throughout, including three large clerestory spaces with 20-foot ceilings. Additions include a 4,000-square-foot home office with contrasting rustic antique posts and beams, wide-plank, live-sawn hardwood floors, black-walnut wall paneling, and an expansive finished basement with home theater. The project also included substantial improvements to drainage, utilities, and energy efficiency.
Architect: Michael Smith Architects
Best Affordable Multifamily Development
Macquesten Development LLC
22 South West, Mount Vernon
Photos by John Vecchiolo
A sustainable project incorporating green technologies, this $100 million development blurs the line between affordable and luxury housing, with many elements of the latter not typically seen in housing of this kind. Located at the Mount Vernon West train station, an 18-minute ride from Manhattan, it includes 174 generously sized units on 17 floors with views of the Manhattan skyline and Hudson River. A New York State Housing and Community Renewal project, it features ample parking and retail space and boasts a full gym, children’s center, clubhouse lounge, community facility, 24-hour security, and an Amazon hub.
Architect: Humphreys & Partners
Westhab, Inc. – WINNER
Dayspring Commons, Yonkers
Photos by Karla Tomanelli
Located in Nodine Hill in Southwest Yonkers, a community that leads both Yonkers and Westchester in many demographic indicators of poverty and distress, Dayspring Commons offers state-of-the-art, amenity-rich affordable and supportive housing in a 61-unit residential building. Twenty-five apartments are reserved for formerly homeless families and support services like case management and resource referrals are offered on-site for all residents. Outdoor spaces and an attractive community room are available for resident use. The Dayspring Community Center, constructed next door, provides youth, senior, employment, and other critical neighborhood services. Together, the two entities constitute the Dayspring Campus, an anchor for the community and a catalyst for further community development.
Architect: Aufgang Architects
Best Remodeling Projects
Cyrus Contracting Corporation – WINNER
Full Basement Renovation, Goldens Bridge
Photos by Carli Donsky
The owners of this large Craftsman home wanted to transform the unfinished lower level into an inviting gathering space. The new open-concept area includes a bedroom — entered through large barn doors — and bathroom, bar, wine cellar, library, game room, and TV/video gaming areas. Use of white-shiplap walls, warm-toned wood-like flooring, and modern farmhouse design elements complement the look of the rest of the home, and Irish maps and prints are displayed as a nod to the family’s heritage. A closet was turned into a wine cellar, and a stylish bar area was inspired by an industrial-style restaurant. The reading area sports a library bookcase with an attached rolling wooden ladder.
Architect: Thomas A. Nugent
Designer: Marialisa Zywotchenko
DTF Rosemount
Fairway Greens Townhouse Remodeling, Mamaroneck
Photos by Julia D’Agostino
This approximately 3,000-square-foot townhouse hadn’t been touched since it was built in the 1970s. The new owners, downsizing empty nesters, hired the builder to make the three-bedroom unit more contemporary and functional via a full gut and remodel. The project included all new electrical and plumbing, and exterior and interior painting, four fully renovated bathrooms, all new windows and exterior doors, and a totally transformed kitchen featuring the removal of one wall to create an expansive great room. Inside, all tile was ripped out and hardwood floors installed; outside, the deck was enlarged and updated with Trex decking and a stairway was added to access the backyard.
Architect: Lisa Piper Gilbert
Designer: K&B Creations
Cyrus Contracting Corporation
Cottage Renovation, Somers
Photos by Carli Donsky
The owners of a 16-acre former raspberry farm wanted to update the 1,400-square-foot, 1960s-era cottage on their property. What started out as a simple kitchen redo turned into a full-gut reno, including a totally new bathroom and installation of new floors, windows, built-ins, electrical upgrades, insulation, and painting throughout. Cape Cod-like elements were added to match the traditional look of the late-1800s main house, where the owners live. Details include white exterior shingles, a plum-colored entry door, dark-stained wood flooring, traditional polished-chrome fixtures, flush-panel cabinet doors, a quartzite countertop, barn-style lights, and, in the bathroom, marble tile and a large soaker tub.
Architect: Michael Piccirillo
Designer: Marialisa Zywotchenko
Best Luxury Multifamily Development
The Cappelli Organization
3THIRTY3, New Rochelle
Photos by Brad Feinkopf
Located at 333 Huguenot Street in downtown New Rochelle, this soaring glass tower features apartments offering sophisticated style and high-end design elements, like white-quartz countertops and luxury vinyl-plank flooring. Floor-to-ceiling windows in each residence offer panoramic Long Island Sound and New York City views. Other features include smart-home systems, keyless entry, and multiple zones for heating and air conditioning. On-site amenities abound, from 24/7 concierge service to coworking spaces and a pet-spa station. They also include a health club, sauna, and indoor/outdoor swimming pool, multimedia lounge, golf simulator with brew bar, mixology lounge, event kitchen, and outdoor terrace.
Architect: Lessard and S9 Architecture
Designer: Kathleen Hennessy
Kings Capital Construction
100 Pondfield Road, Bronxville
Photos by Dylan Utschig, HD Property Pros
Bronxville’s newest luxury condominium is an 11-unit building that delivers convenient in-town living with a short commute to Manhattan. Residences feature expansive open layouts, premium finishes, oversize windows, tall ceilings, and wide-plank European white-oak floors. Open kitchens offer custom cabinetry, quartz counters, Viking appliances, and porcelain farm sinks. The primary suite has an expansive closet and a spa-like bath with radiant heat floors; secondary bedrooms offer large closets and well-appointed baths. On-site amenities include a fitness room, coworking space, and a garage with Bronxville’s sophisticated array of shops and restaurants located steps away.
WBP Development LLC, and LMXD, an Affiliate of L+M Development Partners – WINNER
Stella, New Rochelle
Photos by Qualls Benson
This 27-story, mixed-use development offers elegantly designed residences and exceptional amenities in a soaring tower in downtown New Rochelle with Long Island Sound and Manhattan views. The $190 million project comprises 380 apartments that include floor-to-ceiling windows, solar window shades, wide-plank flooring, washer/dryer, and smart door locks. Kitchens have smoked-oak-and-white high-gloss cabinets; quartz countertops and baths have natural-oak vanity cabinets and honed porcelain floor and wall tiles. Amenities abound, including an outdoor rooftop pool, landscaped terrace, and outdoor pet-play area, plus its ground-floor retail space is home to the county’s first Joe Coffee café.
Architect: Beyer Blinder Belle
