​Louis Cappelli, chairman and CEO of the Cappelli Organization, has helped build up Westchester for decades. The developer’s latest project is The Standard, a new 14-story residential building situated on the site of the former Standard Star newspaper building. The building’s address is 251 North Avenue and the site spans the block between North Avenue and LeCount Place in downtown New Rochelle.
The Cappelli Organization and city officials met April 25 to celebrate the groundbreaking of the building, which will feature 112 apartments and approximately 4,000 sq ft of ground-level retail space. The apartments, ranging from 440 to 755 sq ft, will consist of 13 studios, 92 one-bedroom, and 7 two-bedroom units. Expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2019, The Standard will offer luxury amenities, including a rooftop deck with kitchen and cooking area; fitness center; business center/meeting/conference room; virtual doorman; and a lounge with full kitchen, dining area, pool table, and TV sets. There will also be an outdoor seating area with a fire pit.
The project is geared toward Millennials interested in smaller rental units. It will provide easy access to mass transit and parking will be available in the adjacent New Roc City garage. Just a five-minute walk to the Metro-North train station, the building is also in close proximity to the area’s restaurants and retail stores.
The property will merge its modern amenities with the building’s past. The back portion of the building where the printing presses for the daily newspaper were will be demolished but the façade of the building that faces North Avenue will be preserved and incorporated into the new building.
At the groundbreaking, New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson said “[The Standard is] a terrific project that respects our past, with the preservation of the façade of the old Standard Star building. It’s a project that embraces the future with the recognition that lifestyles and preferences are changing and that communities have to change alongside that.”
He says the project is consistent with downtown New Rochelle’s development plan that envisions “a walkable, vibrant, economically, and culturally diverse downtown that is a draw and a benefit to our entire community and our entire region.”
Since the 1990’s, Cappelli has helped revitalize New Rochelle’s downtown area. From 1997-2007, the developer built approximately two million sq ft of residential, entertainment, hotel, retail, and garage properties, which include New Roc City, a Marriott Residence Inn, and the Trump Plaza Condominium tower.
“When we opened New Roc City almost 20 years ago, we were pioneers in the revitalization of the downtown. Since then, the city has enjoyed a remarkable renaissance. The site of The Standard is an important in-fill parcel linking the New Roc complex to North Avenue. We have owned the site for years and now is the time for a creative project that will contribute new life to this strategically important area,” said Capelli. He continued, “We’re happy to add The Standard to our project portfolio and to continue to play a role in the redevelopment excitement in downtown New Rochelle.”
Bramson said, “There is no individual and no team that was more instrumental in moving New Rochelle forward [in the 1990s-early 2000s] than Louis Cappelli and his family and all those who work with him…We are thrilled to have [him] back playing in our sandbox.”
