MatriArch Development aims to complete the 101 Wolfs Lane residential and retail project, which will include 63 apartments, by spring of 2020, following approval of the downtown development by the Village of Pelham Board of Trustees in October. The project faces opposition from residents around the construction area, who anticipate dangerous traffic problems and school overcrowding.

“With our team, we aim to obtain construction permits and get to shovel in the ground by spring 2019,” said Mara Kravitz of MatriArch Development. “Once we begin construction, we anticipate completion in under a year.” 

The 63 rental units will include five studios, 36 one bedrooms, 18 two bedrooms and four three bedroom terraces. The complex will boast a variety of amenities from a fitness center to a community room, according to the developer’s website. MatriArch’s website said it hopes to attract a commuter crowd, as the complex will be a short walk to the Pelham train station.

Commercial space will take up 4,000 square feet on the ground floor with 103 feet of frontage on Wolfs Lane. Designated parking is also encompassed in the plan. The development will be connected to a pedestrian arcade similar to a passageway in downtown Paris. The commercial space will include eight merchant parking spots and 12 indoor parking spots, according to Kravitz.

Under the final resolution approved by the village board, MatriArch will make payments to the village, including $25,000 once the building permit is approved and another $25,000 once its certificate of occupancy is okayed. The developers have committed to paying $50,000 annually for 15 years to gain an easement so the 101 Wolfs Lane tenants will have access to a new parking lot. Due to the disturbance construction may cause on the street, MatriArch will pay for maintenance of the pedestrian access. Additionally, it agreed to stairs from Wolfs Lane to the parking lot below.

“We are seeking a commercial tenant that will enhance our village and benefits from the 103 feet of frontage on our main street, as well as from the pedestrian plaza connecting to the village parking lot,” said Kravitz. 

MatriArch Development said on its website that it foresees the plan creating many positives for Pelham. “We are focusing on attention to detail, quality, efficiency and sustainability,” said Kravitz.

Todd Cross, a resident of Sparks Avenue and leader of residents in the area, has concerns about the project. Cross said that he and other residents support redevelopment in downtown Pelham, but are worried about Sparks Avenue becoming dangerous as well as school overcrowding caused by the children of new residents.

Sparks Avenue runs perpendicular to Wolfs Lane south of the future site of the project.

“The core problem isn’t 101 Wolfs Lane, per se,” Cross said. “The problem is overcrowding a heavily-trafficked residential street and overcrowding our schools.”

Sparks has an entrance ramp to the Hutchinson Parkway and is the location of the village department of public works, where trucks and other equipment are parked, as well as 456 parking spaces, Cross said. The 101 Wolfs Lane plan will cause an immense disruption to Sparks by consolidating both the fire and police departments onto Sparks and constructing a three-story, 300-car parking garage, he said.

Additionally, northbound Hutch traffic will end up on Sparks during construction closures, according to Cross. He also said construction traffic for rebuilding work on the Hutch goes down Sparks in the middle of the night.

Cross said he has concerns about the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Superfund cleanup site behind Village Hall and Crystal Cleaners. The toxic site will require the treatment of approximately 7,000 square feet of soil around Crystal Cleaners at 113 Wolfs Lane. The action taken by the DEC follows an investigation into contamination from 2011 to 2015. Cross said remediation of the site will require an additional 80 dump trucks trips on Sparks Avenue.

While the developers of 101 Wolfs Lane projected several school-age students in several buildings, Cross said even a few students could easily result in schools overcrowding. “Several years ago several Colonial families were ‘voluntarily’ reassigned to Siwanoy and Hutchinson schools because Colonial was overcrowded,” he said.

“We understand the concerns of our neighbor,” said Kravitz. “Our intentions are only to make Pelham a better place. After all, it’s our hometown too.”