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White Plains land sold by French-American School of New York to Farrell Building Company

Michael P. McKinney and David Propper, Rockland/Westchester Journal News
·3 min read

The French-American School of New York said it has sold its nearly 130 acres in White Plains' Gedney Farms neighborhood to the Farrell Building Company, a residential developer.

The school's statement did not disclose the sale price but Joseph Farrell, owner of the Farrell Building Company, told Real Estate In-Depth the sale was for $16.5 million.

The sale comes after FASNY's proposal to build a campus on a piece of the White Plans land became a years-long review process, drawing opposition largely from members of the Gedney Association neighborhood group. Concerns included traffic and safety.

In 2017, FASNY eventually received approval for a reduced project for its grades 6-12 school on one of the four parcels that comprise the site. The Gedney Association sued, asserting the city's Common Council failed to follow legal procedures and didn't answer how the development would affect neighbors and environmentally sensitive areas.

A view of the property at the old Ridgeway Country Club in White Plains pictured Dec. 1, 2021. The French-American School of New York said it has sold its nearly 130 acres in White Plains' Gedney Farms neighborhood to the Farrell Building Company, a residential developer.
A view of the property at the old Ridgeway Country Club in White Plains pictured Dec. 1, 2021. The French-American School of New York said it has sold its nearly 130 acres in White Plains' Gedney Farms neighborhood to the Farrell Building Company, a residential developer.

But on Tuesday, the school said that instead its sale of the entire 129-plus acres was in its best interests because over the last couple of years, space requirements and planning needs evolved. The statement did not elaborate.

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It was a decade ago that FASNY bought the land, the site of the former Ridgeway Country Club, with plans for the new campus. FASNY initially proposed consolidating its Scarsdale, Mamaroneck and Larchmont schools at a new White Plains campus for 950 students.

A STOP FASNY NOW! placard on a utility pole at Hathaway Lane and Gedney Esplanade in White Plains, now has a "Bye (Au Revoir!) sign attached as pictured Dec. 1, 2021. The French-American School of New York said it has sold its nearly 130 acres in White Plains' Gedney Farms neighborhood to the Farrell Building Company, a residential developer.
A STOP FASNY NOW! placard on a utility pole at Hathaway Lane and Gedney Esplanade in White Plains, now has a "Bye (Au Revoir!) sign attached as pictured Dec. 1, 2021. The French-American School of New York said it has sold its nearly 130 acres in White Plains' Gedney Farms neighborhood to the Farrell Building Company, a residential developer.

Later, the reduced project was for 640 students and included a greenhouse, gymnasium, performing arts center and athletic fields, plus a publicly accessible conservancy.

A view of the property at the old Ridgeway Country Club in White Plains pictured Dec. 1, 2021. The French-American School of New York said it has sold its nearly 130 acres in White Plains' Gedney Farms neighborhood to the Farrell Building Company, a residential developer.
A view of the property at the old Ridgeway Country Club in White Plains pictured Dec. 1, 2021. The French-American School of New York said it has sold its nearly 130 acres in White Plains' Gedney Farms neighborhood to the Farrell Building Company, a residential developer.

Founded in 1980 as a one-classroom preschool, the French-American School of New York is now an international and bilingual day school on three campuses with more than 720 students from nursery school through grade 12.

It's the only school in the New York metropolitan area accredited to offer both the International Baccalaureate diploma and the French baccalaureate, according to the statement.

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Farrell Building Company, based in Bridgehampton on Long Island's east end, stated that it's excited to bring what it called its signature Hamptons luxury homes and lifestyle to Westchester.

“Given the limited inventory of new construction homes in Westchester County and the resurgence of demand for suburban housing following the pandemic, Ridgeway is the perfect opportunity for the Farrell brand to enter the market,” owner Joe Farrell said in the statement. “We look forward to working with the city of White Plains on the project which will generate substantial tax revenue for the community.”

Farrell said he plans to construct single-family homes between $1.8 million and $3 million, according to Real Estate In-Depth, a trade publication of the Hudson Valley Association of Realtors. Farrell would not tell Real Estate In-Depth how many houses he wants to build.

John Sheehan, president of the Gedney Homeowners Association board, said he's eager to see what the buyer’s plan for the property is, and expects the developer to reach out to neighbors.

Sheehan called the battle with the school a “10-year saga.” There were two appeals pending over the future of the property, he said.

“The majority of the neighborhood, the Gedney Association feels it was the wrong use for the property from the very beginning, locating a school in the middle of a neighborhood,”’ Sheehan said Tuesday evening.

In 2019, FASNY had listed for sale the three other parcels that make up the 129 acres:

  • fourteen acres between Gedney Esplanade and Heatherbloom Road

  • some 15.6 acres between Heatherbloom and Bryant Avenue

  • more than 72 acres bordered by Hathaway, Ridgeway, Bryant and North Street.

Now, with all of the land going to the developer, it wasn't immediately known how many residences might be proposed and where. The property's single-family zoning allows lot sizes of 30,000 square feet, the statement said.

The FASNY statement thanked those who supported its school plan during the approval process, including Mayor Tom Roach and the members of the Common Council who had voted to approve it.

Michael P. McKinney is a breaking-news reporter for the Journal News, the Poughkeepsie Journal and the Times Herald-Record of Middletown.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: French-American School of NY sells 130 White Plains acres to developer