White Plains CitizeNetReporter - Update: The Fortunoffs Come to White Plains

Louis and Andrea Fortunoff personally appeared before the Common Council to present their design for a Fortunoff's retail complex on the Saks Fifth Avenue Site.

Scott Peck presented the design for the striking complex that will front on the corner of Maple Avenue and Bloomingdale Road. It will feature a 180,00 square foot Fortunoff's facility plus 85,000 square feet of a street arcade complex and restaurant. The parking for the complex will move to the rear of the building in a four-story parking garage.

A FORTUNOFF RETAIL MECCA is planned for the corner of Maple Avenue and Bloomingdale Road on the former Saks Fifth Avenue site. The complex will have a glass- enclosed street level arcade featuring a restaurant and bring new national retail presences to White Plains. Parking will be behind the structure, with entry from Maple Avenue. Fortunoff's rises behind the street level retail frontage, creating a second retail street scape just a tad North of Bloomingdale'sWPCNR PHOTO

The presentation came after one of America's last independent retail families, the elegantly dressed Fortunoffs, were forced to cool their heels, observing the Council ask very mundane questions about Fenway Golf Club maintenance garages for 40-minutes, and the presentation of a bar patio for another 20 minutes.

LAST OF THE RETAIL TYCOONS, observe presentation of architect Scott Peck last Thursday evening. Councilman William King and Edward Dunphy are seated in front of Louis Fortunoff(to the left of King), and Andrea Fortunoff. WPCNR PHOTO

The Mayor was so exasperated at what he felt was Council disrespect to the Fortunoffs by asking question after question about the Fenway Storage sheds, he chided Pauline Oliva as to whether she wanted a traffic study done, which brought a great deal of laughter and promptly ended the discussion.

The Council also approved Bill Brown's 42-unit senior affordable housing project for South Kensico Avenue, virtually rubber stamping the project. Brown told WPCNR he was looking at other locations for similar projects in White Plains at "undisclosed locations."

The council also heard Mike Kelly report he had resolved differences with The Esplanade over patio outdoor dining at The Thirsty Turtle. The Fortunoffs experienced the titilation of learning about Mike Kelly's exit security procedure whereby patrons of the popular watering hole are frisked leaving the establishment to assure that they are not carrying beer out of the Club.

Mr. Kelly also reported that he checked labels of discarded beer bottles around the back of his pub, and reported to the council that some of the discarded beer bottle brands were not stocked by his club.


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