Ground was ceremonially broken this week for the $13 million Village Square project in downtown Haverstraw, turning a long-blighted lot at 49 West Broad Street into a five-story building with 61 apartments, a café and community space. The site had sat idle for years before developer Avrohom Schwartz's company acquired it and pushed the project toward construction.
The groundbreaking was ceremonially marked Wednesday, according to midhudsonnews.com, which described the project as a keystone component of the village's state Downtown Revitalization Initiative. The five-story building will include a coffee shop, 55 market-rate rental apartments and six affordable housing units, for a total of 61, according to News 12 Hudson Valley. The station reports the $13 million project is being developed under an LLC by Avrohom Schwartz.
The property has a long history of sitting unused. Village Square At Haverstraw LLC, whose managing member is Avrohom Schwartz of Monsey, purchased the site in October 2020 for $1.25 million, the station notes. Before that, the building had sat idle after a condemnation case until its prior owner lost it to unpaid taxes in 2015, per the same account.
Financing and Zoning Behind the Build
The developer secured a $9.6 million construction loan from Northeast Community Bank in December 2021 to get the project moving, according to the station's earlier report. The ground-floor café and a commitment to public improvements near the building were both negotiated through Haverstraw's Floating Zone application process, the outlet adds.
State support has also played a central role. The project received $1.67 million in Downtown Revitalization Initiative funding, per the station's report, and is part of broader efforts to transform the village of Haverstraw. The New York State Department of State announced that the Village Square project includes 61 residential units along with commercial and community space, and the Downtown Revitalization Initiative broadly supports projects aimed at improving downtown neighborhoods.
Part of a Larger Downtown Push
Haverstraw was selected in 2022 as the Mid-Hudson region's fifth-round Downtown Revitalization Initiative winner, and village leaders say Village Square fits into a wider plan to bring more housing, businesses and public amenities to its downtown and waterfront areas. Those plans reportedly include two basketball courts near the Haverstraw Center, a permanent Harriet Tubman statue at Haverstraw African American Memorial Park, and at least four murals downtown.
Additional elements tied to the broader revitalization effort include an expansion of the Haverstraw Brick Museum, upgraded seating and gathering space at the Main Street pocket park, and new signage to help visitors navigate downtown. Haverstraw Mayor Michael Kohut said the groundbreaking is an exciting milestone and shows progress in revitalizing downtown, as first reported by Daily Voice. Walter Mosley said New York is supporting Haverstraw's vision for a more connected, accessible and vibrant downtown.
Earlier project descriptions from 2022 characterized the development as a 56-unit market-rate multifamily rental building with six affordable units, differing from the current count of 55 market-rate units and six affordable units for 61 total. With construction now underway, the Village Square site that once sat vacant for years is set to become one of the more visible symbols of Haverstraw's downtown push.
