State Senator Gustavo Rivera - Senate Majority Advances Legislation to Make Prescription Drugs More Affordable

 Yesterday, the Senate Democratic Majority advanced legislation to improve the accessibility and affordability of prescription drugs for all New Yorkers. The proposed bills would reduce the cap on cost-sharing for insulin from $100 to $30 per month, assist seniors with prescription fees, and make all third-party discounts, vouchers, and financial assistance for prescription drugs made on behalf of the insured individual applicable to their co-payment, deductible, co-insurance, and out-of-pocket maximum. Given the new legislation, seniors will now be eligible for the Elderly Pharmaceutical Insurance Coverage Program if they have enrolled in the Medicare Part D insurance plan and any other comparable plan. 

In addition to cost-saving initiatives, the legislation will also promote prescription drug awareness and provide information on cost-increase measures. One bill requires pharmaceutical companies to offer a sixty-day notice of their intent to raise the cost of a prescription drug if the increase is greater than 10%. In 2016, when Mylan increased the cost of their two-package Auto-Injectors from $100 to $600 per package, thousands of Americans were left wondering how they could afford this life-saving drug. There are at least 90,000 emergency room visits due to anaphylactic shock every year.

“The high cost of insulin is putting the lives of diabetic New Yorkers at risk, especially those who are financially strained, today we are reducing the cap on cost-sharing for insulin from the current $100 to $30 per month. The other bills I'm sponsoring in this package will make crucial reforms to third-party payments for co-pays and reform the eligibility criteria for the EPIC program to help a greater number of our seniors afford their prescriptions. I'd like to thank Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins for supporting this legislation that will continue to expand access and affordability of prescription drugs for New Yorkers,” Chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Senator Gustavo Rivera.

The legislation that was passed by the Senate Majority included: 

•   Cap On Cost Sharing For Insulin: This bill, S.1413, sponsored by Senator Gustavo Rivera, reduces the cap on cost-sharing for insulin from the current $100 per insulin per month to $30 per month.

•   Elderly Pharmaceutical Insurance Coverage Program Eligibility: This bill, S.2535A, sponsored by Senator Gustavo Rivera, sets the eligibility criteria for the Elderly Pharmaceutical Insurance Coverage Program. The bill specifies that participants must be enrolled in Medicare part D or any other public or private drug plan that successfully proves the coverage is similar to or better than the defined standards coverage under the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit. 

•   Third-Party Payments For Co-Pays: This bill, S.5299A, sponsored by Senator Gustavo Rivera, requires any third-party payments, financial assistance, discount, voucher, or other price reduction instrument for out-of-pocket expenses made on behalf of an insured individual for the cost of prescription drugs to be applied to the insured's deductible, copayment, coinsurance, out-of-pocket maximum, or any other cost-sharing requirement when calculating such insured individual's overall contribution to any out-of-pocket maximum or any cost-sharing requirement.

•   Substitution Of Biosimilar Medications: This bill, S.8465, sponsored by Senator Gustavo Rivera, will make the existing temporary law a permanent law that allows pharmacists to substitute biosimilar medications under certain conditions.  

•   Sixty-Day Notice Drug Cost Increase: This bill, S.7499B, sponsored by Senator Julia Salazar, requires manufacturers to provide at least 60 days notice of their intent to raise wholesale prescription drug costs to the Department of Financial Services if the increase is 10% or more of the total cost of the drug.  

•   Wholesale Drug Importation: This bill, S.1737, sponsored by Senator James Skoufis, will create a state program to import prescription drugs from other countries at a lower cost. In this program, a wholesaler is allowed to import drugs that meet U.S. F.D.A. standards from only suppliers who are regulated and authorized under the laws of their country for distribution and sale only in New York.

•   Drug Failure Protocols: This bill, S.8191, sponsored by Senator Neil Breslin, requires a utilization review agent to follow certain rules when establishing a step therapy protocol. It requires that the protocol accepts any attestation submitted by the insured's health care professional stating that a required drug has failed as prima facie evidence that the required drug has failed.

•   Patient RX Information and Choice Expansion Act (PRICE Act): This bill, S.4620C, sponsored by Senator Neil Breslin, requires health plans to furnish in real-time cost, benefit, and coverage data to the enrollee, his or her health care provider, or the third-party of his or her choosing.

•   Thirty-Day Supply For State Disaster Emergencies: This bill, S.4856, sponsored by Senator Elijah Reichlin-Melnick, requires policies and contracts that provide coverage for prescription drugs to include coverage of an immediate additional thirty-day supply of a prescription drug during a state disaster emergency. 

•   Prescription Drugs From Out Of State: This bill, S.5489 sponsored by Senator Samra Brouk, authorizes pharmacies to receive prescription drugs from other pharmacies outside of New York in the case of a public health emergency, guaranteeing patient access to medications.

•   Price-Gouging For Medicine: This bill, S.3081A, sponsored by Senator Julia Salazar, prohibits selling a drug subject to a shortage for an unconscionably excessive price. The bill adds medicine to the list of goods and services that can be classified as possibly being subject to price gouging. The classification of medicines falling under this section of the law will be determined by the publicly reported drug shortages reported by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 

•   Prohibits the Application of Fail-First or Step Therapy Protocols: This bill, S.5909, sponsored by Senator Todd Kaminsky, prohibits the application of fail-first or step therapy protocols to coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of mental health conditions.

Team AOC - Baby formula crisis: Explained

 

This weekend, Alexandria hosted an Ask Me Anything session on Instagram where someone asked about the baby formula shortage. 

So, we wanted to take a moment to share via email what’s going on and how we ended up here. 

First, we want to acknowledge that this has been a scary event for families with newborns. We see you.

Before we get into how we got here, is there a solution or end in sight for the baby formula shortage? 

Yes, help is on the way. This week, the White House authorized “Operation Fly Formula,” which means that the U.S. is working with allies to begin imports of baby formula that meet U.S. safety standards to make up for the current shortage.  

The first shipment of over a million bottles just arrived from Switzerland.

The White House also invoked the Defense Production Act last week to kickstart domestic production as well. In addition, the House passed a $28 million baby formula shortage bill despite 192 Republicans voting against the bill (only 12 supported it).¹  

But, it’s important that we understand HOW we got here and how this happened to prevent it from happening again. 

So what happened here?

In short, corporate monopolies are a major reason behind the baby formula shortage. 

Did you know that the ENTIRE U.S. infant formula market is controlled by just three or four companies? 

That means that if something happens to one supplier, the entire supply is crippled. And that’s exactly what happened. This is actually a growing structural problem within huge parts of our food system overall, but it hit infant formula in a big way. 

Here’s how it went down:

One of those companies, Abbott Labs, had long been warned by the FDA about increasingly dangerous conditions in their formula factories that were endangering the safety of U.S. infant formula supply. 

However, while Abbott produced a huge portion of U.S. infant formula, infant formula was only a tiny percent of their revenue (less than 5%). So they didn’t really pay as much attention, investment, or care to their formula business. It wasn’t their moneymaker. 

Abbott let their factories get worse, FDA inspections continued to show flags, and whistleblowers came forward stating Abbott was falsifying their records and ignoring consumer reports that babies were getting sick. 

In February, Abbott recalled some of its most popular formulas after four babies became sick with bacterial infections after consuming some of their products. 

Around this time, the FDA inspections of Abbott’s formula factories got so bad that after repeated attempts and warnings, the factory had to be shut down. It was just too dangerous. 

So Abbott, which controlled 48% of the market, halted production. 

To be clear, the underlying forces causing this shortage are rampant throughout our entire food system. 

Alexandria sounded the alarm long before this crisis. 

During a congressional hearing, Alexandria warned that corporate monopolies are threatening our food supply, risking price gouging, and hurting wages. Our leaders have been warned about this for a long time. As Alexandria said, “I hate being right about these things.”

It’s shocking that just a few Big Ag and factory farm companies control major sectors of our food supply, like meat processing or soybean production. 

If you’d like to dig into this more and other topics from the last few weeks, please watch and share Alexandria’s Instagram Live.

Our movement has always been about listening to the alarm bells, learning from our past mistakes to prevent future crises, and holding corporations accountable.

We can do better, and that’s what Alexandria and our movement is fighting for. 

Thanks for being in it alongside us. 

Team AOC

1 - Washington Post

NYS Office of the Comptroller Tom DiNapoli: Syracuse City School District Employees Pay Over $31,000 for Submitting False Time Cards

 

Program Coordinator Inflated Paychecks for Time Not Worked

 New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli, United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Terry Harris, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General (ED OIG), Eastern Region announced today that Syracuse City School District teachers Jason Cecile and Nichole Murray must pay the United States $31,872.90 to resolve allegations that they submitted false timecards in connection with the school district’s Twilight Program.

"These individuals shamelessly stole from the very students they were supposed to be helping. My thanks to U.S. Attorney Freedman, and our other partners in law enforcement, for their dedication to ensuring justice is served and that the stolen money is recouped,” said Thomas DiNapoli, New York State Comptroller. 

“The settlement announced today, as well as the related state prosecutions, hold Mr. Cecile and Ms. Murray accountable for stealing money from a federally funded program intended to benefit at-risk high schoolers,” said United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman. “We will not tolerate fraudulent conduct that could undermine an important safety net for struggling students.” 

“Mr. Cecile and Ms. Murray not only abused their positions of trust for personal gain, but did so at the expense of the very ones they promised to serve – school children. That is unacceptable,” said Terry Harris, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General’s Eastern Regional Office. “The OIG will continue to aggressively pursue those who misappropriate education funds for their own purposes. America’s students and taxpayers deserve nothing less.”

Beginning in the 2015-2016 school year, Syracuse City School District (SCSD) received federal grant funds administered by the U.S. Department of Education to operate a high school dropout-prevention program known as the Twilight Program. SCSD offered the Twilight Program at various high schools after regular school hours, from 3:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. Students enrolled in the Twilight Program were given the opportunity to make up classes to accumulate enough credits to earn their high school diplomas. SCSD teachers staffed the Twilight Program and received extra pay for teaching classes to Twilight Program participants.

Jason Cecile was the Twilight Program Coordinator at Henninger High School. Nichole Murray was a teacher in the Henninger Twilight Program. As the coordinator, Cecile controlled the Twilight teaching schedule. He instructed certain Twilight staff members to claim hours on their timecard based on the amount of money that was available in the Twilight budget, not on the number of hours they worked.  Cecile admitted he habitually left Twilight early and submitted timecards that overreported the number of hours he worked. Murray admitted that she taught one Twilight class, and generally left Henninger at 5:00 p.m., but submitted timecards attesting that she worked until 6:00 p.m., 6:30 p.m., or 7:00 p.m. Both Murray and Cecile signed their timecards and submitted them for payment, falsely attesting to their accuracy.   

As part of the settlement agreements, Cecile will pay $20,754.15.  Murray will pay $11,118.75. 

This investigation was triggered in part by a whistleblower lawsuit filed under the qui tam provision of the False Claims Act, which allows private persons, known as “relators,” to file civil actions on behalf of the government and share in any recovery. The relator in this case will receive $2,001.37 of the settlement proceeds. The case is docketed with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York under number 5:19-cv-1188 (DNH/TWD).

In a related case prosecuted by the Onondaga County District Attorney’s Office, Jason Cecile pled guilty to Corrupting the Government in the 3^rd Degree, a felony, and Nichole Murray pled guilty to Disorderly Conduct. As part of their criminal plea agreements, Murray and Cecile agreed to resign from their employment at SCSD. 

MAYOR ADAMS ANNOUNCES STEPS TO REFORM AND MODERNIZE VENDING REGULATIONS, EXPANDING LEGAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR STREET VENDORS WHILE REMAINING COMMITTED TO MANAGING PUBLIC SPACE

 

Mayor Adams Supports Business Development by Committing to Reducing Draconian Penalties for General and Mobile Food Vendors and Cutting Red Tape

 

Fulfills Key Recommendations of Consensus-Driven Street Vendor Advisory Board Report

 

New York City Mayor Eric Adams today announced a number of actions to reform and modernize street vending regulations for New Yorkers, cutting red tape and supporting business development for street vendors, while also expanding access to healthy food for consumers. The steps include recommendations put forward by the Street Vendor Advisory Board (SVAB) in a report released today and transmitted to the City Council, which seeks to balance the needs of street vendors, brick-and-mortar businesses, and consumers, while expanding economic opportunity and safety.

 

“Street vendors are an integral part of New York City’s economy and give communities across our city their unique character, which is why I am thankful the Street Vendor Advisory Board has taken a collaborative and inclusive approach to addressing street vending,” said Mayor Adams. “Together, we can balance the needs of street vendors, brick-and-mortar businesses, and residents. These recommendations do just that by cutting red tape, creating new opportunities for street vendors to operate legally, and improving access to healthy food throughout the five boroughs.”

 

Through a collaborative six-month process, SVAB members — comprised of stakeholders representing city agencies, street vendors, retail food stores, property owners, small businesses, and community organizations — unanimously developed 16 recommendations for Mayor Adams and the City Council, ranging from specific amendments to local laws to broad, new conceptual approaches to street vending in New York City. The recommendations — which Mayor Adams will begin to implement — include:

 

• Introducing business supports tailored to street vendors at New York City’s Department of Small Business Services (SBS);
• Enhancing the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s (DOHMH) Green Cart Program to improve access to fresh produce for NYCHA residents;
• Cutting red tape to:
  • Simplify requirements about the display of goods,
  • Repeal book keeping requirements, and
  • Allow mobile food vendors to keep goods on top of carts;
• Repealing criminal liability for general and mobile food vendors;
• Directing the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) to study and pilot the feasibility of new opportunities for street vending in pedestrian plazas, municipal parking lots, and metered parking spots; and
• Repealing and replacing the inactive Street Vendor Review Panel with a new body that would review and amend time, place, and manner restrictions to street vending, which have not been updated for decades.

 

Local Law 18 of 2021 requires the SVAB to review and evaluate all state and city laws and rules that together regulate street vending in New York City, in addition to proposing recommendations for reform, which have been submitted to the City Council.

 

The Adams administration will work alongside the City Council on recommendations where legislation is required, while moving forward immediately with implementing new programs and amending relevant administrative rules. In addition to the reforms that were spurred by the  SVAB process, Mayor Adams is also committed to reducing and aligning penalty schedules for general vendors and mobile food vendors alike — while remaining committed to managing public space and upholding codified time, place, and manner restrictions on vending.

 

“An equitable economic recovery relies on our ability to harness the potential of all of New York City’s entrepreneurs,” said Deputy Mayor for Economic and Workforce Development Maria Torres-Springer. “We thank the Street Vendor Advisory Panel for developing win-win recommendations that support street vendors and brick-and-mortar businesses alike.”

 

“Our streetscapes hold so much potential to spur additional economic opportunity,” said Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi. “Creating new spaces for street vending in parking lots and plazas, while balancing the needs of both brick-and-mortar businesses and pedestrians, is a win-win-win.”

 

“Streamlining requirements, cutting red tape, and creating new spaces for legal street vending balances safety and opportunity for our city’s residents,” said Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Phil Banks. “I thank the Street Vendor Advisory Board for coming together to collaboratively work toward solutions.”

 

“I thank the board for their dedication to evaluating this complex array of state and city laws related to street vending,” said New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) Commissioner Vilda Vera Mayuga. “These recommendations cut red tape while creating additional opportunities for legal street vending and a more equitable system for street vendors and brick-and-mortar stores alike.”

 

“Our city’s street food vendors provide so much for our city — including access to affordable foods and cultural delicacies,” said DOHMH Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan. “Thank you to Mayor Adams and to the members of the advisory board for their continued partnership in creating a fairer environment for our vendors to thrive in.”

 

“Thanks to Mayor Adams’ leadership, we look forward to taking a fresh look at how our public space and facilities could efficiently host some of New York City’s hard-working vendors and boost economic development,” said DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. “Vendors from our immigrant communities play a vital role in our entrepreneurial economy — we must find ways to advance their needs while also balancing those of pedestrians and local businesses.”

 

“New York City’s economic recovery has to include support for our city’s street vendors, many of whom are immigrants working toward their American dream,” said SBS Commissioner Kevin D. Kim. “The Street Vendor Advisory Board’s report is clear — if we want to help these diverse entrepreneurs succeed, New York City must simplify requirements, bring clarity to the legal street vending market, and invest deeply in our commercial corridors to support street vendors, pedestrians, and brick-and-mortar storeowners alike.”

 

“Street vendors — like their brick-and-mortar counterparts — are integral parts of the economic life of our city,” said New York City Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell. “Members of the NYPD are fully committed to working with our partner agencies to always ensure fair and adequate services, while maintaining the quality of life New Yorkers expect and deserve.”

 

Board members include:

 

Designees from five city agencies: DCWP, DOHMH, DOT, NYPD, and SBS;

Mohamed Attia, executive director, Street Vendor Project (street vendor representative);

Murad Awawdeh, executive director, New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC) (community organization representative);

Cheikh Boubacar Fall, U.S. military veteran and street vendor (street vendor representative);

David Estrada, executive director, Sunset Park Business Improvement District (BID) (small business representative);

Regina Myer, president, Downtown Brooklyn Partnership (small business representative);

Randy Peers, president and CEO, Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce (small business representative);

Sonia Perez, street vendor and member, Street Vendor Project Leadership Board (street vendor representative;

Matthew Shapiro, legal director, Street Vendor Project (street vendor representative);

Reggie Thomas, senior vice president, Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) (property owner representative); 

and Aly Waddy, secretary-treasurer, UFCW Local 1500 (food retail worker representative).

 

“For centuries, street vendors have been an essential part of the fabric of New York City. From the Bronx to Queens, street vendors ensure under-resourced communities have access to fresh, affordable food, commercial corridors have diversity of business, and tourists get the iconic New York City experience. And now, for the first time ever, street vendors are stakeholders in deciding the future of the industry,” said Mohamed Attia, managing director, Urban Justice Center’s Street Vendor Project. “We look forward to continuing to work with Mayor Adams and the City Council to modernize the vending system, ensuring all street vendors are permitted, and cutting the red tape so our city’s smallest business can truly thrive.”

 

“Street vendors are an iconic part of New York’s landscape and an indelible part of New York City’s economy and recovery,” said Murad Awawdeh, executive director, NYIC. “We’re thrilled to see the city adopt and implement much-needed protections for our smallest businesses to ensure that our vendors are better able to serve New York communities with less red tape, reduced penalties, and increased opportunities to thrive.”

 

“Street vending is an important part of our city’s culture,” said Regina Myer, president, Downtown Brooklyn Partnership; and David Estrada, executive director, Sunset Park BID. “Mayor Adams’ swift response to the Street Vendor Advisory Board’s report is a good step toward fully re-envisioning private commerce in public places. We can honor the needs of residents, businesses, and everyone’s quality of life if we manage our shared spaces with fair rules and consistent enforcement.”

Bronx Jewish Community Council - Looking for Volunteers for Father's Day Program

 

Looking for volunteers for a 2-3 hour program on Father's Day Afternoon

at the Pelham Parkway NORC.

If you are interested, please contact Niti Minkove at

nminkove@bjcconline.org or 917-693-3084.

Donate

‌  ‌  ‌ Bronx Jewish Community Council   2930 Wallace, Bronx, NY 10467 7137285297

Godfather Of Black Stone Gorilla Gang Sentenced To Over 32 Years In Prison

 

 Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that ALEXANDER ARGUEDAS, a/k/a “Reckless,” was sentenced today to 32 years and 6 months in prison in connection with his leadership of the Black Stone Gorilla Gang, a violent street gang that operated in New York City and elsewhere, including for his participation in the December 9, 2012 murder of Gary Rodriguez, narcotics trafficking, firearms offenses, and other acts of violence.  On February 8, 2022, ARGUEDAS pled guilty to racketeering conspiracy, narcotics conspiracy, and a firearms offense.  U.S. District Judge Jesse M. Furman imposed today’s sentence.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said:  “Alexander Arguedas was one of the Godfathers of the Black Stone Gorilla Gang, a violent Bloods gang that flooded New York City neighborhoods with drugs, assaults, slashings, and shootings.  He groomed young men to become drug dealers, shooters, and gang members.  He murdered Gary Rodriguez in cold blood in December 2012, and he went on to commit a multitude of other heinous acts of violence.  Today’s lengthy sentence sends an important message to gang members who commit crimes that they will be apprehended and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

As alleged in the Indictment and based on statements made in open court:

ALEXANDER ARGUEDAS, a/k/a “Reckless,” was previously one of the Godfathers of the Black Stone Gorilla Gang (“BSGG”), a racketeering enterprise that operated principally in the New York City metropolitan area and in the jails and prisons of New York City and the State of New York.  In order to enrich the enterprise, preserve and protect the power of the enterprise, and enhance its criminal operations, BSGG members and associates committed, conspired, attempted, and threatened to commit acts of violence, including murder and assaults; distributed and possessed with intent to distribute narcotics; committed robberies; engaged in bank fraud and wire fraud; and obtained, possessed, and used firearms.  BSGG members also attempted to evade prosecution by law enforcement authorities through acts of intimidation and violence against potential witnesses to crimes committed by the gang.  ARGUEDAS accepted responsibility for participating in a conspiracy to distribute quantities of cocaine, heroin, and cocaine base, and for using and carrying firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking.  ARGUEDAS also participated in the following acts of violence, among others:

On December 9, 2012, ARGUEDAS shot and killed Gary Rodriguez, 46, in the vicinity of 3089 Decatur Avenue in the Bronx.

On September 5, 2015, ARGUEDAS assaulted another inmate while in the custody of the New York State Department of Corrections, causing the victim to lose consciousness.

Between 2017 and 2018, ARGUEDAS got into a violent dispute with another BSGG member (“Victim-1”) about who would serve as a Godfather of the gang.  As a result of this conflict, in or around the Summer of 2018, ARGUEDAS ordered another BSGG member to fire shots at Victim-1 during a BSGG meeting in a public park in the vicinity of Olinville Avenue and East Gun Hill Road in the Bronx, New York.

On August 27, 2018, ARGUEDAS ordered co-defendant JAHVONNE CHAMBERS, a/k/a “JV”, who was incarcerated in the New York City Department of Corrections, to use a scalpel to slash a rival gang member housed in the same facility (“Victim-2”).

On November 12, 2019, ARGUEDAS and co-defendant TYERANCE MICKEY, a/k/a “Hoodlum,” participated in a brutal assault of a disfavored BSGG member (“Victim-3”).  During the assault, ARGUEDAS placed a plastic bag over Victim-3’s head in an attempt to suffocate Victim-3, and MICKEY hit Victim-3 over the head with a chair.  As a result of the assault, Victim-3 suffered a broken arm and substantial bruising to Victim-3’s face and body.

In addition to his prison term, ARGUEDAS, 32, of the Bronx, New York, was sentenced to five years of supervised release.

Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, the Special Agents of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, the New York City Police Department, and the New York City Department of Corrections.

Extell Development Begins Construction At Hudson Piers, A $585M Mixed-Use Development In Yonkers

Extell Development has broken ground on Hudson Piers, a $585 million project that will rank among the largest mixed-use developments in Westchester. Located on the Hudson River waterfront in Yonkers, Hudson Piers will yield a mix of market-rate housing, affordable apartments, and retail space, and will be completed in multiple phases over a six-year period.

The 17.4-acre development will improve a large swath of land along the Hudson riverfront facing Alexander Street, Water Grant Street, and Babcock Place. The property is located close to the Yonkers Metro-North station with direct access to Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan.

“Extell’s Hudson Piers will be one of the most transformative developments along the Yonkers waterfront,” said Yonkers mayor Mike Spano. “It will cap off the extraordinary momentum seen in recent years that’s spurred unprecedented investment in our city. I look forward to welcoming more families, businesses, and jobs to Yonkers on the River and fulfilling our truest potential.”

Street-level rendering of Hudson Piers

Designed by Perkins Eastman, Hudson Piers will comprise 870,000 square feet of residential space spread across six seven-story buildings. Available homes will range from studios up to three-bedroom floor plans, all equipped with washer and dryers, designer fixtures and appliances, and private terraces for select units.

Outdoor amenities include waterfront recreation terraces with hammocks, fire pits, grilling stations, sundecks, billiard tables, putting greens, bocce courts, and an open-air swimming pool. Indoor amenities will include multiple fitness centers, lounges, playrooms, a catering kitchen, a basketball gym, a screening room, a game room, recreational rooms for teenagers, and a business and conference center. Each building will also have its own package, storage, and bicycle room.

Residents will have access to shuttle services going to and from the Yonkers Metro-North train station, 1,028 covered parking spaces on the first two floors of the main buildings, and an additional 212 surface-level spaces. In total, there will be 1,240 parking spaces.

Additional components will include 37,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space.

“We are proud to be a part of the incredible redevelopment which has turned Yonkers into the fastest growing big city in New York State under mayor Mike Spano,” said Gary Barnett, founder and chairman of Extell Development Company. “Hudson Piers will introduce a significant supply of new luxury and affordable housing to Yonkers and will bring the Extell quality of construction complemented by an unmatched array of lifestyle amenities to the city’s waterfront.”

As part of the Hudson Piers project, 1.5 acres of new public parkland will be created, as well as a 1.5-mile-long esplanade extension that will adjoin to the existing public waterfront promenade.

Extell worked closely with the City of Yonkers and the Yonkers Industrial Development Agency to provide the Hudson Piers project with a 20-year PILOT and a 100-percent abatement on taxes for improvements. The development is expected to create roughly 200 permanent jobs and 450 to 500 construction jobs.

To date, it is the largest residential project to receive financial incentives from the Yonkers IDA.