Local Brothers Develop New Castle

Developer Steve Tavolacci lives on Cerf Lane, in a New Castle development that he helped build. Likewise, his brother Joe lives in one near Chappaqua's Campfire Road.

The brothers run Tavo Development, which is their family business. Steve serves as president while Joe serves as vice president. Their clientele include folks in Westchester County and Fairfield County, CT.

Joe Tavolacci, who does project supervision, describes his role as “just working together with everyone.”

The Tavolaccis know New Castle well, calling it their boyhood home town and having grown up in the Kisco Park neighborhood.

“Being a local developer and living in this town, you get to know a lot of people," Steve Tavolacci says.

Tavo made news two years ago during work for its planned development on Taylor Road, near the Mount Kisco Country Club. Steve Tavolacci agreed to sell an old cottage to Chappaqua resident Brenda Kelly Kramer, who had it driven to her house and pieced back together, with the project taking up much of her follow year. The company notes this event under its About section on its website.

Their most recent, and ongoing development, is 569 King Street, which was purchased last fall. The site, once called the Robbins property, is roughly three acres and once included a large and white 1900s house. That house could not be saved, Steve Tavolacci explained, because it was in poor condition. He cited factors such as fallen ceilings, a lot of leaks, rotting and impact from rain and snow entering the structure.

“When we purchased it and went into it, thinking about saving it, it was just too far to be saved, and I like to save houses," he said.

Planned in its place are two colonial houses, with the property being subdivided into two lots with a shared driveway. The lot facing left from the driveway is under development now, with ongoing work for a 5,900-square foot and 6-bedroom, and 4.5-bathroom building, according to Tavo's website. It has white clapboard for siding, along with stone for the foundation. The acreage is 1.17 acres. It will have amenities such as 10-foot ceilings on the first floor. The asking price is $1,795,000 and is ready for occupancy on May 1, according to Tavo's website.

Meanwhile, the other lot is 1.74 acres and the plan is to build a 6,100-square foot house with 6 bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms, also according to the website. This lot will also have room for a pool. Its asking price is $1,995,000, according to the website, with no set completion date.

Steve Tavolacci notes that the property has a good location.

“The families can walk into town. They can walk to Grafflin school," he said.

Despite a slow housing market and weak economy, Tavo has continued to do well.

“We’ve been very fortunate that we’ve built right through the recession," Steve Tavolacci said.

He also notes that being local helps in figuring out what people want for their homes.

You can learn more about Tavo at is website, tavodevelopment.com