Hampshire Seeks Zoning Change to Build Condos

The Hampshire Country Club is back in front of town officials with a development proposal. 

A zoning amendment request is on the Village Board's Feb. 10 agenda.

Fighting over the future of the club, one of Mamaroneck Village’s last great expanses of privately held open space, has been ongoing for years. 

While the bulk of the club lies within the village, several acres are in the Town of Mamaroneck and both governments had expressed an interest in partnering to buy the local landmark. Both ultimately dropped those plans.

The club closed in 2009 and was bought by New World and Westport Capital Partners in June 2010, remarketing itself as a premiere country club. The possibility of residential development at the club sparked opposition from residents and infighting among village trustees.

Last year development proposals again sparked opposition (see the comments.) 

Many Orienta Point neighbors have opposed any building on the site. Others have voiced concerns—louder since Superstorm Sandy—about the delicate waterfront environment. 

Most of the club's nearly-117 acres is zoned single-family residential.

Club officials say their preferred plan is to add 121 high-end condominium units to the property. The advantages, notes Thomas Nappi, senior project manager at Hampshire, would:

• Preserve more than 90% of the property’s open space
• Keep approximately 125 jobs at Hampshire
• Allow Hampshire to continue as a full-service country club with a pristine and beautiful golf course
• Create new tax revenue

“Our goal is to create a sustainable model to keep Hampshire as a vital and integral part of the Westchester landscape,” Nappi said in a press release. “Given feedback from members and people in the community, we believe transforming our property by building beautiful state-of-the-art housing is a great way to accomplish that.”

The club would build 121 high-end condos attached to the existing clubhouse. The target audience: empty nesters seeking a country club lifestyle, allowing them to downsize and remain close to family and friends. 

The alternative, a plan for which was also submitted to the village board, would involve creating 106 single-family homes, taking up the whole of the course.

The second option adheres to existing zoning laws, Nappi said.

Hampshire is in discussions to partner with one of the nation’s largest homebuilders to create 106 unique homes on the property, if that approach must be pursued. The homes would range between 6,000 and 7,000 square feet. 

The golf course would no longer exist in this plan, although many of the recreational components of Hampshire, including the clubhouse, tennis and swimming facilities, would remain.

“We prefer the first option because we think it’s best for our members, neighborhood and community at large,” said Nappi. “At the same time, working with a highly respected and responsible homebuilding company remains a necessary alternative in our view, but we are willing to work with either plan, depending upon how the village board votes.”