Re-Development of 226-228 Linda Avenue, Hawthorne Cedar Knolls Campus

226-228 Linda Avenue is owned by the Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services, a 501(c)(3) registered nonprofit mental health and social service agency that provides services across the five boroughs of New York City. Learn more about The Jewish Board’s history here.

The site is a former residential treatment facility for adolescents with mental health challenges. The site was closed in 2018 after being in operation for over 100 years to allow The Jewish Board to serve youth closer to their home communities in line with current best practices. There is also a school on the campus.

While the residential program was closed by The Jewish Board in 2018, the Cedar Knolls school campus, comprised of Linden Hill High School and Cedar Knolls Academy, continues to educate students. It is a Special Act School overseen by the Hawthorne Cedar Knolls Union Free School District and is a separate entity completely independent of The Jewish Board. To learn more about the school district, visit hcks.org.

The proposal is to redevelop the ±126.5‑acre former Cedar Knolls residential campus into a residential community consisting of 87 single‑family homes, while preserving large areas of open space and maintaining the school on its own dedicated parcel.

The plan includes 87 traditional single‑family detached homes that will be for sale.

The project is in the early stages of evaluating traffic patterns with the goal of ensuring that road access is designed to maintain neighborhood character and avoid cut‑through traffic. A preliminary traffic study indicates that the added traffic from the 87 homes is not expected to significantly change neighborhood traffic conditions, and intersections are projected to continue operating efficiently. A comprehensive traffic study will be required as part of the approval process, and it will undergo full review by the Town and its consultants

Approximately 30.8 acres will be preserved as dedicated open space, and the 87 homes are arranged in a cluster layout so more land can remain protected. The existing school will continue operating on its own separate ±22.4‑acre parcel.

A conservation/cluster subdivision allows the homes to be grouped together, preserving natural areas, buffers, and open space. This design reduces environmental impacts and aligns with town zoning provisions that encourage efficient layouts for roads and utilities.

There will be no change to the school. The school will remain onsite and continue operations during and after the development.

Environmental protection is a core part of the design. Wetlands, buffers, and natural features will be preserved, and stormwater systems will be engineered to prevent impacts on nearby homes, subject to town and agency review.

The project will go through the State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR) process, which is a New York State process that requires all local, regional, and state government agencies to equally examine the environmental impacts, along with the social and economic considerations for a certain project, or action. This process will include detailed studies of building design, the residential component, the continuing school component, roadways and circulation, tree preservation and landscaping, recreation and open space, utilities, site grading and earthwork, stormwater management, and construction staging. These studies will be publicly reviewed as part of the SEQRA process.

Please contact Jonathan Grebow of Ridgewood Real Estate Partners at info@ridgewoodrep.com

The application for re-development can be accessed here.
The Town of Hawthorne’s Planning Board calendar can be accessed here.