The White Plains Common Council voted 7-0 on August 3, 2026 to amend the city zoning ordinance, permitting below-grade mini-storage as a special permit use in the Core Business-3 district, per Westfair Communications. Argent Ventures affiliate 275 Main Street Associates LP plans to convert approximately 90,000 square feet on the lower level of the vacant former Walmart and Burlington building at 275 Main Street into self-storage.
The vote channels self-storage into adaptive reuse rather than greenfield development, a regulatory path distinct from Atlanta's 180-day moratorium and Elk Grove's proposed indefinite pause. White Plains is writing rules for where storage belongs downtown, not whether it belongs at all.
What Did the August 3, 2026 Zoning Amendment Allow?
The petition from 275 Main Street Associates LP sought two actions: a zoning text amendment and eventual special permit approval for the specific project. The August 3 vote adopted the text amendment unanimously.
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Council vote | 7-0 adoption |
| Vote date | August 3, 2026 |
| District | Core Business-3 (CB-3) |
| New use | Mini-storage facility (special permit) |
| Location constraint | Entirely below grade |
| Minimum site size | 2 acres |
| Road access | County or state roadway required |
| Proposed storage area | ~90,000 sq ft (below-grade lower level) |
| Access route | Existing parking structure driveway from North Broadway |
The building at 275 Main Street covers approximately 2.29 acres at the northeast corner of Main Street and EJ Conroy Drive. The three-story retail section contains roughly 241,000 square feet. A six-level parking structure with 1,267 spaces serves the retail building and adjacent properties at 445 Hamilton and 1 North Broadway.
Storage units would be entirely below ground level, accessed through the existing parking garage infrastructure. That design addresses the visual and street-frontage concerns that drive moratorium politics in other municipalities.
Who Is Behind the 275 Main Street Proposal?
275 Main Street Associates LP is a related entity of Argent Ventures, a New York-based real estate and investment company. Attorney Janet Giris of DelBello Donnellan Weingarten Wise & Wiederkehr LLP represents the applicant.
Argent acquired the defaulted senior debt secured by the leasehold interest at 275 Main Street in 2022 and took control of the property. The building previously housed Walmart and Burlington Coat Factory. Both anchors vacated, leaving a large retail shell in White Plains' downtown core.
Argent's portfolio context matters. The firm has purchased over $3 billion in real estate assets and debt instruments since 1997. The 275 Main Street site is adjacent to White Plains Plaza, an office and retail complex Argent owns. Parking at 275 Main Street serves office tenants at White Plains Plaza, creating integrated asset management across the block.
Giris told Westfair that the proposed health club and storage facility would occupy a centrally located downtown building that is now vacant but has adequate access and parking. She argued both uses meet unmet demand as new apartment buildings increase downtown density.
What Happens at the September 8, 2026 Hearing?
The August 3 ordinance adoption was step one. Step two is special permit approval for the specific project, scheduled for a September 8, 2026 public hearing.
The special permit application covers two uses:
- Below-grade mini-storage: Approximately 90,000 square feet on the entirely below-grade lower level
- Health club: Approximately 34,847 square feet on the first floor fronting Main Street
Site plan modifications also include replacement of the Main Street facade with an all-glass storefront, creation of a Main Street drop-off area for potential new tenants, and removal of a portion of an existing plaza wall. Giris noted that a study indicated the new uses would generate less parking demand than the former retail anchors.
The hearing will review renovation plans, environmental findings, and special permit conditions across multiple city departments including planning, design review, public safety, and Westchester County Planning Board review.
Operators watching NYC's August 25 licensing deadline under Local Law 171 should note White Plains is a different regulatory model: special permit with design constraints rather than per-location licensing fees.
How Does Below-Grade Zoning Compare to Other August 2026 Municipal Actions?
August 2026 municipal activity splits into three buckets:
Moratoriums: Atlanta (180 days), Elk Grove (indefinite recommendation), Moreau, New York (six months under consideration). These cities pause new approvals while rewriting land-use rules.
Adaptive reuse approvals: White Plains channels storage into vacant big-box and office shells under strict below-grade conditions. Greenburgh, New York, is reviewing a separate office-to-storage conversion at 504 White Plains Road in Tarrytown for 1,053 units across 110,000 square feet.
Greenfield development: Projects like Space Shop's Southeast pipeline continue in markets without moratoriums.
White Plains chose conditional permission over prohibition. The below-grade requirement, two-acre minimum, and county/state road access standard attempt to limit surface parking lot storage boxes while capturing demand from downtown apartment growth.
The same week, Iron Mountain relaunched managed storage in 34 markets and Matthews closed a 95%-occupied Chattanooga disposition. Adaptive reuse zoning is one response to a market where consumers want storage closer to where they live and cities resist surface lots.
What Should Developers and Operators Take From the White Plains Vote?
Three implications follow from the August 3, 2026 ordinance.
Below-grade design unlocks downtown sites moratoriums block elsewhere. Cities that reject surface storage boxes may accept warehouse-style storage on lower levels of vacant retail. Argent's proposal converts dead anchor space into revenue without a new footprint.
Mixed-use special permits bundle storage with active street frontage. Pairing below-grade storage with a first-floor health club addresses council concerns about dead frontages. Developers proposing storage-only conversions in mixed-use districts should expect similar bundling requirements.
Debt acquisition precedes entitlement. Argent took control through defaulted senior debt in 2022, then spent years on zoning text amendments. Distressed retail assets with parking infrastructure may be the pipeline for this product type.
The Numbers Worth Writing Down
- Council vote: 7-0 unanimous (August 3, 2026)
- Proposed below-grade storage: ~90,000 sq ft
- Site acreage: 2.29 acres
- Total retail building: ~241,000 sq ft (three stories)
- Parking structure: 6 levels, 1,267 spaces
- Proposed health club: ~34,847 sq ft (first floor)
- Next hearing: September 8, 2026 (special permit)
- Developer: 275 Main Street Associates LP (Argent Ventures affiliate)
- Former tenants: Walmart, Burlington Coat Factory
- Zoning district: Core Business-3
Conditional Permission Beats Blanket Bans
White Plains did not ban self-storage. It wrote conditions: below grade, two acres minimum, county or state road access, special permit review. That is the regulatory middle ground between Sun Belt oversupply and moratorium cities that halt all new approvals.
If the September 8 hearing approves the special permit, 90,000 square feet of downtown storage will open without a single new surface pad. Argent gets revenue from a vacant anchor. The city gets adaptive reuse on Main Street. Other municipalities watching the outcome will decide whether below-grade rules are the compromise moratorium politics needs.
Sources
- White Plains changes zoning so self-storage can go into former Walmart building, Westfair Communications
- Zoning change requested for former Walmart location in White Plains, Westfair Communications
- Self-Storage Development and Zoning Activity: August 2026, Inside Self-Storage
- Common Council Agenda, August 3, 2026, City of White Plains