Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors celebrates new White Plains headquarters

White Plains, NY The Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors (HGAR) recently held its official grand opening and ribbon cutting at its new headquarters at One Maple Ave., The Source at White Plains, at the corner of Bloomingdale Rd. and Maple Ave.  The 250,000 s/f complex is also home to The Cheesecake Factory, Whole Foods Market, Morton’s Steakhouse, Destination Maternity, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Raymour & Flanigan. New York congresswoman Nita Lowey and White Plains mayor Thomas Roach presided at the ribbon cutting event, along with George Oros, chief of staff for Westchester County executive Rob Astorino.  The event also celebrated the association’s 100^th anniversary. Founded in 1916 as the Westchester County Realty Board (WCRB), the association now represents realtors in Westchester, Putnam, Rockland and Orange counties. “We are honored to share this exciting moment with our local dignitaries, as well as our realtor members, affiliates, and staff,” said Richard Haggerty, HGAR CEO.  “We look forward to continuing to be a vital part of the Hudson Valley, and an advocate for home owners in our local communities.” The new location comprises 15,614 s/f of space that houses the association offices and classrooms for the HGAR School of Real Estate. Architect MKDA LLC and building contractor William A. Kelly & Company designed and constructed the new office space, which offers a spacious lobby with four video screens, a row of newly installed windows and four skylights. Other amenities feature a new student lounge area with kitchen, LED lighting through the facility, a large board room, conference room, and smaller meeting room. The two large classrooms can be converted into one via a skyfold wall and can accommodate up to 150 people. HGAR’s new offices encompass about one-third of the available space on the top floor of One Maple Ave. In April, HGAR moved its headquarters from 60 South Broadway at the former Westchester Pavilion building.  The former Pavilion mall is under contract to be sold to Maple and Broadway LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lennar Corp. Lennar plans to raze the property and construct a $227 million mixed-use development at that location.  Current plans feature more than 700 residential rental units with retail and restaurant space covering more than 850,000 s/f. The Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors is a not-for-profit trade association covering over 10,000 real estate professionals doing business in the lower Hudson Valley. It is the second largest Realtor Association in New York, and one of the largest in the country. The Hudson Gateway Multiple Listing Service (HGMLS), owned and operated by HGAR, offers some 24,000 properties in the Bronx, Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess, Rockland, Orange, Sullivan and Ulster counties.  It is among the top 50 largest MLSs in the country.