Questions and Answers

Yes! Over 100 years ago in 1908, the first residents moved into The Osborn. Today, The Osborn is home to over 400 residents, many hailing from Rye and Westchester County. The Osborn community is vibrant with musicians, artists, engineers, lawyers, authors, physicians, educators — people with a passion for life and all its possibilities. 

One reason residents choose The Osborn is for our continuum of care – all levels of care services are available in one place, a beautiful 56-acre campus in the heart of Rye. As a not-for-profit, The Osborn provided more than $3.3 million towards charity care last year.

Yes!  The Osborn is an established Rye institution, retirement community, and health-care employer. The Osborn is the second largest source of yearly property tax revenue for the City of Rye.

Over the past three decades, The Osborn has paid over $46 million in local property taxes, funding the Rye City School District, the City of Rye, and Westchester County. The Osborn currently pays over $2.2 million in annual taxes. 

Here are the latest figures on what The Osborn has paid to date:

City of Rye: $7,705,482

Rye City School Dist.: $27,306,679

Westchester County:       $11,169,472

The Osborn is proud to be a significant partner in improving the community’s quality of life, government services, and public welfare. In addition to paying local property taxes, The Osborn actively contributes tens of thousands of dollars every year supporting local Rye charities and non-profit organizations doing vital work in our community.

The Osborn is the top healthcare employer in the City of Rye. The Osborn’s diverse workforce exceeds 750 employees comprised of nurses, therapists, dietitians, engineers, home care staff, food service workers, and social workers, to name just a few. In addition to creating hundreds of jobs in the City of Rye, The Osborn indirectly supports hundreds of other local jobs and businesses across the area.

The 56-acre Osborn Campus includes open lawns, shaded walks, and walking paths. Currently, we care for over 1,000 trees on our campus, representing 116 different species, some of which date back to The Osborn’s founding in the early 1900s.  Green space and an abundance of trees are part of what makes up the special atmosphere and rich legacy of The Osborn. 

For decades, The Osborn has preserved and protected the environment, ensuring a stress-free atmosphere that inspires our residents to enjoy life to its fullest. In 2019, The Osborn received Level 1 status by The ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program for achieving standards of professional practices in nature preservation and promotion.

The Osborn will continue to enhance its past successes with well-orchestrated landscaping, engineering, and architecture.

The Osborn’s current zoning does not allow the flexibility we are seeking to be able to evolve to meet the future needs of older adults.  In order to change this, The Osborn’s “senior living” zoning text amendment proposal seeks the establishment of land use and dimensional requirements for “Senior Living Facilities” within the R-2 Zoning District. 

These standards, developed after significant input from the Rye Planning Commission and Rye City Council, provide The Osborn with greater certainty in planning for its future and impose additional limitations ensuring harmony with the character of the surrounding community.

Yes!  The Osborn first petitioned the Rye City Council to adopt the proposed “senior living” zoning text amendment in November 2018 and it was referred to the Planning Commission for its review and recommendation. Over the course of several meetings with the Planning Commission throughout 2019, The Osborn revised and refined its zoning amendment request to address planning recommendations proposed by the Rye Planning Commission. 

The Osborn’s revamped proposal was then re-submitted to the Rye City Council in March of 2020 with a positive recommendation coming from the Rye Planning Commission.

The Osborn has gone to great lengths to work with the community on its zoning proposal. In doing so, The Osborn has incorporated several limitations based on feedback from neighbors and the Rye City Council.

The proposal includes: 

1. enhanced landscaping and screening requirements intended to prioritize open space elements and ensure The Osborn maintains its beautiful green campus;
2. increased setbacks beyond what is currently required; and
3. greater limitations on building height than what’s currently permitted.

No! The updated zoning would allow The Osborn to develop a site plan with more certainty and established parameters. Once the site plan is drafted, The Osborn will submit it for City review, public input and hearings, updating, and eventual vote.  During the site planning process, The Osborn will work with interested stakeholders to address construction-related questions, such as vehicle parking, noise control, and tree preservation.

If the proposed “senior living” zoning text amendment is adopted, The Osborn will begin detailed planning for the integration of new facilities and landscaping into its existing campus. It is estimated that such planning could take six to 12 months.

A site plan approval application would subsequently be prepared by The Osborn and submitted to the Rye Planning Commission, which would conduct public hearings as part of its review. At that time, the Planning Commission and the public would be able to review and weigh in on plan specifics.

It has been nearly 25 years since The Osborn has expanded its facilities to provide the highest quality care to its 400+ residents and offer the best work environment for more than 750 employees.  If the zoning is not approved, The Osborn will be at risk of significantly falling behind competitors throughout the county that are offering more amenities and newer residences that are larger, integrated, and modern.

Yes!  It is well documented that seniors are reliable voters, and Osborn residents, who are also Rye residents, are no different.  Over half of The Osborn’s 400+ residents are registered voters participating in local elections. Note: Before the pandemic, The Osborn campus was an active polling place.

If you are a Rye resident, business owner, or neighbor, The Osborn would appreciate your contacting Rye officials to voice your support for the “senior living” zoning text amendment filed by The Osborn. For your convenience, here is a link to communicate with the Rye City Council quickly and effectively: theosborn.org/envision

If you have any questions or want to assist The Osborn, you can email EnvisionTeam@TheOsborn.org. Thank you for your support of The Osborn Envision initiative.