Essential to the plan is the preservation of the open spaces and maintenance of the Sculpture Garden.

 

By Paul Hicks

Essential to the plan is the preservation of the open spaces and maintenance of the Sculpture Garden.

PepsiCo Inc. recently confirmed that, after exploring several alternatives for possible relocation, it will keep its corporate headquarters in Westchester County, where it employs 1,100 workers. It also announced plans to spend $243 million on major renovations at its main site in Purchase.

Located on Anderson Hill Road across from the Purchase College (SUNY) campus, PepsiCo’s international headquarters, which was designed by Edward Durell Stone, has been a local landmark since it opened in 1970.

Renovations are scheduled to start in the first quarter of next year and are estimated to take roughly 30 months to completion in mid-2015. They will upgrade the facility’s outdated technology and get Large-scale canopy constructions.

In the first phase a 45,000-square-foot glass atrium will be added at the center of PepsiCo’s interconnected office buildings. New building infrastructure is expected to reduce energy use by 22 percent, water use by 57 percent and greenhouse gas emissions by 57 percent.

Overall, it is a “green” project, which will meet silver-certification standards of the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design (LEED) program. Essential to the plan is: the preservation of the site’s existing open spaces, protection of wetlands, and maintenance of the Sculpture Garden as community amenities for both employees and the general public.

To make the renovations financially competitive with relocation options offered elsewhere in the country, PepsiCo requested a sales tax exemption on project purchases, as well as property tax abatement. The Westchester County Industrial Development Agency agreed to provide a sales-tax exemption valued at $6 to $7 million for the project. The state is providing $4 million in tax credits, and PepsiCo plans to seek a 15-year payment-in-lieu-of-taxes agreement with Harrison and its school district.

Governor Andrew Cuomo said that the 1,250 jobs expected to be created over the life of the project “will provide an immediate boost to the local economy while allowing PepsiCo to maintain its strong presence as one of New York’s biggest employers for years to come.”

In 2010, Town of Harrison officials approved PepsiCo’s master plan to improve its Purchase office space while maintaining its park-like natural setting and publicly accessible sculpture garden. The garden closed to the public December 1, but will be accessible after completion of the project.

The Donald M. Kendall Sculpture Garden is a major collection of 45 pieces of outdoor sculpture set on 168 acres of beautifully landscaped property, part of which was previously a polo field. It is named for a former CEO of PepsiCo who established the garden to help create an atmosphere of “stability, creativity and experimentation that would reflect his vision of the company.”

Expanded parking and site and circulation improvements are planned to enhance the overall campus and the aesthetic appearance of the site. To welcome the 150,000 annual visitors to the Sculpture Gardens, a new 15,000-square-foot Visitors Center will be added on Anderson Hill Road as part of phase one.

PepsiCo is one of the world’s largest food and beverage companies, whose principal businesses include: Frito-Lay snacks, Pepsi-Cola beverages, Gatorade sports drinks, Tropicana juices and Quaker foods.