The Westchester Institute for Human Development spent years operating from a space in Valhalla, New York, that it had long outgrown, but that changed in September 2025.
The nonprofit organization providing medical and dental services to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities leased the first and second floors at 80 Grasslands Road in Elmsford, New York. WIHD officials said moving to the three-story facility was much needed.
WIHD now occupies 54,567 square feet under a 16-year lease. Construction crews are renovating the space so it will give staff the medical and dental equipment it needs to serve patients. The agency also provides behavioral health, early intervention and assistive-technology help to patients.
Without the organization moving in, there was a chance the office building could have sat vacant. The lease was such an ideal match of space and tenant need that it earned a 2026 CoStar Impact Award, as selected by an independent panel of local industry professionals.
Institute officials had been looking for a new home for a decade, starting the process by hiring a real estate broker from RM Friedland. The broker presented staff with several location ideas, but each one had either physical limitations, zoning constraints or other issues. WIHD paused its search for years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
WIHD eventually found the Elmsford space, which is near Westchester Medical Center and not too far from Interstates 87 and 287.
About the project: WIHD's former headquarters at 20 Plaza West in Valhalla is much smaller. The space that WIHD now occupies previously belonged to Party City. The retailer filed for bankruptcy in December 2024 and, as part of that move, company officials decided to sublease its office.
Lewiston Realty Holdings owns the building, which features a two-story atrium. Built in 1964, the structure is complaint with the Americans with Disabilities Act and has 289 surface parking spots with 37 covered spaces. The third floor is currently vacant, according to CoStar data.
What the judges said: "Of the three nominations, this seemed to have the greatest impact on the community," said Carl Russell, senior commercial broker at H. Pearce. "A nonprofit healthcare provider finding a new home to accommodate all of their requirements is extremely difficult, and they were able to accomplish that."
"The other nominated properties certainly had merit, but in my opinion [WIHD] was the most impactful," said Hal Kurfehs, executive vice president at Scalzo Commercial & New Development.
They made it happen: Stephen Kaufman, an associate broker for RM Friedland, served as the landlord/tenant representative.
CoStar Market Manager Jay Grant contributed.