Tarrytown News

Hudson Harbor Developer Joe Cotter Dies at 66

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November 1, 2024

By Rick Pezzullo—

Prominent area developer Joseph Cotter, who built the Hudson Harbor townhouse/condominium project in Tarrytown, died Oct. 25 from a heart attack at his home in New York City. He was 66.

Cotter was president of National Resources, a real estate development and investment firm that focuses on the redevelopment of urban and industrial sites.

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“Joe, at 66, accomplished so much, developing visionary projects in places and communities that he believed in,” said Lynne Ward, Co-Founder of National Resources. “Joe was very proud of his family, a great friend who meant much to so many, effortlessly connecting on a personal level. Most importantly, we will honor him by continuing to develop our existing projects and those in our pipeline to create transformative projects.”

He was born June 8, 1958 in New York City and was raised in Astoria, Queens and Crestwood, NY. He attended Annunciation School in Crestwood, the Hackley School in Tarrytown, King’s College, Taunton in Somerset UK, Pembroke College at the University of Oxford, and Williams College, MA, where he received a degree in Political Economics. He went on to earn his MBA from the Stern School of Business at New York University.

At Hackley, Cotter was captain of the basketball and baseball teams. He was recruited by King’s College, Taunton as an athletic scholar and joined their Rugby team. He contributed spectacularly to the team, which earned him the right to become an All-England Rugby Player for his class, which was unheard of for a novice American player.

In 1988, Cotter founded National Resources with Ward, his business partner.

National Resources acquired 24 acres in Tarrytown on the Hudson River and put together a plan to build 100 townhouses and 138 co-ops at Hudson Harbor.

Stanley Friedlander, who has been on the village’s Planning Board for more than 50 years, said approval of Hudson Harbor led to $15 to $20 million of amenities for Tarrytown, such as the construction of the recreation center and swimming pool for the village, walkway along the river and 12 affordable units on the site of the former Village Hall on Wildey Street.

“He was very successful in revitalizing the waterfront,” Friedlander said. “He did a great deal of infrastructure improvements. That was unique. He provided a lot of things that were desperately needed.”

Earlier this year, National Resources received approval from the Planning Board to build a four-story, 88-unit Hudson Harbor Station apartment project near the Tarrytown Train Station where an indoor recreational facility once operated.

Of the 88 units proposed, eight would be marketed as artist live/work duplex studios. Twenty-four units will have two bedrooms. There will also be 1,500 square feet of commercial or artist space and 98 parking spaces—55 that will be in a garage under the building.

National Resources has also floated plans to revitalize the Tarrytown Marina & Boat Club, including building a boutique hotel—a concept that was rejected earlier this year by the village’s Board of Trustees.

Over the last 38 years, National Resources has redeveloped more than $2 billion of projects in the Tri-State Area, employing almost 100 people.

Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger fondly remembered Cotter and his contributions to the Town of Ulster as developer of the iPark 87 project.

“We are all shocked and deeply saddened by Joe Cotter’s sudden passing. He was a true visionary who saw the potential in the long-abandoned IBM complex and was committed to transforming the property into an economic hub for the county,” Metzger stated. “We will continue to carry that vision forward. He will be greatly missed.”

Last year, Cotter was honored at the Business Council of Westchester’s Annual Hall of Fame program, receiving the prestigious Entrepreneurial Business Success Award.

According to his obituary, “He was a futurist with a global point of view. He had a keen intellect, always dreaming and envisioning a way to level up, or help someone pursue their dreams. He had a prolifically quick wit and an uncanny ability to relate and engage with people. His ability to connect knew no bounds, from the construction workers on his projects to executives and colleagues in the finance community, to academics at Oxford. He truly had a gift in bringing smiles to everyone he met and never outgrew the urge to create a little mischief, recognizing the uniting and energizing power of laughter.”

Along with his children, Liddy and William and William’s fiancé Clarissa Cena Wallin, Cotter is survived by his partner, Jane Carroll, his former wife, Lydia Biddle; his mother, Diane Cotter Liesching; brother, William T. Cotter, sister Dianne and her husband Bill Ledingham; niece Dr. Lauren Ledingham and her husband James Whittle; niece Christine (“Christie”) Ledingham and her fiancé, Stephen Skubina; and nephew Will Ledingham. He was predeceased by his father, Joseph P. Cotter, and his stepfather, Richard Liesching.

A private funeral service and burial will be held by the family.

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