Page 35 - 2022 Westchester County Economic Development Guide

Opposite: A panoramic view of the LINC in New Rochelle.
Top: Another view
of the LINC
Below: Heritage Park, the site of a new playground and park coming to the Lincoln Avenue area of
New Rochelle
PEEKSKILL: STRENGTHENING INFRASTRUCTURE, AMENITIES, EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES Peekskill was selected as the winner of a $10 million DRI award in 2019. Its DRI target area includes the downtown and waterfront Transit- Oriented Development District, which boasts cultural and educational institutions, an award- winning waterfront and parks system, and a core string of restaurants and boutique retailers. The DRI award will enable Peekskill to build on these strengths with new pedestrian amenities that link existing community assets and increased offerings in tourism, the arts, media, and light manufacturing that create employment and training opportunities for a range of skill and wage levels.
center with the mile-long Lincoln Avenue Corridor that contains mixed-income residential housing, a newly renovated hospital, green space, a Metro North Train Station and part of the city’s Arts and Cultural District. The Strategic Investment Plan will build upon significant public-private investment over the past few years to spur commercial, residential, and mixed-use development in the city. DRI investments will leverage city resources and private investments to forge connections between residential neighborhoods in the northern portion of the corridor with commercial, institutional, and cultural resources to the south.
“For as long as I can remember, New Rochelle’s downtown has underperformed, without the vital city center that our businesses and residents deserve. That is beginning to change, as we implement our visionary downtown development framework. With
32 projects approved, 12 under construction and 8 complete, New Rochelle is now recognized regionally and nationally as a model for intelligent, successful planning. The LINC is
an important complement to this process.
By re-imagining Memorial Highway into public open space, and connecting the largely residential Lincoln Avenue neighborhood to employment and transit assets in the downtown core, we ensure that growth is equitable and sustainable. Thanks to this exciting progress,
I am optimistic as never before about the future of our city.”
—New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson
“Working with economic development specialists, and with the involvement of our community, we are creating working groups to spearhead a wide range of improvements. Leveraging these DRI funds, we plan to improve our landscape through a variety of sidewalk and gazebo projects and will transform the Paramount Theater, with external improvements, as well as an art center and small community theater. We’re looking at ways to fill empty store fronts, by attracting startups, tech companies and artists, to both work and live in the city. We’re also partnering with the Westchester Community College media program in Peekskill to match students with employers locally to help utilize the city’s workforce. These funds will help unlock the potential of our great city and I am excited to see what the future holds.” —Peekskill Mayor Vivian McKenzie
NEW ROCHELLE:
WALKABLE, SUSTAINABLE, TRANSIT-ORIENTED DESIGN
The Lincoln Avenue Corridor of New Rochelle was selected as the winner of the $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative in 2018. New Rochelle will connect its rapidly developing city
WESTCHESTER COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GUIDE 33
© Courtesy of the City of New Rochelle
© Courtesy of the City of New Rochelle