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A thriving downtown
FOCUS ON
NEW ROCHELLE
There’s no better time than a 325th anniversary to appreciate New Rochelle’s rich history and antici- pate its bright future.
The buzz about the “new” New Rochelle has been building for several years, thanks in large part to the New Rochelle Downtown Business Improve- ment District (BID), an association of over 800 business and property own- ers focused on the Downtown area’s economic development, attracting new businesses, and inviting new investment. Since its founding in 2000, the BID has been charged not only with ensuring the future viability of central Downtown, but also preserving its historic past.
The latest exciting venture to enter the city’s lively landscape is the new Down- town Grand Market—an extensive weekly Saturday morning farmer’s market and star of the Library Green. “The market is another component of our efforts to both highlight Downtown as a dining destination and create a traditional place to gather and meet while also having access to farm fresh food,” BID Executive Director Ralph
DiBart explains. Short term, DiBart says the immediate goal will be promoting and building awareness to come to historic Downtown where you can network, meet neighbors, dine alfresco, or stop at the library, all while supporting Downtown.” Long term, he hopes the Grand Market will become a Downtown institution that makes residents and visitors look forward to Saturdays. “The market is just one of the tools we’re using to maintain Down- town as the bustling living room of the en- tire community,” DiBart says. “The number of new and exciting restaurants that have opened recently supports that goal.”
The Grand Market is just one of many BID-led initiatives—spanning energy con- servation to the arts—that have brought new businesses to the Downtown area, helped preserve and restore building facades, and reduced the number of retail and upper floor vacancies. As a result, the Downtown vacancy rate is at its lowest in ten years; more than $100 million in pri- vate investments have been realized; close to $1 million in New York State grants has funded partnerships with property owners to repair facades and storefronts; and
with the help of the BID, new restaurants have opened and obtained financing. If the latest accomplishments are any indication, there’s no shortage of exciting success- es to keep New Rochelle’s buzz going indefinitely.
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