Following last month’s announcement of New Rochelle’s selection as the winner of New York State’s $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative (“DRI”) for the Mid-Hudson Region, a Local Planning Committee (“LPC”) is ready to roll up their sleeves and create a Strategic Investment Plan.
New Rochelle’s DRI initiative aims to forge stronger physical and economic connections between the evolving downtown center and the mile-long Lincoln Avenue Corridor, which also encompasses much of Memorial Highway and significant portions of North Avenue. This area includes thousands of homes, a newly renovated hospital, green space, commercial establishments, the City’s Transit Center, and a portion of New Rochelle’s Arts and Cultural District.
In the months ahead, the LPC will work with consultants and New York State officials to refine the community vision identified in the City’s DRI application, and determine strategies and key projects for the purpose of spurring commercial, residential, and mixed-use development. The public will be engaged throughout the planning process.
The LPC is composed of local and regional leaders, as well as community, neighborhood, and business advocates. A list of New Rochelle’s committee members follows below. The committee is co-chaired by New Rochelle’s chief elected official, Mayor Noam Bramson, and by a member of the Regional Economic Development Council, Dr. Marsha Gordon, President of the Business Council of Westchester. Serving as vice chairs are New Rochelle City Council Member Jared Rice and Kim Jacobs of Community Capital New York, also a member of the Mid-Hudson Regional Economic Development Council.
”This is a thrilling opportunity for our city to advance the goals of prosperity, equity, and inclusion,” said Mayor Bramson. “The members of the LPC represent an impressive range of skills, experiences, and perspectives. With their help – and with the broader input of our community and key stakeholders – I am confident that we will develop a Strategic Investment Plan that serves the people of the Lincoln Avenue corridor, enhances our downtown, and strengthens New Rochelle as a whole.”
“We worked so hard to bring this grant to New Rochelle, and I am humbled, excited and energized to serve as co-chair of the Local Planning Committee,” said co-chair Dr. Marsha Gordon. “But of course this is just the start. We will continue to work tirelessly to help shape a strategic vision for the city and to execute it effectively.”
District 3 Council Member Jared Rice said, “The DRI grant received by the City of New Rochelle allows for new connections to be made between the Lincoln Avenue Corridor and our downtown — both physically and socially. I am excited to get the process started with the Local Planning Committee where we can construct a plan that will reap benefits for future generations to come.”
LPC meetings are open to the public. An initial meeting will be held on Thursday, November 1 at 3PM in at New Rochelle City Hall/Annex, 90 Beaufort Place, Room B-1. Additional information about the Downtown Revitalization initiative can be found on the New York State DRI website at www.ny.gov/dri.