DOWNTOWN REVITALIZATION INITIATIVE APPLICATION BASIC INFORMATION Regional Economic Development Council (REDC) Region: Mid‐Hudson Region Municipality Name: The City of Yonkers Downtown Name: Yonkers Downtown County Name: Westchester County VISION FOR DOWNTOWN The City of Yonkers seeks Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) funds to build on the recent redevelopment momentum in our compact downtown by investing in local assets to attract jobs, private investment and continue to transform the distressed downtown area into a vibrant, diverse and economically active transit‐oriented hub. Yonkers will develop a Strategic Investment Plan which considers these crucial developments: the continuation of the Saw Mill River Daylighting through a Phase 4, the redevelopment of Chicken Island, a property that has been vacant for decades and is the gateway to the downtown, and finally the Yonkers Greenway, which is the repurposing of an abandoned rail line into a trail through downtown. These are vital pieces of Yonkers’ revitalization efforts that will be major catalysts in the City’s economic renaissance for years to come. JUSTIFICATION Yonkers still faces severe economic challenges & the DRI funding is sorely needed, despite its many successes & building of momentum. Downtown Yonkers urgently needs to create & sustain long‐term recovery of this distressed target area (see photos). According to the 2010 Census, there are 12 contiguous Census Tracts within the downtown & the surrounding neighborhoods where 25% or more of the population lives below the national poverty level. More than half the target area earns less than 30% of the area median income, which is $107,400 within Westchester County. These areas suffer from higher unemployment rates than the City, state and national average. As a result of the chronic distress, in 1974 the U.S. Dept. of HUD designated this area a Community Development Block Grant target area in order to focus annual allocations & spur revitalization. This area is also a federally designated Empowerment Zone & a former State Empire Zone, both of which were established to infuse tax relief and stimulate the local economy. A DRI award will help Yonkers plan & implement the continued revitalization efforts that are critical to this tenuous recovery. Under the DRI, Yonkers will build upon recent public & private investments to create a truly vibrant, year‐round downtown that serves as the economic, civic, educational & cultural center of the community & the Mid‐Hudson region. Yonkers will create & collaboratively work w/ a Local Planning Committee to develop a downtown Strategic Investment Plan & implement key catalytic projects that advance Yonkers’ vision for revitalization. To this end, Yonkers has identified three transformative projects that will be ready for implementation within 1 – 2 yrs. with an infusion of DRI funds. The gateway of Yonkers Downtown is a vacant property known as Chicken Island that has been used intermittently as a parking lot, & a site for street fairs. It is an unsightly & ill‐suited entrance to a growing, vibrant downtown. As a result, a new Urban Master Plan for Chicken Island has been created. DRI funding would help leverage this $425M mixed‐use development, which would include four market‐rate residential towers, & an affordable residential building, public parkland, athletic fields, retail, a new fire station & public parking. The Plan would be anchored by an Education Campus that would include three schools: pre‐K – 8th grades, a charter high school & potentially a two‐year college on the adjacent site of the former fire headquarters. 1 The Saw Mill River Daylighting Phases 1 & 2 has leveraged private/public investment in the hundreds of millions. Phase 3, scheduled to be completed this fall, will further spur economic development. Phase 4 will be another component of a much‐needed eye‐catching & amazing threshold to downtown & like the earlier phases will spur economic revitalization. The Yonkers Greenway is a project that will convert an abandoned rail line into a 2.4 mile multi‐use recreational trail running thru the heart of the City’s densely populated, SW quadrant & downtown. This trail will produce a series of recreational, environmental, tourism & economic development benefits in a highly distressed area. The trail will connect Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx to the Yonkers rail station in the heart of the downtown Hudson Riverfront area. This will be a key part of the proposed 750‐mile Empire State Trail. The Greenway will provide low‐income area residents w/ both a much needed recreational outlet & access to a safe, flat trail to commute to work, school & shops in a very hilly city. DOWNTOWN IDENTIFICATION 1) Boundaries of the proposed DRI area The Yonkers downtown is the urban center of the Mid‐Hudson region’s largest city & the State’s fourth largest city. The target area is the city’s central business district, known as Getty Square (see attached map). The DRI area will include the compact areas radiating approximately a 1/2 mi. from Getty Square & the nearby Yonkers train station. This area has historically been the heart of Yonkers, from its agricultural beginnings in colonial days to its industrial based economy spanning from the mid‐1800’s through the early 1900’s, & most recently as a retail hub thru the 1950’s. Today, six acres of prime downtown remains a paved municipal parking lot named “Chicken Island.” The DRI funds could be used to uncover the buried Saw Mill River at this location. After decades of decline & disinvestment, this area’s dramatic revitalization is leading the way for a resurgence throughout Yonkers. The Yonkers Downtown is bordered on the west by approximately 1 mile stretch of the Hudson River, on the north by the Ashburton Avenue arterial, on the east by New School St. & on the south by Prospect Street inland & the Domino Sugar Factory along the waterfront. The Metro North rail tracks bisect the area with limited vehicular access at Main St., Dock St., Wells Ave. & Ashburton Ave. 2) Description of catchment area As the Mid‐Hudson region’s largest city w/ a very compact, transit‐oriented & growing downtown, w/ thousands of new residents, a thriving mix of new restaurants & businesses & on‐going or planned development, Yonkers Downtown has become a vibrant, year‐round downtown district. The target area is a compact & walkable area within a 1/2 mi. from the rail station. The area is a shining example of transit‐oriented development as more than 1,000 new apartments have been built since the early 2000’s. These units vary from modern luxury waterfront units to renovated loft spaces w/ high ceilings to new affordable units. Nearly 1,500 more units are currently under construction and approximately 2,500 additional units are approved for construction or proposed. These new residents are helping to create an urban vitality. The growing vibrancy of the downtown is evident by the emerging art scene, tourism industry and nightlife. The City has embraced & promoted the arts. Yonkers has commissioned dozens of sculptures & murals that now line the downtown streets, buildings & esplanades. The City annually sponsors Yonkers Arts Weekend, a showcase of local artists, in various locations throughout the downtown & other parts of the City. Over the past 4 years the City has committed more than $1.5M on the Generation Yonkers or Gen Y advertising campaign aimed at drawing millennials to move to the City & businesses to relocate here. In 2016, the City began the Yonkers Tourism Alliance (YTA), bringing together a consortium of the tourism‐related businesses such as museums, cultural sites, family entertainment, hospitality, restaurants, business groups & the arts. In April 2017, the City held Yonkers Tourism Expo, which drew thousands from the region to explore the YTA members’ exhibits. The YTA continues to participate in expos to promote Yonkers assets & to draw visitors from the Hudson Valley region, the NYC metro area, & 2 beyond. Over the past decade dozens of restaurants & bars have opened in the downtown making it a vibrant nightspot. A DRI award will help Yonkers draw on these unique assets. The Yonkers train station provides convenient commuter rail service along Metro North’s Hudson Line within30 minutes to Grand Central Terminal & connecting to neighboring communities up to Poughkeepsie. The station also provides Amtrak service to Albany & Montreal. Lastly, the downtown is serviced by Westchester County’s Bee Line bus service that provides 20 different routes & express MTA commuter buses to Manhattan. 3) Past Investment, future investment potential. Past Public Investments: Over the past 20 years Yonkers downtown has shown it can capitalize on private & public investments & will continue to catalyze future investments. More than $250M in public investments including $200M invested by the City of Yonkers has been crucial in creating this downtown revitalization. The first catalytic project was the $53M Riverfront library, a state‐of‐the‐art, multi‐purpose cultural space opened in September 2002 that continues to be an anchor institution. Metro North conducted a $43M restoration of the Yonkers station & platforms in 2004, including the construction of a new western entrance to accommodate the new waterfront residents. Subsequently, the City built a vehicular & pedestrian bridge immediately west of the station across the mouth of the Saw Mill River. Yonkers constructed a continuous Hudson esplanade that stretches nearly a mile long, providing public access & enjoyment of the River & views of the majestic Palisades. Yonkers also renovated the 1903 steel City Recreation Pier where large vessels can once again dock while adaptively reusing the second floor to house the very popular X2O restaurant. With the growth of the densely developed downtown, the City created two parking garages to accommodate more than 900 vehicles. Daylighting the Saw Mill River: In the summer of 2012, Yonkers completed its most exciting & catalytic public project by transforming Larkin Plaza, a 2‐acre urban plaza & municipal parking lot opposite the Yonkers train station, into an urban riverwalk.