The New York-Connecticut Sustainable Communities initiative, a bi-state consortium, is the latest recipient of a $3.5 million HUD “Sustainable Communities Initiative” grant which will include support for the commercial and residential development near the New Rochelle Metro-North Transit Center.
To foster regional cooperation, New Rochelle has taken a lead role in the newly-created Consortium, comprised of city and county governments from New Haven to New York City to Long Island.
“Through an integrated approach to transportation, development and housing challenges, we can ensure that economic growth goes hand-in-hand with a healthier environment and higher quality of life,” said Hon. Noam Bramson, mayor of New Rochelle. “Our region is ideally positioned to benefit from and contribute to a greener economy, and our linked efforts will strengthen all communities within the Consortium.”
In the lower Hudson Valley, three initiatives will strengthen connections between Westchester’s largest cities and neighboring areas in Rockland, Connecticut and New York City. The three initiatives are:
• New Rochelle Smart Growth Initiative: New Rochelle will implement a comprehensive strategy to promote commercial and residential development in proximity to the New Rochelle Transit Center as outlined in the City’s draft Sustainability Plan.
• Cross County Parkway Corridor Action Plan: The cities of Yonkers, Mount Vernon and New Rochelle, in collaboration with the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council (NYMTC), will define sustainable communities issues and planning needs in the east-west Cross County Parkway corridor which connects these lower Hudson Valley cities. A corridor profile will be developed for use in the development of NYMTC’s next Regional Transportation Plan.
• I-287/Tappan Zee Bridge Corridor Action Plan: The City of White Plains, in collaboration with the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council, and in consultation with other I-287 corridor communities, will define sustainable communities issues and planning needs in the Tappan Zee Bridge/I-287 Corridor, including connections to railway and other transit hubs, existing and planned. A corridor profile will be developed for use in the development of NYMTC’s next Regional Transportation Plan.
The grant will be administered by Regional Plan Association, a nonprofit regional planning organization. For more information on the initiative, log on to www.sustainableNYCT.org.
