New Rochelle experienced a growth of approximately 5,000 people in the last decade, a population shift behind a new comprehensive plan presented to the New Rochelle City Council on June 14th.
The initiatives of the new plan include North Avenue Improvements, Hartley Home renovations, West End needs assessment, the David Island Task Force, and Echo Bay Waterfront Development. According to Eleanor Sharpe, Planning Director in the City Department of Development, most of these initiatives will take 18- 24 months.
In addition, because New Rochelle is 1 of 9 cities a part of the New York and Connecticut sustainability communities, the city earlier this year received a $3.5 million HUD grant. New Rochelle plans on using the money it receives to focus within a 1 mile radius of the downtown Transit Center in order to improve the area around it.
The West End needs assessment study has been conducted and New Rochelle will work with Sound Shore Medical Center and Iona College, Monroe College, and College of New Rochelle.
Already in process are projects including Neighborhood Business (NB) to North Avenue (NA) rezoning, a New York State Thruway Bridge replacement project, and the,North Avenue streetscape improvement program , with pedestrian areas and tree planting.
Hmmmm, Mayor Bramson ought to be concerned. Not many of his projects have come to fruition 4 years after this article was written.
He got his Red Light Cameras though and I credit him with that. But I wonder how much debt has Noam Bramson added to New Rochelle’s books? Should be a simple calculation, subtract the amount outstanding when he took office from the amount outstanding now. I bet we’ll all be shocked.