Yonkers Approves Downtown Makeover-Including New Fire Headquarters And Justice Complex

[x635 4,066]

The word "envisions" perplexes me-wonder if this will really happen, especially in light of the current economy....

Yonkers Council OKs $1.5 billion downtown project

By Ernie Garcia • elgarcia@lohud.com • October 14, 2009

The redevelopment envisions the construction of 1,436 housing units, a 6,500-seat baseball stadium, a 150-room hotel, a new municipal justice center, new headquarters for the Fire Department, a 150,000-square-foot office building and the daylighting of the Nepperhan River with a river walk, among other elements.

http://www.lohud.com/article/20091014/NEWS...owntown-project

[61MACKBR1 222]

It appears as if the New Yonkers Downtown Development Project is getting closer to reality. Many doubted that the Ridge Hill Project would ever get off the ground. Now, with the prospects of a New YFD Headquarters Building becoming more of a reality (read it was going to be a 6 Bay Fire Headquarters), now the someone will have to come up with the money to add the additional YFD Fire Companies that were outlined in the proposed Downtown Project Plan (ie: Engine 301, 302, and Ladder 77). I don't have a good feeling that these additional companies will be in place anytime soon. Remember, there was a "Planned" New Fire Station proposed for the Ridge Hill Site (New Station 10?), with a New Ladder Company (Ladder 76), recommened, but I haven't heard anything new on that either.

Maybe it will happen. For all of this expansion in the city, I certainly hope that Mayor Ammicone and the City Council makes sure that it had proper fire protection to go along with it.

[x635 4,066]

With all the tax breaks that these developers get, it may be a while before the city sees any funds. It also remains to be seen whether these developments will bring people-and their money- to the City Of Yonkers. Yonkers already has probaly the best fire protection coverage and staffing in the area....these buildings will also be built to modern code.......and I'm sure that they will find a way to increase staffing when needed.

I think the developer is paying for the new fire headquarters.....wish they would throw in land and funds for a fire training center and SOC center as well.......

[FDNYDCHI 38]

as the article stated with some of the comments that the gangs and crime is pretty bad in that area, is the city going to combat the gangs and stuff. because you can build all these nice things, but you can't leave your apartment because you don't feel safe..........

[nfd2004 750]

as the article stated with some of the comments that the gangs and crime is pretty bad in that area, is the city going to combat the gangs and stuff. because you can build all these nice things, but you can't leave your apartment because you don't feel safe..........

That's exactly right. You can pave the strets in Gold, but if the street crime isn't cleaned up first, those new buildings will sit empty. And not just Yonkers, but any city.

[61MACKBR1 222]

Here is the Artist Rendering of the Proposed 6 Bay New YFD Headquarters to be built on the corner of New Main Street and Neprahan Avenue

Page 45 of 79 will have the rendering - Exhibit 4f

http://www.sfcyonkers.com/SFCYonkersApp2926DE.pdf

Edited October 15, 2009 by 61MACKBR1

[tommyguy 104]

As a Yonkers resident I think the gangs and street crime aspect is a tad overblown. Yes it's not Scarsdale, but there is already successful new development nearby and I'm not aware of many problems.

I'm not just writing that either. I regularly use the nearby train station, the main post office and a couple other places late in the evening and feel pretty safe. Like any other urban area you have to watch your back.

From what I hear and from what I read in the local paper, nowadays a lot of the late-night street crime is thug-on-thug.

It's not a safe place to buy drugs on the street at 2 AM, I'll concede that.

Hope they get it going!

[helicopper 1,050]

Considering that there was a shooting in front of police headquarters and at the site of the proposed stadium at noon yesterday, I'm not sure I agree that it isn't so bad. If these guys think its OK to use South Broadway as their range in broad daylight it's pretty bad.

On the plus side, if the stadium was there the City could have sold tickets to the shooting thereby generating some revenue.

[tommyguy 104]

On the plus side, if the stadium was there the City could have sold tickets to the shooting....

Sorry I don't agree.

[M' Ave 1,466]

Look at any successful city. It has COMMERCE. Take White Plains, there were office buildings and retail outlets. Successful business paved the way for successful modern, urban housing. You need the taxes that businesses pay and you need volume, in terms of people. When I say people, I mean people who are paying taxes and not on social assistance. (Read: NON-skells)

[tommyguy 104]

I've lived in Westchester most of my life and grew up in White Plains. Comparing it with Yonkers is tough, I think.

First, White Plains is the county seat and has always been a retail and office center. Yonkers was more of an industrial city. Second White Plains is much smaller and has never had to deal with problems on the scale Yonkers has.

Admittedly, White Plains had a bit better leadership back in the 1960s and 70s I think. They saw the corporate move to the suburbs coming and positioned themselves to take full advantage. In the mid-60s White Plains embarked on a large-scale urban renewal program along Main Street west of Mamaroneck Avenue. A lot of low-income housing was torn down despite the city being unable to provide replacement housing. Many of these people wound up being moved to.....right, Yonkers.

When White Plains did begin building low-income public housing it was dispersed throughout the city. Yonkers fought that idea.

In the meantime Yonkers was losing large industrial employers like the Alexander Carpet Mill and Otis Elevator. Good paying jobs for high school grads. Retail development was actually fairly strong, but virtually all of it was on the east side, along Central Park Avenue.

That's where the leadership failed, I think. Back in those years people implored the leaders in Yonkers to try and steer some of that new development to the Getty Square area. Whether they tried to or not -- and many people felt they didn't really try -- they were unable to get development going in the traditional downtown area.

And that pretty much brings us back to today.

[weaselff 6]

They could never get this project off the ground when the economy was booming how do they expect to get the ball rolling in the current fiscal climate? Yonkers is too far and seperated by its most unfashionable borough from nyc for the yuppies and hipsters to invade. It just doesn't have the sweeping skyline views and proximty to manhattan that gentrified communities like Hoboken, Jersey City and North Brooklyn have.On the other hand Decades of "percieved" high crime and political corruption have given Yonkers somewhat of a poor reputation among more affluent families.in Westchester and the Hudson Valley. It is difficult for me to imagine the average young family in Westchester traveling to downtown Yonkers for anything let alone spending the evening at an entertainment complex. I hope the project works out bit I think its going to be a hard sell.

[tommyguy 104]

There is quite a bit of new high-rise housing in the slip of land west of the Yonkers train station which appears to be doing quite well. It's only a 25-minute commute by express train to Grand Central and the buildings have filled up. People I've run into who live there say they like it but 1) they need more retail and 2) there's not much to do in the downtown section.

The city (of Yonkers) also stages various festivals in the Larkin Plaza/River area that seem to attract many families.

I can see the development succeeding actually. No, I don't see families from Larchmont or Irvington driving down to downtown Yonkers for an evening of family fun. But there's a lot of middle-class families in Mt. Vernon and the northwest Bronx that might come if it's a good evening out and not too expensive.

And there's all the folks in Yonkers too. People tend to forget, half of all the people who live in Westchester County live in Yonkers!

As to whether they can get all the financing together, it seems like a bad time to do it but they say the money is committed.

[61MACKBR1 222]

I am sure that Commissioner Pagano, Chief Fitzpatrick and other key YFD Personnel met with the developers as it relates to the design and location of this propsed New YFD Headquarters building. Having a "6 Bay" building would lead one to believe that additional companies may be added to the existing YFD Apparatus Front Line Fleet, as it relates to the development that is being proposed as part of this New Downtown Development. Only time will tell.