New Rochelle Mayor in Mamaroneck to Discuss Development

by Judy Silberstein

(December 6, 2006) When New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson appeared at the Larchmont-Mamaroneck League of Women Voters breakfast forum on Friday, December 1, the topic was downtown development in his city, and the conversation was remarkably cordial. Although there may have been a few arch comments about “those towers.” the mayor disarmed potential critics by laying out the pros – and many of the perceived cons – of the large-scale buildings that have been taking over New Rochelle’s downtown.

New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson (second from right) appeared at the Larchmont- Mamaroneck LWV breakfast forum moderated by Alice Bloom (far right).

“New Rochelle is moving in the right direction, but has a long way to go to achieve our potential,” he said in his introductory comments.

Ten years ago, the downtown mall was a “concrete tomb” and there were “rubble strewn” lots at the train station and an incinerator dump on Weyman Avenue, said the mayor, who has been on the New Rochelle City Council since 1995 when he was only 26.

In the past ten years, there has been around $1 billion in downtown development: the mall was demolished to make way for the New Roc entertainment, hotel and retail center; the empty lots have become a new parking and transportation hub next to the refurbished train station; the dump is now home to high-traffic “big box” shops, including Costco and Home Depot. The newest wave of development, still in full swing, is bringing approximately 2000 high-end high-rise apartments to the downtown. Mayor Bramson said the new housing is essential to a revitalization of the downtown business district that is already seeing new trendy restaurants, often a precursor to upscale retail expansion.

Mayor Bramson concedes that the new development “is not an unvarnished positive” but on balance, he would put it on the positive side of the ledger.

At this point, he suggested, New Rochelle is in a better position to “elevate the quality of our planning.” A new architectural review committee, authorized at the end of November, might help prevent the building of what he called “soulless boxes.” He said “I wish it had been in place ten years ago, but it’s better late than never.”

Larchmont’s Mayor Liz Feld attended the event and later commented. “I respect Noam Bramson’s position that a thriving New Rochelle is in everyone’s interest,” she said. “But I feel strongly that development that’s going to impact communities beyond the city borders should involve regional planning.”

“The fact is, the two skyscrapers that are up now have changed the skyline for all of us,” she stressed.

Height Limit?

Sketch of the Avalon apartments rising on Main Street.

Tall buildings were also on the minds of other breakfast participants. “Does New Rochelle have a height limit?” was the first polite question following the mayor’s introduction.

Mayor Bramson laughed and voiced what might have been on the questioner’s mind: “Why did these buildings have to be so tall?” He conceded that “for many in Larchmont and Mamaroneck, Trump Plaza, [at the maximum allowed height of 390 feet] probably has a physical presence that is greater than it is in New Rochelle.” Avalon II, under construction across from the New Rochelle Library, is also at the maximum. Saying it was “highly likely” that additional towers will go up, he ticked off a residential tower at Church and Division Streets that should be completed in 2008, and another two at Le Count Square across from Trump Plaza.

He said a Mount Vernon resident had sadly told him the “genteel sense – the feeling of Westchester as a remove from the city is being shattered,” but the same commentator also said he understood “that genteel sense was an illusion.”

“The reality is we cannot cling to that illusion,” said the mayor. Ten or 14-story buildings are not economically viable,” he asserted. “Do we want to accept this new reality or let the city fade away?”

Sketch of Trump Plaza, under construction on Main Street.

Further, he suggested the new, taller buildings were likely to produce more interesting architecture. He found the lower Avalon I apartments to be squat and blocky compared to the new towers going up on Main Street.

What about Traffic?

Mayor Bramson said New Rochelle had recently received results of a new traffic study. The conclusion: current traffic control is sufficient to handle all the development that’s currently under construction, but future building will require a new system to keep traffic flowing.

Eminent Domain?

The mayor said he was convinced that two major projects coming up – one across from New Roc and the other at Echo Bay – could be accomplished without applying the government’s power to condemn properties. At Echo Bay, the core of the project can be built on land already owner or easily obtainable, he said, but the “project would be stronger” if it included a number of other parcels that are still privately owned. Developers should “move heaven and earth” to acquire the properties, but as a last resort New Rochelle would consider use of its eminent domain powers, the mayor said.

The Echo Bay project, near New Rochelle’s border with Larchmont, has the potential to open up the waterfront for the city and its neighbors. If implemented as proposed, the shoreline would be visible, for the first time, from the Boston Post Road. There would be a mix of (relatively low-rise) apartments, townhouses, retail and recreational space, including waterfront access that would link Hudson and Five Island Parks. New Rochelle will be selecting an exclusive developer for the multi-acre project, probably by the end of the year, but the final design and implementation is years away.

Water Quality?

On a question about water quality, Mayor Bramson brought up an even touchier topic. “We’re all aware that sewage treatment is inadequate,” he said, and referred to the “affluent effluent” of all the new apartment units. New Rochelle’s sewage treatment facility, which is used by much of Larchmont and Mamaroneck as well, “will require a multimillion dollar upgrade,” he noted “All these new units will, of course, have negative impacts on sewers.” he said. However, he said developers were required to make improvements – fix leaks, for example – to offset the impact of their new units.

Sewage treatment is among the functions that require inter-municipal cooperation. Town Councilman Ernie Odierna suggested there may be other – as yet unexplored – ways that New Rochelle’s neighbors could “partner for pay” in a “mutual aid society.”

“I should say, so” agreed Mayor Bramson. “We’re ready to pursue the conversation, whenever you are.”

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