Yonkers, N.Y. (February 26, 2008) -- It was a packed house Wednesday night, February 20, at the Grinton I. Will Library in Yonkers where residents and community leaders assembled in the auditorium for an informational forum on plans to develop the downtown waterfront area. Presiding over the meeting and offering an in depth presentation on the SFC and Alexander Street development projects, was Mayor Phil Amicone who answered questions late into the night from a wide range of inquisitive residents.

 

The meeting, which was attended by over 300 people, began with a detailed presentation and outline of development plans, design concepts, projected costs, anticipated tax revenues and new opportunities for business, retail and residential growth.

 

Referencing destination cities like Boston, MA, and Austin, TX, Mayor Amicone engaged audience members with his vision for the city by stating, “Why can’t we do this in Yonkers? Why can’t Yonkers be the kind of place that people want to visit and come back to? We have the potential and we’ve attracted the companies and developers that can make it happen.”

 

Highlighted throughout the presentation were remarkable before and after photographs and design concepts that gave audience members a chance to see what Yonkers “could” look like.

 

Featured among the renderings were plans for a state-of-the-art ballpark at Chicken Island, an upscale hotel off of Nepperhan Avenue and the opening of the Saw Mill River in Larkin Plaza. The visual tour of what Yonkers could look like in the near future drew excitement from the crowd.

 

With all of the information before them, Mayor Amicone encouraged the audience to speak openly about their opinions and concerns. He said, “This is an opportunity for us to review and understand the scope of these projects together and discuss whatever you feel is important.”

 

Many speakers expressed support for moving forward with development plans. Speaking on her own behalf, Marla Hurban, Vice-President of the Yonkers Council of PTA’s, said, “I understand the benefits that increasing the city’s tax base and revenue will have on the public school system. I hope the community can help in moving these projects along.”

 

Councilmember Dee Barbato joined Mayor Amicone at the front of the room just before things wrapped up. A longtime resident of Yonkers, Barbato reflected on a development plan that was proposed twenty years ago for the Yonkers waterfront, but never materialized.

 

“We’ve seen development proposals come and go,” said Barbato. “It’s important that we really look into these projects and take the time to ‘dot the i’s and cross the t’s’ as we move forward. But the last thing I would want to happen is for a proposal that could mean great things for the future of our city, to sit somewhere collecting dust.”

 

Like many in the room that night, Barbato was hopeful that she wouldn’t have to wait another twenty years for Yonkers to reach its true potential.