The city of New Rochelle has taken bold steps toward developing as a smart city. Reflected in every decision for the future is the aspiration to transform into a thriving 21st-century city that reduces negative impacts on the environment, grows commerce and economic vitality in ways that bolster opportunities for jobs and career development for residents and places a greater reliance on technology to enhance efficiency of services and an improved quality of life for members of our community.
Currently, the city is on the path toward the most dynamic transit-oriented development in Westchester County with sustainability and green technology at the fore of the plan. New Rochelle issued a Transit-Oriented Smart Growth Study in 2014 as a result of its participation in The New York-Connecticut Sustainable Communities Consortium that was funded by a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Sustainable Communities Regional Planning grant.
The goal of the study was to promote sustainable mixed-use development, including the integration of mixed-income and energy-efficient developments and to offer recommendations on how to accomplish this goal.
New Rochelle has the great benefit of close proximity to New York City as well as easy access to regional connections through the excellent transit options of both Metro-North and Amtrak. Such links make New Rochelle the perfect location for transit-oriented development and all the rewards that come with it. By attracting development to the area surrounding New Rochelle”™s transit hub, the city can strengthen its economy, expand its tax base, create new jobs and enhance its civic image.
With the TOD study as a guide, the city recently concluded a yearlong planning process to propose new zoning for downtown. The unanimously approved Downtown Overlay Zone is set to spur the conversion of downtown into a modern, more dense and commercially active environment; one that is walkable and pedestrian-friendly, offers green open space and is filled with a variety of options for enjoying entertainment, arts and culture.
The new zoning embodies sustainable planning by situating the highest density and intensity of residential and nonresidential development within walking distance of an existing transit center. This in turn allows for modifications to the proposed parking ratios, which are reflective of typical downtown urban areas with mixed-use settings, where people tend to park once and then walk to one or more destinations.
The Downtown Overlay Zone includes design elements that encourage walkability, shared parking, car sharing, the provision of electric vehicle charging stations, and payments to transit funds, all of which would contribute to a reduction in air emissions.
Further, a component of the new zoning is the community benefit bonus policy that provides developers with additional floor area at development sites as an incentive to provide community benefits. One of the community benefits a developer can provide in order to gain bonus points for additional building height will promote energy efficient design and development by incorporating green infrastructure improvements.
The community benefit bonus policy also incentivizes the creation of affordable housing. A developer may choose to receive additional height through the development of affordable housing by the building greater residential options to lower income residents of the city.
In addition to the new zoning, the city has taken several other steps to achieve smart growth. Presently, the city is crafting a bike-share program as a part of a design for a regional Northeast connection in partnership with leading technology and urban innovation firms. The goal here is threefold ”” allow commuters to leave the stress of traffic at the car park, provide residents and tourists the ability to enjoy the leisure of a bike ride and allow the environment a break from a reduction in vehicle emissions.
Recognizing the necessity of expanded Internet connectivity for the future of the city”™s economy, education and safety the city is taking steps to make New Rochelle a Gig City by installing hot spot Wi-Fi kiosks downtown that provide free public access to the Internet at any time. Further, as the city strives to retain and attract businesses now and in the future and help individuals and families get access to essential resources, New Rochelle and its partners intend to design, deploy and operate the most technologically advanced telecommunications, broadband and wireless networks, including ultra-fast, ultra-high-bandwidth fiber-optic networks and wireless facilities throughout the city
Growing commerce and the local economy is paramount and tied to every other initiative and goal for the future of New Rochelle. Accordingly, the city recognizes the great boost to the economy that a thriving arts community can generate and has plans to establish a special district dedicated to arts and culture that would help existing arts organizations, cultural groups, and artists thrive, connect, and grow, while promoting small-scale local manufacturing, economic activity and attract visitors and other businesses to the city.
New Rochelle is employing a multipronged approach to growing the city in a smart and sustainable way. The city is poised for exciting and dynamic growth and welcomes all to come and join us in our city”™s bright new future.
Ayanna Wayner is the deputy commissioner for economic development for the city of New Rochelle. This column is part of a series about smart-growth initiatives leading up to Westfair Communications”™ and Pace Land Use Law Center”™s event on March 24, “Downtown”™s New Direction: Can Smart Growth Get us there?”
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