The New Rochelle City Council is expected to hold a hearing on Sept. 8 regarding possible zoning changes in the wake of a proposal to build a 64-unit condominium development on the Surf Club property in the Davenport Neck waterfront section of the city. A review of the zoning situation was touched off in May of 2025 when the possible condominium development was initially presented.
Under review has been the existing zoning for Davenport Neck that permits single-family homes, public schools and existing universities or colleges, existing waterfront clubs, and houses of worship. The district also allows multifamily development by special permit at heights of three to five stories.
The Davenport Neck peninsula is situated on the easterly side of the City of New Rochelle extending into the Long Island Sound, between Echo Bay to the north and northeast and New Rochelle Harbor to the south and southwest. It presently has a mix of residences including single-family and multifamily, clubs and marinas and open space areas.
Recreational spaces on Davenport Neck include: Davenport Park, a 20-acre publicly accessible passive recreation area overlooking the Long Island Sound; the Davenport Neck Bird Sanctuary, located across from Davenport Park and home to over 50 species of birds; and Sans Souci Beach, which is accessible to members of the Sans Souci Homeowners Association.
A significant portion of the land within the R1-WF-10 District is located within the 100-year and 500-year FEMA Floodplain. According to a document outlining possible zoning changes, flood mitigation is an important goal of the proposed zoning amendments. Some portions of Davenport Neck are expected to be affected by sea level rise that could amount to 30 inches by the 2050s.
Among the proposed amendments to the current R1-WF-10 zoning district would be reduction of allowable multifamily density in flood-prone areas. The minimum lot size for multifamily development would be increased from one acre to four acres.
Changes would legalize and support existing marina and water-dependent uses and encourage accessory uses such as small inns and restaurants with outdoor dining.
To fund needed infrastructure improvements for existing and future needs, the city is proposing a new fee requiring developers of multifamily projects in the district to either construct off-site improvements or pay a fee of $35,000 per unit to the city.
The proposed zoning amendments include a requirement for all habitable building structures to be elevated above the FEMA-designated 100-year flood elevation. A minimum of 20% of a development’s lot area and in some cases 40% would have to be dedicated as open space.
For lots that border a public park, maximum building height would be set at 54 feet and four stories. The front yard setback would need to be a minimum of 40 feet, side yard setback a minimum of 10 feet and rear yard setback a minimum of 185 feet.
A proposed amendment would require that all required off-street parking spaces for multifamily structures be within the footprint of the building, while up to 15 additional visitor and/or ADA-accessible parking spaces could be provided at grade level within the side or rear yard of a multifamily building.
Marinas would have a maximum building height of 36 feet and three stories. Restaurants with outdoor dining and inns would be allowed by special permit as an accessory use to a marina. Hours of operation for restaurants with outdoor dining would be set by the Planning Board as part of the Special Permit process.
Inns would be allowed to have up to 10 guest rooms per acre with a maximum permitted density of 25 rooms. Each guest room would have to have a private full bathroom and the minimum guest room size, including private bathroom, would be 250 square feet.
Additional possible changes to the zoning for the Davenport Neck area also are under consideration.
