A recent WalletHub report ranked New Rochelle as one of the best small cities in the United States. The Sound Shore city placed in the 70th percentile in a survey in which the 99th percentile represented the top 1% of small cities in America. This ranking is a recognition of the work the city is conducting across multiple sectors, including its ongoing downtown development initiative, fast-track zoning process, renter and homeowner support (Section 8, Down Payment Assistance, affordable housing lotteries), increased green spaces and sustainability infrastructure, a spokeswoman said.
The latest initiative is New Rochelle’s Downtown Retail Strategy, marking a significant milestone in the city’s evolution as an urban destination for locals, new residents and visitors. The plan, approved by the City Council Oct. 15, includes the creation of New Rochelle’s Vanguard District and a suite of initiatives to transform the city’s downtown into a destination for shopping, dining and entertainment, including public realm and accessibility improvements, retail enhancements and tenant incentives.
The Downtown Retail Strategy is designed to usher in a new era for downtown New Rochelle, pioneering a diverse, vibrant retail ecosystem and building on its historic downtown redevelopment that has brought in more than 10,000 new housing units and attracted $2.2 billion in private investment to the city.
“Retail plays a crucial role in shaping thriving city environments, and this plan will help to cultivate a city that flourishes economically, socially and culturally,” said New Rochelle Mayor Yadira Ramos-Herbert. “The Downtown Retail Strategy will have a transformative impact on our city, generating bustling streets and enriching community interactions, while creating job opportunities, driving visitation and elevating New Rochelle’s profile as a place to live, work and visit. This is an incredibly exciting time for New Rochelle, and we look forward to our continued work bringing this plan to life.”
The Downtown Retail Strategy features a mix of initiatives in the newly created Vanguard District – encompassing the area bounded by LeCount Place (across the street from New Roc City), Main Street, North Avenue and Huguenot Street – and other areas of the downtown to create a broader pathway for revitalization throughout the city. In response to the needs of the community, the Downtown Retail Strategy includes:
- A Tenant Improvement Program that will provide financial support for physical improvements and relocation costs to aspiring retail establishments looking to occupy vacant retail spaces throughout the downtown. Structured as a grant program, the $2.25 million fund will have a robust application process while prioritizing opportunities for businesses that will contribute to the vibrancy of downtown New Rochelle.
- Streetscape beautification and safety improvements, which will embrace street furniture, parklets, decorative plantings, increased maintenance and cleaning, lighting upgrades, placemaking and wayfinding improvements. The plan also focuses on creating safer pedestrian connections to enrich the experience for both residents and visitors.
- Retail enhancements through pop-ups and revitalizing storefronts, while continuing the city’s support of local and new businesses and entrepreneurs.
In addition, modernizing outdated code restrictions in the Vanguard District will remove barriers that previously prohibited bars and experiential businesses, along with relaxed parking requirements, transforming ground-floor spaces. These updates will attract a diverse range of new tenants, from bars and gyms to live music venues, outdoor dining spots, artisan production spaces and more – designed to create a vibrant, dynamic street-level experience.
The Downtown Retail Strategy complements the various developments currently underway in New Rochelle, including the upcoming construction of the LINC project ,which will transform Memorial Highway into a linear park, and the redesign of the New Rochelle Train Station and Intermodal Transit Center.
In September, the city announced an updated timeline for this reimagining of a section of Memorial Highway as open green space, with the groundbreaking in late 2025 and a ribbon-cutting in 2027. The project calls for more than eight acres of green space, nearly a mile of bike lanes, a new 14,000-square-foot plaza with the capacity for a 264-seat amphitheater, increased safety features, updated streetscapes and direct access to new economic opportunities for residents. The goal is to reconnect New Rochelle’s Lincoln Avenue neighborhood, a once-thriving business corridor that became disenfranchised and marginalized under a Robert Moses-era redevelopment, to the city’s downtown to spur economic activity.
Meanwhile the redesigned New Rochelle Transit Center, led by architecture firm FXCollaborative, will allow New Rochelle to become the first city in Westchester County with direct commuter access to both Grand Central Terminal and Penn Station.
“Our new (retail) strategy will support the wonderful business owners that call New Rochelle home and welcome an array of new businesses to an enlivened and attractive downtown,” said Adam Salgado, commissioner of development. “Locals, visitors and newcomers can look forward to our city’s continued evolution into a diverse cultural hub with a mix of top-notch dining, outstanding local art, entertainment and more.”
