Mayor Mike Spano heralded a new generation of businesses joining the Yonkers economy Wednesday, saying growth in the tech industry and a rebirth of the film industry heralded a turnaround for the city.
Spano, in his annual State of the City address, called on the state to allow full casino gaming at Empire City, where he hopes a professional sports franchise will set up shop.
“If New Jersey can host two New York football teams alongside a swamp, we can certainly host a professional soccer team along I-87,” he said. The idea isn”™t a complete shot in the dark.
New York City FC, an expansion set to join Major League Soccer next season, is seeking a temporary home amid continued issues with finding one in the five boroughs. The team, which is co-owned by the New York Yankees, can play its home games in Yankee Stadium in the Bronx until a new stadium is built, but reports last month said the organization might seek a temporary home in Westchester County.
NYC FC or not, a pro sports team could be a “game changer,” the mayor said. Yonkers has also seen several long-stalled projects resurrected, Spano said, and an influx of new-economy businesses is changing the reputation of the city. The unemployment rate of the city is down to about 7 percent, the lowest in five years, according to Spano, a Democrat.
Mindspark, a technology company, has set up shop downtown in a converted factory on the Hudson River. Yonkers Brewing Co., started by two city residents, is looking to make a dent in the growing craft beer market.
Spano said Y-Enterprise, a shared business incubator in the former Otis elevator factory, was a success, offering reduced rent for startups and breeding local innovation. The Mayor”™s Office of Film and Photography has seen a number of shows, such as “Boardwalk Empire” and “Law & Order,” film locally. Last year saw the first Yonkers Film Festival, the Waterfront Jail is being converted to artist spaces, and artist David Hammons has purchased a Lawrence Street property to convert into an art gallery.
“The economy is changing, and our success in attracting high-tech industry, film and movie production, and high-profile artists indicated that our city is changing with it,” Spano said.
Spano listed a number of development projects, including several which had been delayed indefinitely before finding new life. The $107 million, 330-unit River Club project is set to break ground this week after many critics thought it had all but been scrapped. A $100 million residential building is expected along the waterfront in the coming months.
Spano said Yonkers financials were turning around after credit agency Standard and Poor”™s gave the city an A+ bond rating, the highest designation the formerly struggling Yonkers has had in more than 30 years, according to the mayor. He told residents to be thankful for all the people of Yonkers.
“Be thankful for that business owner or entrepreneur who senses the new spirit of commerce in our city, who sees old, empty factories being transformed into the next wave of the new economy,” he said, “and has decided that the place for his or her startup is not Brooklyn or Hoboken, or the Silicon Valley in California, but right here in Yonkers.”
The State of the City was delivered at the Waterfront Library.
