NEW ROCHELLE, NY (May 11, 2023) — The City of New Rochelle has announced its plans to transform its transit center into a modern and attractive hub for commuters and residents. The city has hired fxcollaborative, a renowned architecture and design firm, to lead the planning process.
The transit center, which serves more than 12,000 daily riders on Metro-North and Amtrak trains, as well as local and regional buses, is currently hidden below grade, with poor visibility, accessibility, and connectivity. The city aims to improve these conditions by creating a more inviting and user-friendly environment that integrates the transit center with the surrounding neighborhoods and downtown.
The plans include preserving and restoring the historic station house, which dates back to 1887, and enhancing its features and functions. The plans also envision adding new amenities, such as retail, food, bike facilities, public art, and green spaces, to activate the transit center and make it a destination for the community.
The city expects the redesign to boost economic development, increase ridership, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and improve quality of life for New Rochelle residents and visitors.
The city presented the plans to the City Council on May 9, 2023²³, and received positive feedback from the council members and the public. The city will conduct further public outreach and engagement to refine the plans and seek funding sources for the project.
Mayor Noam Bramson said that the transit center redesign is a “big goal” that will benefit the city and the region. “New Rochelle deserves better. So, in addition to confronting these problematic conditions head-on, our vision aims to preserve, restore, and celebrate the station house itself, a true gem of the 19th century, while bringing the rest of the Transit Center fully into the 21st century in its amenities, sustainability, appearance, and connectivity,” he said in his remarks².
The city hopes to complete the planning process by the end of 2023 and begin construction in 2024. The project is expected to be completed by 2026, coinciding with the launch of Penn Access service that will connect New Rochelle to Penn Station in Manhattan².
Source: Conversation with Bing, 5/11/2023
(1) Big Plans for New Ro Transit Center – Mayor Noam Bramson. https://noambramson.org/2023/05/big-plans-for-new-ro-transit-center/.
(2) New Rochelle Considers Public Use Acquisition Sites and Transit Center …. https://talkofthesound.com/2023/05/10/new-rochelle-considers-public-use-acquisition-sites-and-transit-center-redesign/.
(3) City Council | New Rochelle, NY. https://www.newrochelleny.com/90/City-Council.
(4) Watch Council & Board Meetings | New Rochelle, NY. https://www.newrochelleny.com/999/Watch-Council-Board-Meetings.
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