Guest Blog – Noam Bramson, Mayor, New Rochelle
New Rochelle has benefited enormously from our participation as one of the 26 Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress (Pattern’s) Urban Action Agenda (UAA) communities. Pattern’s UAA plan provides a medium to share information, news, and events with regional community partners, with a focus on data collection that is pertinent to each community. With this data, New Rochelle can see a snapshot of its economic and social wellbeing and use this information to seek grant funding, inform potential business and development partners, or simply educate residents on local challenges and opportunities. The UAA also gives communities insight on how other municipalities are progressing projects in the region and how those experiences can inform our own actions.
I’m often asked about how New Rochelle has become number 1 on the Westchester Top 5 list of most new residents added since 2000, as well as other important accolades and designations our city has received. The answer is quite simple, desirable assets lead to desirable outcomes. For example, New Rochelle boasts:
- Quality housing at multiple price points – from luxurious waterfront living to tech-savvy micro-units in the Downtown
- Extensive transit and mobility options – new Penn Station hub, a downtown circulator, improved pedestrian passageways and a bike-share program for ease of access
- High-speed communications – informational Verizon Wi-Fi Kiosks, optimal fiber connections, and high-tech co-working spaces to fit the entrepreneur spirit
- Diverse cultural experiences – a 10,000 Black Box Theater, authentic international cuisine, and recreational areas providing music, markets, festivals and other artistic events
Expanding on the Mid-Hudson Regional Economic Development Council’s (MHREDC) mission to market our area to live, work, and play, New Rochelle is promoting itself in ways that highlight our growing economy, quality of life, and educational excellence in order to attract millennials, empty-nesters, and those in between. With these assets in place we can achieve not only our own municipal goals but also those of the region as a whole.
http://thebcw.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/NewRochelle.pdf