As previously reported, the City Council has opted to pursue a dining and food sale concept for the adaptive reuse of the former Naval Armory on East Main Street. There are many significant hurdles to overcome before this concept becomes a reality, but there is already ample evidence that food and restaurant activities can provide a major boost to urban development efforts.
This recent article from the International Economic Development Council provides additional details about “Urban Food Industry Clusters.” The article focuses more on center cities than on inner-ring suburbs like New Rochelle, but the general principles still apply. If you are interested in this subject, it is worth a read.