This just in . . . New Rochelle’s ambitious downtown development vision has received an award from the American Planning Association. Here’s more from the notice:
“On behalf of the New York Metro Chapter of the American Planning Association, I am pleased to advise you that the City and its development partner RDRXR have been chosen to receive the William H. Whyte Award, which recognizes projects that exemplify creativity and ingenuity in planning in the Metropolitan New York Region. We received numerous nominations for this award and are pleased to let you know that you were selected as an exciting project aimed at achieving planning excellence”
The APA went on to praise “a holistic, sustainable continuing development of Long Island Sound’s Queen City” and “thoughtful zoning that looks to take advantage of economic and demographic trends.”
Of course, we are still in a midst of the review and approval process for the downtown plan (not to mention the challenge of actually implementing the vision!) So it may be a little premature to start patting ourselves on the back. But it is gratifying to receive positive recognition from regional and national experts.
I congratulate the City and development team on their good work and express thanks also to the many residents who contributed time, energy, and ideas to this exciting venture.