GDC officials term initial sales brisk for the $200-million project considering the first model home opened just earlier this month. The development has access to a high-speed ferry that connects Haverstraw to the Village of Ossining's Metro North train station on the Westchester County side of the river.

"The resurgence of river town life from Yonkers to Beacon is the most compelling and exciting trend in the Hudson Valley," says Martin Ginsburg, the principal of GDC, which is based in Hawthorne. "River towns across the region are discovering new ways to stimulate their downtowns by reconnecting to the Hudson River."

Construction on the project began earlier this year. The project will be built in phases over the next 10 years, GDC officials note. When completed, the development will feature a one-and-a-half mile promenade along the Hudson River shoreline. Other amenities at the development will include a main ferry and fishing pier, which will also accommodate cruise ships and serve as a port-of-call along the Hudson and as the focal point of Main Street in Haverstraw, GDC officials say.

A planned inn and spa and a convention center will be constructed in the future. Additionally, there will be a 450-car garage with a one-acre rooftop pavilion housing a coffee house, kiosks and a restaurant. Planning is ongoing for a proposed cable car that will climb to the top of Hi Tor Mountain, GDC officials add.