YONKERS, NY—The city of Yonkers has officially moved on from what was an ambitious $3-billion plan to redevelop a portion of its downtown, including a parcel known as “Chicken Island.”
The city on Monday announced it had released a request for proposal for the six-acre Chicken Island tract located northeast of Yonkers City Hall. More than eight years ago, Yonkers selected a development team nicknamed “SFC,” which had proposed to develop about $3 billion of mixed-use space on the waterfront and downtown, including Chicken Island. The development team featured Struever Bros. Eccles & Rouse, Fidelco Realty Group, and Cappelli Enterprises. The partnership has since dissolved with Fidelco Realty still pursuing a rental housing development at the H&I site on the city's waterfront.
“Chicken Island is prime real estate in our city that will continue the revitalization of our downtown district,” says Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano. “We are asking for plans that are practical, that will improve the downtown experience and that have sufficient financial backing. It's finally time for bricks and mortar on the ground.”
Chicken Island is zoned D-MX (downtown mixed use zoning), a high-density zone permitting development up to 25 stories. The zoning permits retail, restaurant, office, colleges, personal service establishments, residential and other uses.
“The direction of the development should be in accordance with what the market dictates as well as what makes sense for the people of Yonkers,” Mayor Spano says.
City officials say that the Chicken Island development project aims to develop high-quality office buildings and “exciting downtown retail shopping opportunities” that will attract local and regional visitors and workers. Mixed-use, live-work, micro-units or other innovative residential uses will also be considered as a part of the overall development mix, they add.
The RFP states that the city seeks to identify and create new institutional uses for new or existing educational, cultural and/or arts facilities, or other beneficial community uses for the downtown district. The project may be eligible for New York State tax credits under the New York State Brownfield Cleanup Program.
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John Jordan
John Jordan is a veteran journalist with 36 years of print and digital media experience.
