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NOW HEAR THIS: They say they’re spending all this money to develop a ‘new’ Westchester… but for whom?

February 11, 2024
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[Editor’s Note: ‘NOW HEAR THIS’ is a brand-new, Op-Ed type feature of WUW. Guest writer Vazquez is a licensed therapist, adjunct professor, school administrator, business owner, full-time resident, voter and Yonkers taxpayer.

[Following a recent local-TV appearance, we asked her to state her views on past, present and future residential, industrial and commercial development in her city for WUW readers.]

By Andrea Vazquez, LMSW

When you look all around Westchester, it’s hard not to notice all the changes happening in terms of new developments, specifically in downtown Yonkers. 

The Yonkers Industrial Development Agency (YIDA) plays a large role in providing access and opportunities for new developers in Yonkers to get their projects completed. 

YIDA’s mission: “to create economic development and job growth throughout the City of Yonkers by attracting new businesses, retaining existing ones and helping them all become more competitive in a global marketplace.” 

Although the intentions of the organization read well on their website; has the YIDA fallen short of its promises?

There have been new businesses entering the city, BUT there seems to be more businesses with a long-standing history in Yonkers of closing.

  Unfortunately, with the addition of new developments, there has been a sense of loss [among] long-time Yonkers residents who are beginning to lose the businesses and important Yonkers landmarks that contributed to their love for the city. 

The YIDA has completed projects such as, 1175 Warburton, The Yonkers Waterfront properties, Velocity @ Greystone, and the Whitney Young renovations…

…while they are in the process of completing projects, such as The Warburton Lofts ($43 million), Teutonium Buena Vista ($181 million), and Extell Hudson Waterfront ($500+ million), to name just a few. 

Yet several questions remain unanswered, such as “Why so many developments in so little time?”  “Can the infrastructure within the City of Yonkers sustain the influx of people and cars while still allowing residents to maintain a high quality of life?” 

And most importantly, “Are these developments being built with the current residents of Yonkers in mind?” 

With the City of Yonkers quickly morphing into “Hollywood on the Hudson”, many believe these new developments are not being targeted and designed to meet the needs of current Yonkers residents but [are] preparing for the workforce influx to come AFTER the newly built studios. 

Lionsgate is planning to make Yonkers the home of the largest modern film and TV production facility on the East Coast. It is stated that “this state-of-the-art media center will help complete the transformation of the Yonkers waterfront, with local businesses benefitting from the expected 1,000-plus people working at the studio complex.”  

Many Yonkers residents do not share Lionsgate’s enthusiasm since there has been little to no new employment opportunities afforded to current residents with the entrance of these studios into the city. 

Most of the ‘1,000-plus people’ working in studio complexes will [ultimately] not be from Yonkers, since many of those [specialized] jobs are difficult to obtain.

The sad reality is that many Yonkers residents are being priced out of their homes due to rising rent costs and may be struggling to pay their rent after the pandemic rent relief stopped about one year ago. 

The rising rent costs has caused many Yonkers families to be evicted or be on the verge of getting evicted, while adding to additional struggles with food insecurities and unemployment. 

Although we are looking for a newer, better, and more developed Yonkers, what is the cost to the current residents? 

Many residents are feeling angry and somewhat displaced by all these changes, calling them a type of gentrification of their city. 

Gentrification being a process whereby characteristics of a poor, urban area are changed by wealthier people moving in, improving housing, and attracting new businesses, and typically displacing current inhabitants in the process. 

This feeling of displacement amongst Yonkers residents has caused many to either move into other, more affordable cities or even prompted residents to leave the state completely. 

Interestingly, many of us came to Yonkers to escape the fast-paced life of New York City or the Bronx; yet now it feels more and more like we’ve truly become the “6th Borough” of NYC. 

We were drawn to Yonkers for the quiet, suburban neighborhoods with tree-lined streets, local businesses with familiar faces, and memorable parks and landmarks to enjoy.

Yet that all seems to be changing now, thus transforming the city we all once loved…and which many still do. ##

Always lead with loveMs. ‘A’