'Not one more high rise.' Grassroots group concerned about New Rochelle development
Members from a grassroots group called New Ro: Enough is Enough say they are worried about the development of downtown New Rochelle.
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Members from a grassroots group called New Ro: Enough is Enough say they are worried about the development of downtown New Rochelle.
"We need to get what we were promised and we need to course correct this development project, which we view as going off the rails," said Shaun Wayawotzki, co-chair of the group.
One of their latest concerns is about tall buildings going up in the downtown area.
"Not one more high rise," said Jim Killoran, co-chair of the group.
The group is raising awareness about the topic because they say the issue is timely.
A New Rochelle Planning Board agenda says officials will have a public hearing on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. at City Hall to talk about an application to build a 28-story residential and commercial building at 570 Main St.
Dozens of members of New Ro: Enough is Enough and residents rallied downtown to spread the message that they don’t want more development there.
"We've had a lot of development in this area... It's oversaturated," Wayawotzki said "Traffic, parking, I mean, it's too much."
City officials say they have no comment about the matter.
Resident Robert Puleo says he's just concerned about the state of his New Rochelle neighborhood.
"We want to have multitudes of people, but congestion, and [we have] a lot of people that are just sleeping here, playing in the city... But, it's community, we need to work together and get to know each other more," Puleo said.
According to a notice, the project would also require the demolition of four buildings in order to construct the proposed 28-story, mixed-use building.
“It affects your quality of life. When you have visitors over, you want to take them for a walk, what are you walking through? And you can’t park,” says Shawn Haugen, a resident. “We’re losing our neighborhoods”
