From the Hudson waterfront to Cross County, from Ridge Hill to Ashburton Ave., 2012 will be a year of great activity in Yonkers, bringing new development in housing, commercial sites and green spaces that will improve the quality of life for every community.
In February, we will celebrate the opening of the Westchester Center for Independent & Assisted Living at 78 Stratton Ave. South. It is the county's only assisted living facility available to Medicaid-eligible individuals. Located in two formally vacant buildings, it offers all the comforts of home including 141 beautiful apartments, a restaurant-style dining room, a well-appointed library, recreational activities (including high-tech Bingo), a beauty parlor/barber shop and medical services.
More affordable housing is on the way as well. Under construction and expected to open in 2013 is 49 Broadway, a 12-story rental with 92-unit high-quality apartments. Close to the Yonkers Metro-North station, the project is the first phase of an innovative housing plan that will include Warburton Lofts, a historic restoration and renovation of 100 year-old buildings that will also offer updated retail space.
The $40 million expansion and renovation of Empire City at Yonkers Raceway will be finished this spring. The 60,000 s/f expansion will add 400 new video lottery terminals, a magnificent new restaurant, a dramatic new entrance and expanded valet services. More than 100 new full times jobs will be created. There are also exciting plans on the table to create a resort-style hotel and other facilities that will certainly add even more jobs.
This summer Yonkers will see the completion of a project that has been decades in the planning - the daylighting of the Saw Mill River. This new Larkin Plaza Park will be a unique urban oasis with a tree-lined riverwalk along the newly exposed 800-ft. expanse of river that flows into a series of ponds and small waterfalls as it rolls towards the Hudson.
To make way for the new park, parking at Larkin Plaza was eliminated. A new, large 300-space garage nearby on Woodworth Ave. will open this summer, with 98 spaces set aside for the residents of 49 North Broadway.
The recently opened Ridge Hill Village, the metropolitan area's largest mixed-use outdoor shopping center, has already become an important retail destination filled with iconic retail stores. The first phase of the Monarch at Ridge Hill, with market-rate one- two and three bedroom units, is also now open. In the years ahead, the complex will continue to expand. When fully built out, Ridge Hill will offer 1.3 million s/f of retail space, condominiums, rental apartments, office space, a conference center and a hotel.
At the same time, the newly refurbished Cross County Shopping Center is continuing to add to its array of stores and restaurants ensuring that Yonkers remains Westchester County's largest retail destination. Renovation work has already begun on transforming a vacant office building at the center into a new hotel.
Also under construction and expected to open this year is a new Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center, which will relocate from Manhattan. This state-of-the-art "green" facility in Southwest Executive Park will house inpatient, home care and educational services for severely ill children including a 165,000 s/f pavilion with bedrooms, classrooms, community and quiet rooms, recreation areas and therapeutic suites.
Plans will also move forward on Epic at Metro92, a 25-story, 412-unit mixed-income residential rental complex on Buena Vista Ave., just south of its intersection with Main St. It will replace derelict, long abandoned buildings and expand market rate rental rate choices downtown.
This year will also see continued waterfront revival - now symbolized by the great restaurant X20 and the Collins apartments. Work will extend north with plans for a 1,100-unit market rate rental towers with 120,000 s/f of commercial space, a public riverwalk and marina.
With construction cranes filling our skyline, there is palpable energy and vitality in every neighborhood. And, as mayor, I am committed to keeping this progress moving forward to benefit everyone person who lives and works in our great city.

Mike Spano is the mayor of the city of Yonkers, N.Y. Tags: