Yonkers is blessed with four and a half miles of majestic Hudson River shoreline offering the community a spectacular natural resource. The Office of Downtown and Waterfront Development created and has oversees the implementation of a Master Plan (1995) with the goal of revitalization and more productive utilization of the waterfront area. Presently, the Office is overseeing the preparation of a Local Waterfront Revitalization Program (LWRP), with the goal of opening the entire shoreline to public access while spurring revitalization in the Downtown, Ashburton, Glenwood and Ludlow areas.

The first phase of redevelopment in the Downtown area focuses on the Yonkers Metro-North Train Station (pictured at left). Support for the effort has come from the public and private sectors, involving state and federal grants used to construct roads and infrastructure to support privately financed construction in the Downtown. Over $100 million dollars of private funds have been invested in the Downtown area. To date, the Metropolitan Transportation Agency has invested nearly $43 million dollars to rehabilitate all four Yonkers Train Stations with an emphasis on the Main Yonkers Station. The station designed by Warren and Wetmore, the same architects who designed Grand Central Station, is now restored to its historic splendor.

The Yonkers Downtown & Waterfront is certainly on the move for the better. Not only are new residential units being constructed on or near the Hudson, but numerous Downtown buildings, long underdeveloped or vacant, are now being converted into residential lofts, offices and new retail establishments. One need look no farther than the Hudson Park, two buildings, which have 266 residential rental apartments with amenities, and an unparalleled views of Manhattan and the Palisades. New projects including additional residential rental units, office space, marinas, parks and retail centers are being planned. The common thread in this blending of mixed-usages is public access to the river for relaxation, recreation and education for the citizens of Yonkers.

The long anticipated Yonkers Riverfront Library/Board of Education building is open, functional and a success. On the corner of Buena Vista Avenue and Hudson Street is the new 608 car parking structure dedicated in October 2003. On the corner of Main Street and Buena Vista, Homes for America Holdings, Inc. headquarters, a six story office building with ground level retail, is now completed. The first phase of a riverfront Esplanade Park was dedicated in September 2003 and includes a Sculpture Meadow, a September 11th Memorial Garden, and an amphitheatre. Yonkers has restored the only Victorian Pier (pictured at right) remaining on the Hudson River, which has been the host for free Friday night summer jazz concerts.  This year the jazz concerts will be at the amphitheatre, adjunct to the Pier.  Renovations are completed on the pier for Xaviars on the Hudson, a new five star restaurant. Negotiations continue to bring a dining cruise ship to the pier and a 153 slip marina is currently in the planning stage.

In 2002 and 2003, Yonkers was once again recognized as one of the "10 Safest Cities" of it's size (over 100,000) in the United States. As we approach 2008, the best way to fully understand the enormous scope of improvement in the downtown waterfront area is to see it for yourself: have a gourmet dining experience at Zuppa Restaurant & Lounge, or at the new Belle Havana Restaurant, visit the new Yonkers Riverfront Library, stroll through the Esplanade Park and Sculpture Meadow on the Hudson, reflect at the September 11th Memorial Garden, have an al fresco lunch or after-dinner cocktail on the Hudson at The Pier View, enjoy live summer jazz presented by the Yonkers Downtown/Waterfront BID or have your wedding, anniversary or corporate function catered by Encore in the artfully restored Roosevelt Ball Room.  

The Downtown Waterfront area has something for everyone and the list of things to do continues to grow. The links above give pictures and brief descriptions on each project completed or in progress.