NYC Suburb Plans for New Linear Park

The city council in one of New York City’s densest suburbs approved new zoning rules that will allow a proposed linear park project to move forward.

According to a press release from the city of New Rochelle, a new DO-8 Overlay zoning district in the Lincoln neighborhood will “encourage new development, creation of a wider range of community-serving businesses and re-establish the neighborhood’s “community corners” at Lincoln Avenue and Brook Street.”

The project, dubbed LINC, “ will transform a portion of Memorial Highway into a walkable public linear park with over eight acres of lush green space, a new 14,000 square foot plaza with capacity for a 264-seat amphitheater, increased safety features, updated streetscapes and direct access to new economic opportunities for residents. Bike lanes will create direct access to the downtown Transit Center and connect neighborhoods west of Memorial Highway to the North Avenue shopping district and beyond.”

The historically Black neighborhood was negatively impacted by the construction of the highway, which destroyed homes and businesses in the area. The LINC project will also improve infrastructure such as stormwater and sewers to prevent flooding and improve permeability.

The city has received $45 million in funding for the project from sources including the U.S Department of Transportation’s FY23 Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods (RCN) and Neighborhood Access and Equity (NAE) grant programs, the U.S. DOT’s Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) program, and New York State’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI).