$100M Port Chester waterfront is go.

Ground was broken on the $100 million waterfront and downtown renewal project in the heart of Port Chester, N.Y., a Long Island Sound shore village in Westchester County that immediately borders Greenwich, Conn.

The Waterfront at Port Chester will include new retail stores, a Costco Wholesale Club, a multi-screen cinema complex and a major supermarket, along with a complete rehabilitation of a half-mile of the village's frontage on the Byram River. The waterfront component of the plan includes a half-mile long pedestrian promenade featuring interactive information kiosks and a planting and landscaping plan, plus a restaurant and 110 boat slips.

G&S Investors, based in Old Bethpage, N.Y., is the company behind the ambitious $100 million plan, which has the full backing of Port Chester's Mayor and Village Board, as well as the support of the Westchester County Executive.

G&S, which has extensive background in retail development projects throughout the New York area, has been able to move forward on a redevelopment plan which has been discussed in the Village for nearly 30 years.

"We are extremely happy to have gotten the shovels into the ground for this long talked-about renewal project," said Gregg Wasser, President of G&S. "We know that this day has been a long time in coming for Port Chester, and we're very happy that our company has been able to get this very dynamic project moving forward."

A significant amount of infrastructure work must also be done in conjunction with the project, including the reconstruction or reconfiguration of more than 20 intersections in the downtown area. The New York State Department of Transportation is providing $1.5 million in funding for a portion of this work.

The redevelopment includes 27 acres, roughly half of the entire downtown business district. Stan Perelman, who is a partner with Wasser in G&S, noted that because the renewal area comprises a major portion of the entire downtown, the impact the project will have on the overall downtown area will be significant. "We are designing the building elevations to fit into the general architectural character of the village. When The Waterfront at Port Chester is completed, the overall character of the entire downtown will be improved."

Mr. Perelman observed that "a great deal of new business activity is already being seen in other portions of the downtown area, notably along North Main Street. Port Chester has gained a reputation for its diverse and excellent restaurants, and a rebirth is already under way. We want to build on that positive trend and help to accelerate it. Our revitalization project and the new businesses that are moving into other parts of the downtown will make Port Chester a vibrant waterfront community,"

He said that the architectural approach being taken by his company calls for emulating the traditional look of "main street" storefronts. "We will be working to use the old-fashioned style that people enjoy. We also will be seeking tenants and uses which will enhance Port Chester's existing smaller businesses. There is a synergy that needs to be established so that not just part, but all of the downtown waterfront area improves, and we believe that goal can be achieved."

Port Chester Mayor Christine Korff said that she and the Village Board "expect this development to be the catalyst for more downtown development. It will be a destination for residents of both Connecticut and Westchester," she added, referring to Port Chester's strategic location on the border of Connecticut.

The Mayor praised the design approach being taken by G&S, which seeks to capitalize on both the proximity to the Byram River waterfront and the frontage on Main Street. "The stores will face out to the sidewalk," she said. "I like to think of it as a mall turned inside out."

County Executive Andrew Spano, with support from County Legislators George Latimer, Chairman of the Board, and Paul Noto, Minority Leader of the Board whose District includes Port Chester, has gained approval for a $10 million funding package from the County which will finance the waterfront improvements.

A significant element of the redevelopment plan has been the satisfactory relocation of residents and businesses in the redevelopment area. Mr. Wasser said that the relocation efforts of his company and the Village have worked very successfully. "We have put a great deal of effort into the relocation program because without success on that level, the rest of the project can't move forward."

He said that G&S has been offering residential tenants who must relocate $3,000 in addition to the $1,000 the Village gives for moving expenses. "We have also helped find good apartments for those who are moving. So far, half the people in the affected area have already found new, and usually better, housing, most within Port Chester. It's been very rewarding to see this aspect of the plan go so smoothly."

Mr. Wasser said negotiations with the commercial businesses within the redevelopment area have also been smoothly. "We have found that if you are fair and honest with people, they respond," he said. "Relocation is never easy, but we are proud to say that in Port Chester, the effort has gone very well."