Article
Walkability Is a Major Focus for Westchester Towns and Residents
The Mitchell and Quarterra's East Coast Regional President Chris Cassidy were featured by Westchester Magazine highlighting walkability in the area.
There are many factors prospective renters and buyers consider when looking to move to or within Westchester: school statistics, taxes, central air or window units. And the last several years, municipalities in the county — one where the automobile has generally reigned supreme — are betting that high walking scores will hold great appeal and transform downtown landscapes. Whether it’s a waterfront mixed-use development in Sleepy Hollow, a transformed New Rochelle skyline, or the reimagining of a shopping mall in White Plains, Westchester’s downtowns are putting feet on sidewalks.
“Walking has been a big focus of mine, both in tying the downtown to the transit hub and in the development of the former Galleria,” says White Plains Mayor Tom Roach. Rather than building a tourist attraction downtown, Roach supported a development where there’s “open space at ground level, where people can see through the space and can gather among trees and plazas.” The result does away with the lifeless feel of downtown. “You don’t want people grinding out their walk in a sterile landscape,” Roach says. “You want them to have an outdoor environment they can engage in.”
