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Sorry if this is too specific to one town, but I'm curious if anyone else who lives in the Rivertowns feels the same way.
I moved to Dobbs in 2015, and since then have seen a few trends towards revitalizing/promoting new development. I understand there is a delicate balance between keeping the 'small town' aesthetic that people love about the Rivertowns, while at the same time wanting to foster a lively, community environment with shopping/dining options that attracts visitors and keeps the village alive and relevant in 2018.
Lately, I've seen that a lot of businesses are closing on main/cedar street and there are many vacant storefronts. The Rivertown Square complex, meanwhile, is almost complete and there are also a number of vacancies there.
Here's what I see as a number of issues in the town:
1. Development efforts seem to start, stall, and then take years to complete. Maybe it's red tape, or property changing hands? For example, the residential building on the corner of Ashford and Broadway was under construction pre-2015, and is still under construction, albeit almost finished - maybe?
2. The overall business mix in town is not desirable and does not encourage growth or attract people to the town. There's a glut of hair salons, insurance agencies and juice bars (although I think Raw Juice is closed now). There are a few other small business scattered about; but nothing that encourages visitors. There's a really strange mix of shops (Magic store? recording studio? spiritual healing? smoke shop? comic book shop?) that seem highly specific and not really something to attract visitors apart from very specific people who enjoy those hobbies. The outer storefronts are largely not maintained, and the main street looks run-down. I'll contrast this with Tarrytown, which has a good mix of dining, shopping, entertainment and other options with an attractive main street that encourages visitors and community. Dobbs just feels left behind, and ...empty? As a Dobbs resident, I'd much rather visit Tarrytown main street on a summer evening than my own town, which is unfortunate, because I think Dobbs hasa lot of potential and is just... missing the mark somehow?
3. I was hopeful that Rivertown Square would bring in some new businesses, but it looks like - more juice bars? Another urgent care? Apart from the movie theatre, which appears to be rather expensive, I can't see that any businesses there will be very interesting. Likewise, the building on the corner of Ashford/Broadway apparently is going to house a real estate company; again seems like a squandered opportunity to use a prime space in town.
4. On a positive note, I think the waterfront park was a great decision and a good start - if the same planning and thoughtfulness could be invested in bringing new life and businesses into the village center itself, Dobbs Ferry could really realize its potential.
Any other thoughts? Has anyone else in Westchester (Dobbs or otherwise) gotten involved locally to try and improve your town or encourage small business growth there? How did it go?
Sorry if this is too specific to one town, but I'm curious if anyone else who lives in the Rivertowns feels the same way.
I moved to Dobbs in 2015, and since then have seen a few trends towards revitalizing/promoting new development. I understand there is a delicate balance between keeping the 'small town' aesthetic that people love about the Rivertowns, while at the same time wanting to foster a lively, community environment with shopping/dining options that attracts visitors and keeps the village alive and relevant in 2018.
Lately, I've seen that a lot of businesses are closing on main/cedar street and there are many vacant storefronts. The Rivertown Square complex, meanwhile, is almost complete and there are also a number of vacancies there.
Here's what I see as a number of issues in the town:
1. Development efforts seem to start, stall, and then take years to complete. Maybe it's red tape, or property changing hands? For example, the residential building on the corner of Ashford and Broadway was under construction pre-2015, and is still under construction, albeit almost finished - maybe?
2. The overall business mix in town is not desirable and does not encourage growth or attract people to the town. There's a glut of hair salons, insurance agencies and juice bars (although I think Raw Juice is closed now). There are a few other small business scattered about; but nothing that encourages visitors. There's a really strange mix of shops (Magic store? recording studio? spiritual healing? smoke shop? comic book shop?) that seem highly specific and not really something to attract visitors apart from very specific people who enjoy those hobbies. The outer storefronts are largely not maintained, and the main street looks run-down. I'll contrast this with Tarrytown, which has a good mix of dining, shopping, entertainment and other options with an attractive main street that encourages visitors and community. Dobbs just feels left behind, and ...empty? As a Dobbs resident, I'd much rather visit Tarrytown main street on a summer evening than my own town, which is unfortunate, because I think Dobbs hasa lot of potential and is just... missing the mark somehow?
3. I was hopeful that Rivertown Square would bring in some new businesses, but it looks like - more juice bars? Another urgent care? Apart from the movie theatre, which appears to be rather expensive, I can't see that any businesses there will be very interesting. Likewise, the building on the corner of Ashford/Broadway apparently is going to house a real estate company; again seems like a squandered opportunity to use a prime space in town.
4. On a positive note, I think the waterfront park was a great decision and a good start - if the same planning and thoughtfulness could be invested in bringing new life and businesses into the village center itself, Dobbs Ferry could really realize its potential.
Any other thoughts? Has anyone else in Westchester (Dobbs or otherwise) gotten involved locally to try and improve your town or encourage small business growth there? How did it go?
I think the general consensus is the river towns only want rinky dink business in their town. All else NIMBY. Case in Point, Dobbs has gone through great lengths to make that one main stop light torture to keep people from driving through town. And it's worked. Since I moved out of a rivertown, I haven't been back to Dobbs for anything
I also think a lot of this has to do with the "purpose" for which the lower rivertowns exist, for the lack of a better word. The three river towns, namely Hastings, Dobbs, and Irvington, primarily have good schools as their selling point, although it's definitely perplexing how having a nice, trendy, busy downtown would affect the schools in anyway. The Tarrytown downtown and waterfront are both infinitely more attractive, but the school districts are not as "high-scoring". One can also crudely extrapolate the anti-correlation between commercial attractiveness of the downtown and school competitiveness to other parts of Westchester County (e.g., Scarsdale/Chappaqua v/s White Plains/New Rochelle/Yonkers).
At the risk of sounding like a nut, do the people in these rich, "high performing" school districts choose (intentionally or otherwise) to keep residential property taxes high by snubbing commercial establishments, primarily with an intention of keeping "riff-raff" out of their prestigious schools and towns? Probably not, but more convoluted things have definitely happened.
I also think a lot of this has to do with the "purpose" for which the lower rivertowns exist, for the lack of a better word. The three river towns, namely Hastings, Dobbs, and Irvington, primarily have good schools as their selling point, although it's definitely perplexing how having a nice, trendy, busy downtown would affect the schools in anyway. The Tarrytown downtown and waterfront are both infinitely more attractive, but the school districts are not as "high-scoring". One can also crudely extrapolate the anti-correlation between commercial attractiveness of the downtown and school competitiveness to other parts of Westchester County (e.g., Scarsdale/Chappaqua v/s White Plains/New Rochelle/Yonkers).
At the risk of sounding like a nut, do the people in these rich, "high performing" school districts choose (intentionally or otherwise) to keep residential property taxes high by snubbing commercial establishments, primarily with an intention of keeping "riff-raff" out of their prestigious schools and towns? Probably not, but more convoluted things have definitely happened.
I wouldn't be surprised, actually. A few months ago, I was in Tarrytown and saw that a few local business had put up posters (on behalf of the town) asking people to write down their votes/opinions on what changes Tarrytown should prioritize (housing, infrastructure, parks, public recreation, etc). The #1 most popular request was higher density affordable housing.
At the end of the day, I think there a contingent that definitely want to ensure their prized school district test scores remain unhampered by ESL students and such. However, for those of us not involved in the school district rat race, and just want to live in a nice town within reasonable commuting distance to NYC, it seems like this is a case of cutting off your nose to spite your face. Is property value and perceived prestige in the Rivertowns so important as to be willing to - intentionally - sacrifice quality of the overall town as a result? Personally, I'd rather have a more diverse school district and a nicer town; but maybe that doesn't jive with the overall Westchester aesthetic.
And what's happening at the civic level in villages like Tarrytown vs. Dobbs that makes the two so polar opposite? Is it merely a case of demographics?
In short - why can't we have nice things, Dobbs Ferry!?
Neighboring Irvington has both an attractive downtown, and good schools. So do many other Westchester towns (Larchmont, Bronxville, Scarsdale, Rye all come to mind). I think this is more Dobbs specific, as it had much more of a blue-collar reputation than any of these other towns until about 5-10 years ago, and their downtown reflects the growing pains of a changing demographic.
Neighboring Irvington has both an attractive downtown, and good schools. So do many other Westchester towns (Larchmont, Bronxville, Scarsdale, Rye all come to mind). I think this is more Dobbs specific, as it had much more of a blue-collar reputation than any of these other towns until about 5-10 years ago, and their downtown reflects the growing pains of a changing demographic.
Fair enough, although I thought Hastings and Tarrytown had a similar reputation, and both towns seem to be in the midst of significant overhaul.
My gut feeling is that the demographics in Dobbs Ferry may lean towards more entrenched folks who grew up in the area vs. newcomers and the entrenched contingent just wants to keep things 'they way they always were' (good school, approved small businesses, no major changes) vs other towns which may have seen a larger influx of newcomers.
It just seems like this attitude is causing our whole village to suffer as a result. Are there people who honestly think Dobbs Ferry has a better village atmosphere than say, Hasting, Scarsdale or Tarrytown? Or is all that matters at the end of the day the school ranking?
I was just in Irvington. Very quaint. But I see the problem. Where do the residents do the majority of their shopping? Probably at big box stores, or, now, on-line. Trying to sustain a downtown on retail business is now hugely problematic.
I live in Manhattan, and with VASTLY higher food traffic on the avenues, we're having our own, retail apocalypse. Lots of empty stores, and most people here don't have cars to drive to Costco, Stew Leonards, et al. You can get restaurants and bars, but do these towns really want a nightlife scene downtown?
I was just in Irvington. Very quaint. But I see the problem. Where do the residents do the majority of their shopping? Probably at big box stores, or, now, on-line. Trying to sustain a downtown on retail business is now hugely problematic.
I live in Manhattan, and with VASTLY higher food traffic on the avenues, we're having our own, retail apocalypse. Lots of empty stores, and most people here don't have cars to drive to Costco, Stew Leonards, et al. You can get restaurants and bars, but do these towns really want a nightlife scene downtown?
My wife and I both grew up in Irvington. It's a bedroom community. One of the nice things about it is that you don't have any major supermarkets or big box stores within it's borders and all of the congestion that goes along with it. Yet they are only a few miles away in Tarrytown, Dobbs Ferry and White Plains. It's probably the reason why homes are so expensive there? Of all the towns along the Hudson it's probably the best place to live if you can afford it. When we lived there it was more middle class especially for those that lived on the all the side streets off of Main Street. I was shocked to see what houses there are going for now. I think it's because it's any easy walk to the train station?
When we were growing up in Irvington we knew just about everyone who lived there. A lot of people had blue collar jobs and yet could still afford to buy a home in Irvington. The wealthy lived primarily in Ardsley and Matthiessen Park. There were no homes around the reservoir and Halsey's Pond. Same for Stern's and Rutter's property that are adjacent to the High School. It's all developed now. Downingwood was an empty field. Highgate ( Sycamore and Dogwood Ln.) used to be Stan Getz' estate. His children attended Irvington schools. Rutter's (Fieldpoint Drive) went from Broadway all the way up to the reservoir. On the corner of Broadway and Harriman Rd. was the Yeshiva later on North American Philips Company. North American Philips wanted to expand and the village turned them down by denying them the proper permits. The building was demolished, developers came in and put up expensive condo's and it's now called Richmond Hill.
It sure as hell ain't the same town we grew up in that's for sure. We're in Arizona now in a community that reminds us of how Irvington used to be absent the Hudson River of course.
Last edited by Ex New Yorker; 06-19-2018 at 01:45 PM..
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