New Group Forms to Fight New Rochelle's Proposed Echo Bay Development Project

Some New Rochelle residents and local business owners have formed a new group in opposition to long-delay Echo Bay development project, which they say would include shutting down a host of businesses through eminent domain.

New Rochelle United Against Eminent Domain was formed recently to help preserve the 10 businesses on land near Flowers Park, which the New Rochelle would seize for its new City Yard, the group says. The yard is currently located at Echo Bay, which would become a new development with more than 1 million square feet of housing and commercial space.

“We don’t know what we would do if the city condemns our business,” said Maria La Rocca, one of the organizers of the group, in a statement. La Rocca is one of the owners of Flavio La Rocca and Sons, Inc., a landscaping and outdoor construction company which is one of the threatened businesses. “Our business, our family name, and our reputation will suffer if this happens.”

Organizers of the group plan to attend a City Council public hearing Tuesday where officials will discuss the project. Tuesday’s hearing is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in City Hall.

Below is the full press release:

Today, business owners in New Rochelle announce the formation of a new group, New Rochelle United Against Eminent Domain, to fight the city’s attempt to seize their property through eminent domain. New Rochelle United is dedicated to preserving the businesses and livelihoods that are threatened by the planned relocation of the waterfront City Yard, run by the Department of Public Works, to land along Flowers Park that is currently occupied by ten businesses. The city wants to relocate the City Yard in order to redevelop the current Echo Bay site with private development. This is Mayor Bramson’s third attempt to redevelop the waterfront site.

There will be a public hearing on the proposal on Tuesday, December 2, at 7:30pm, when the city will consider designating itself lead agency for the project.

The threatened properties are home to ten businesses that employ over 70 people. The businesses have collectively served New Rochelle for over 130 years.

“We don’t know what we would do if the city condemns our business,” said Maria La Rocca, a threatened business owner. Together with her husband, Flavio, the two have operated Flavio La Rocca and Sons, Inc., out of their Fifth Avenue location for nearly seventeen years. “Our business, our family name, and our reputation will suffer if this happens.”

Gaetano Arbitrio, of Arbitrio & Sons, Inc., employs fifteen people and has been in business for nearly fifty years, forty-six of which have been spent at their location along Flowers Park. “I have no idea where I’ll move my business to. If I have to move, I’ll probably go out of business because I need a big yard to store my materials and equipment.” The location is crucial to his business, he says, as it keeps him close to his customers. “It’s my livelihood.”

“Eminent domain is supposed to be used for public uses that are actually necessary,” said Christina Walsh, director of activism and coalitions at the Institute for Justice. IJ is a national public interest, civil liberties law firm, dedicated to protecting private property rights. The organization has defended property owners across the country from eminent domain abuse, and has helped save over 16,000 properties through grassroots activism. “It is not a tool of convenience. This is a completely unnecessary landgrab. The city can find somewhere else to relocate the City Yard that doesn’t require condemning successful businesses. Instead, the city is threatening the livelihoods of over 70 people, and violating the owners’ rights to keep what they’ve worked so hard to own. That’s unconscionable.”

Many residents of the Flowers Park area are also not in favor of having the Department of Public Works relocate its City Yard to their backdoor.

“I live directly next to one of the properties that New Rochelle City Hall has targeted,” said Bette Pollak, a homeowner. “I am completely appalled at the tactics our city officials are using to strong arm and bully our homeowners and business owners into allowing them to acquire their properties in order to make room for the City Yard. The City Yard has no place here. The city plans on placing it directly between homeowners’ back yards and a well-utilized city park. I’m sure that New Rochelle City Hall can come up with a smarter plan than this for placement of the City Yard.”

“Relocating the City Yard here will cause a traffic nightmare,” said Maria La Rocca. “The exit for all of the city’s trucks would feed out onto Fifth Avenue, which is a narrow one-lane street already suffering from serious traffic issues. Plus, the Barnard School is located just 1,200 feet away from this location. This would cause a serious safety issue for the children and school buses in the area. The city hasn’t even contacted the school to let them know about their intent for the area.”

For more information, please contact New Rochelle United Against Eminent Domain at NewRochelleUnited@gmail.com or Maria La Rocca.