Westchester Seeks Proposals to Renovate Former Cantina Restaurant

Westchester County is seeking proposals from area entrepreneurs to renovate the vacant Cantina Restaurant along the Saw Mill River Parkway in Ardsley, County Executive Rob Astorino announced Wednesday.

Interested parties have until July 24 to respond to the Request for Proposals (RFP) document, outlining how they intend to “bring new life to this local landmark.” The county will offer a license agreement to a “qualified company” for a restaurant, catering hall, recreational facility, museum or “other revenue-generating” enterprise.

“The old Cantina Restaurant was the scene of great food, fun and memories,” said Astorino in a statement. “With access by car or adjacent hiking and biking trails, the ingredients are there to make this an attractive, must-visit destination.”

The site includes a 4,500-square-foot structure with a 2,300-square-foot slate patio. The property also has a parking lot and an additional 250-square-foot stone building. Access from the Saw Mill River Parkway is approximately a mile north of Ashford Avenue in Ardsley, adjacent to the South County Trailway.

Revenues to the county from the property would benefit Westchester’s parks, and the Cantina project is the first of several planned RFPs seeking to expand concessions and attractions at the county’s many parks, according to officials.

The county Parks Department is hosting a pre-proposal conference for interested companies at 11 a.m. today, July 8, at Woodlands Lake in Irvington.

Completed proposals must be received no later than 2 p.m. on July 24 by the Office of the Director of Concessions, Westchester County Department of Parks, Recreation and Conservation, 450 Saw Mill River Road, Ardsley, NY 10502.

The county said it “reserves the right to accept, reject or negotiate modifications to any proposal.”

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