NYC Suburb Plans for New Linear Park

An update to the city’s zoning code makes way for a project that would reclaim a former highway and create new green space and recreation opportunities.

2 minute read

June 18, 2024, 5:00 AM PDT

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


Rendering of proposed linear park in New Rochelle, New York.

Rendering of proposed The LINC linear park in New Rochelle, New York. | City of New Rochelle / The LINC

The city council in one of New York City’s densest suburbs approved new zoning rules that will allow a proposed linear park project to move forward.

According to a press release from the city of New Rochelle, a new DO-8 Overlay zoning district in the Lincoln neighborhood will “encourage new development, creation of a wider range of community-serving businesses and re-establish the neighborhood’s “community corners” at Lincoln Avenue and Brook Street.”

The project, dubbed LINC, “ will transform a portion of Memorial Highway into a walkable public linear park with over eight acres of lush green space, a new 14,000 square foot plaza with capacity for a 264-seat amphitheater, increased safety features, updated streetscapes and direct access to new economic opportunities for residents. Bike lanes will create direct access to the downtown Transit Center and connect neighborhoods west of Memorial Highway to the North Avenue shopping district and beyond.”

The historically Black neighborhood was negatively impacted by the construction of the highway, which destroyed homes and businesses in the area. The LINC project will also improve infrastructure such as stormwater and sewers to prevent flooding and improve permeability.

The city has received $45 million in funding for the project from sources including the U.S Department of Transportation’s FY23 Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods (RCN) and Neighborhood Access and Equity (NAE) grant programs, the U.S. DOT’s Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) program, and New York State’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI).

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