BFJ Planning has been retained by the City of New Rochelle for several large scale projects in recent years. The breadth of these multiple projects has ranged from reviewing development applications, helping to develop a new form-based code for downtown and the Lincoln Avenue Corridor, incorporating sustainability in the city’s comprehensive plan, preparing a city-wide update of the Zoning Code, and addressing issues facing the waterfront.

New Rochelle Downtown Development Planning and SEQR Review

The City retained BFJ Planning to assist in the review of the New Rochelle Downtown Development Plan, the proposed Downtown Overlay Zone (DOZ), and the associated review of the SEQR Generic Environmental Impact Statement (GEIS). The City and RDRXR, the selected Master Developer, developed a new form-based DOZ for an approximately 309-acre area of Downtown New Rochelle. The DOZ, adopted in 2015, is an optional overlay district, whereby landowners can choose to opt into development under the proposed DOZ requirements. The intent of the DOZ is to encourage redevelopment through the creation of an active, mixed-use district with convenient, safe and pleasant access to the New Rochelle Transit Center. BFJ continues to provide planning review services as the City undertakes five-year review and update of the DOZ regulations to better address market demand and development patterns. In 2021, the City created a new overlay district (DO-7) encompassing the Echo Bay waterfront. BFJ reviewed the Supplemental GEIS that included amendments to the DOZ as well as the addition of the DO-7 District. In 2026, the City undertook a comprehensive DOZ zoning revision with a slight boundary expansion. BFJ led the SEQR review process (SGEIS).

New Rochelle DO-8 District and the LINC

On behalf of the City of New Rochelle, BFJ created a new DO-8 Overlay District, building off of recommendations for the Lincoln Avenue Corridor in the City’s 2016 Comprehensive Plan Update and the 2018 DRI Strategic Investment Plan. The DO-8 covers ~86 acres along Lincoln Avenue from Webster Avenue to May Street and along Memorial Highway from Horton Avenue to Station Plaza South. The zoning was designed to enable a greater mix of neighborhood-scale land uses and pedestrian friendly urban design guidelines. The proposed overlay will attract locally serving commercial businesses, increase housing supply, and enhance park access. The DO-8 District is integrated into the City’s existing DOZ. In addition, the City is undertaking the LINC, a project which involves converting portions of Memorial Highway from roadway to public linear open space with recreational uses, bicycle facilities and pedestrian amenities. These improvements will help build stronger economic linkages between the Lincoln Avenue Corridor and downtown while also attracting new investment in this historically Black neighborhood that was physically disconnected from the rest of downtown due to the highway construction. BFJ also undertook the required SEQR review of the two projects in a Supplemental GEIS. 

New Rochelle Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Code Update

BFJ Planning prepared an update of the New Rochelle Comprehensive Plan and related amendments to the Zoning Code. BFJ also prepared a GEIS in compliance with SEQR analyzing both the Comprehensive

Plan and Zoning Code Updates. The plan update focused on incorporating demographic and economic conditions and coordinating them with several recent and ongoing plans and development projects, including the downtown redevelopment and the LWRP update. One preliminary objective of the Comprehensive Plan update was to focus new development on the downtown area while preserving the character of the vast majority of the City’s residential neighborhoods. 

New Rochelle Local Waterfront Revitalization Program

BFJ Planning prepared an update of the New Rochelle Local Waterfront Revitalization Program (LWRP), which includes policies to guide future uses of the City’s waterfront and harbor. This update incorporates a harbor management plan that focuses on environmental and recreational issues in the City’s harbor and in the Long Island Sound. The LWRP also focuses on strategies to reduce barriers to access that prevent residents and visitors from reaching the waterfront.