New Leadership Could Change Future of MTA Project

The project touted as a much-needed turning point for Harrison's sluggish downtown business district is at a crossroad.

The MTA Project appeared to be gaining momentum late this summer when a . A joint effort between the Town/Village of Harrison and the MTA, the project would bring apartment housing and commercial space to the parking area near the Harrison Train Station. But with only about four weeks remaining in the Walsh administration, it is unlikely the current supervisor will have the chance to oversee the project to final approval.

Instead, Supervisor-Elect Ron Belmont and an all-Republican town board will inherit the project in January.

Although Belmont said he supports the idea of the MTA project, he is hesitant to throw his full support behind the project to the extent Walsh has.

Belmont said he hasn't been given a chance to look at the submitted requests for proposals (RFP) from potential developers and doesn't want to jump into a project that would have more benefit to the MTA than to Harrison.

"We should look at it very carefully," Belmont said. "It has to be right for Harrison, not just for the MTA, that's the most important thing."

Belmont added that he also has concerns about teaming up with the MTA without caution.

"(The MTA) is losing money constantly, the train platform does not look like the train platform I would like to see in the Town/Village of Harrison," he said. "I want to bring Harrison back to prominence, but the train platform isn't very appealing."

Bottom line, Belmont said he supports the idea of the project, but hasn't been convinced this is the right way to do it.

Walsh has maintained that the proposals are from well-respected and well-financed developers and that this is a much-awaited opportunity to create a successful downtown.

Different versions of an MTA project have been under consideration on and off for decades, dating back several administrations. Harrison has received two RFPs from developers at this point and the town can select one of the two proposals before passing it to the planning board for review.

Walsh said this is the closest the town has come to reaching an agreement on development in the MTA lot in years. She fears if the current proposals are rejected, the town might not get another opportunity to make the project a reality.

"I do think if we turn it down we will never, ever, ever, get another developer to bid," she said.

Both proposals would use the entire 3.28-acre property on the east side of the train station (there was an option to only develop the eastern 1.9 acres). As required in a previous agreement between Harrison and the MTA, both proposals would create a parking garage containing at least 500 parking spaces.

Walsh said plans to read through the RFPs in detail this week before meeting with the developers some time next month.