Committee Discusses MTA Development Plan

With the mayor’s new committee geared at righting issues with Harrison's downtown business district meeting every two weeks, resident discussion about the issue is at an all-time high.

Pessimists cite that these types of committees have been forming and disbanding for decades—true—with nothing accomplished—also true—and that the basic infrastructure of the downtown area will ultimately prevent substantial improvements in the future.

Optimists, meanwhile, say good planning in the long and short term can offset many of the current issues.

Harrison Town Planning Consultant Pat Cleary made one of the long-term goals clear at the most recent Revitalization Committee meeting, saying the real touchstone for change at this point is the proposed MTA development project.

Cleary believes the MTA development will provide a vital focal point for downtown and provide the shopping potential and additional traffic to make downtown viable.

“Everything is coming together at this time to finally make downtown revitalization a reality,” Cleary said at the committee meeting.

Under current plans, the MTA parking lots downtown would be deeded over to the town and be replaced with an outdoor town square filled with trees, benches and outdoor cafes that are surrounded with retail stores and residential apartments above.

The hope is that these apartments, along with commuters, would provide the foot traffic to support the new stores and the existing downtown merchants.

As part of the proposal, the town would provide the MTA with commuter parking. Additional parking would be provided for apartment owners and downtown shoppers.

This mixed-use concept has been used on a smaller scale in Harrison before. owner John Diluna built apartments above his restaurant on Halstead Avenue and parking below several years ago and said in a that the apartments have been fully rented ever since.

According to Diluna, the apartments are sought-after by business people from Manhattan. This bodes well for the apartment-retail complex mix proposed and the business and spending power it could provide to the town.

While development proposals for the MTA site date back to Mayor/Supervisor Phil Marraccini, the current MTA project originated under Mayor/Supervisor Steven Malfitano and progressed to the stage of under Mayor/Supervisor Joan Walsh.

Current Mayor/Supervisor Ron Belmont is now meeting with the MTA and working with Cleary to ensure the project will satisfy the town’s current and future needs and that it continues as quickly as possible.

The revitalization committee is banking on that, and is proceeding with work on numerous fronts to tie in with the MTA project.

Also discussed at the most recent meeting was the formation of a Business Improvement District (BID); in effect a more formalized chamber of commerce under which annual dues would become compulsory from downtown landlords and would be collected in the same manner as real estate taxes.

The formation of a BID ensures that funds are continually reinvested to keep revitalization progress from dissipating. BID members decide what the money should be spent on, from events to park benches, banners or planters to improve aesthetics and shopper comfort.

It's far from a sure thing at this point, but an interesting thing to think about as the town continues to generate ideas for the future.

That local government representatives and key landlords and business owners continue to set aside time bi-weekly on this issue—along with the continued progression of the MTA project—are both encouraging signs that movement is really possible downtown.

I—along with struggling business owners and landlords—am keeping my fingers crossed.