By Camryn Sanchez
Developers and community groups exchanged their ideas and concerns over the Yonkers Power Plant on a recent zoom call. “Our Mission [is] to address the most pressing environmental challenges of our time by powering a more humane, and just future through development, innovation, art, community and jobs,” reads the website of The Plant, from developers The Goren Group.
“Our purpose is to come together and discuss how to survive this attempted gentrification,” reads the Instagram page of Yonkers Assembled. These two statements point to the differing views on the proposed redevelopment of the Power Plant, adjacent to Trevor Park, in Northwest Yonkers.
On Dec. 29, city officials, and members of the community met to discuss the project in a Zoom meeting with over 100 attendees. The Goren Group purchased the Power Plant in 2012 in addition to Alder Manor (the Manor) on 1097 N Broadway. While Alder Manor will be converted into an event space, the Power Plant will include: offices, meetings, an exhibition area, event space, and more.
While these developments will have many potential advantages for the community, concerns and suspicions were prevalent in the meeting. One hour prior to the Zoom hosted by Councilmember Shanae Williams, a smaller group called Yonkers Assembled hosted their own community Zoom meeting to discuss the development plans of the Goren Group.
Yonkers Assembled organizer Mariah Cameron stated in the meeting, “Now that the community has been invited to talk to our developers we want to make sure that we have a unified front.”
Some community concerns include: That jobs generated by the project will not go to Yonkers residents, displacement of low income Yonkers residents, lack of affordable housing being created, the height of buildings disrupting resident’s view of the river, and a history of development projects negatively affecting the Yonkers community.
A spokesperson from Groundwork Hudson Valley pointed out in the chat section of the meeting, “Our community has great skepticism (well founded skepticism) for new development because not enough new development has benefitted the existing communities in Yonkers.”
Councilmember Williams, Mayor Mike Spano, and the developers at the Goren Group addressed many of these questions over the course of nearly two hours. One issue of contention was the site for the Power Plant’s parking lot. In an earlier stage of planning, Trevor Park was suggested as a site, but community backlash changed the plan. Parking next to JFK Marina is now being considered.
Spano cited this as an example of the Goren Group’s interest in working alongside the community rather than against their wishes. “They went back to the drawing board. Let’s approach this with an open mind and the community truly has a seat at the table,” he said.
While the Power Plant is a local landmark, it currently has no official use. According to Desirée Dismore, Director of Community for the Goren Group, the new Power Plant project will create around 800 construction jobs, and an additional 530 jobs later on when the building can open. Dismore added, “We also estimate that we will be generating about 300 million dollars of business revenue which will help economic improvements within the city of Yonkers.”
To give Yonkers residents the opportunity to apply for these jobs, the Goren Group will host multiple job fairs in the city, and advertise open positions on their website. Although Groen Group CEO Lela Goren did not commit to hiring a specific number of workers from the Yonkers community, she said she hopes to have as many as possible and even intends to engage high school students.
Goren estimates that the Manor will be ready for operation in two years, and the Power Plant in two and a half to three years. In the meantime developers and community members must continue to discuss plans openly to achieve results that benefit residents from all walks of life.
