On Dec. 26, at 1:15pm, Yonkers Police and Fire units responded to the corner of Warburton Avenue and Ashburton Avenue on a report of a motor vehicle accident involving a bus. Upon arrival, units observed that an MTA bus had struck a storefront at that location. The bus was occupied solely by the driver, who sustained minor injuries. She was transported to an area hospital for evaluation. There were no other injuries or parties involved.
Yonkers FD and the Yonkers Department of Housing and Buildings are on scene, assessing the building’s structural integrity. Units will remain on scene until the bus is removed and further assessments can be made.
The bus was leaving the MTA’s bus depot, located at 59 Babcock Place on the Yonkers waterfront, which houses 80 MTA commuter buses.
Mayor Mike Spano is renewing his call for the MTA to move the bus depot to the Bronx. Spano explained that the buses serve mostly New York City residents and don’t pay property taxes to the City of Yonkers. The property could easily generate up to $500,000 in taxes per year if the depot were moved and the Mayor’s continued redevelopment of the Yonkers waterfront were to continue. And part of the property could be used for a waterfront park.
The waterfront has transformed from an industrial zone into a hub for housing, restaurants, public spaces, and a thriving downtown economy. The MTA bus depot does not benefit Yonkers taxpayers, costing the city $400,000 annually in lost property tax revenue that could support vital resident services. Relocating the depot would advance Yonkers’ waterfront redevelopment and economic growth.”
Mayor Spano has been calling on the MTA to relocate the bus depot shortly after he first took office. But now the call is more timely, as the city continues to open up the Hudson Riverfront property north of the Yonkers Train Station, which for decades housed industrial properties.
In 2020, Craig Cipriano, president of the MTA Bus Company, responded to Spano, saying, “We… do not see the Yonkers Depot as an obstacle in proceeding with development…While we understand the intent to incorporate the 3.65 acres on which the depot sits into the overall development of the area, substantial time and expense would be needed to locate and build another site, and there would be environmental and operational impacts associated with a relocation. To be clear, any relocation of the depot would require the identification of an alternate, workable site and full funding.”
I am calling on Governor Kathy Hochul and NYC Mayor Mamdani to authorize the relocation of the MTA depot so Yonkers can redevelop the waterfront and reinvest in its community. Their leadership is needed to move this critical project forward.
Yonkers is still smarting from MGM’s last-minute decision to withdraw its gaming license application for an expanded casino at Yonkers Raceway after the NYS Gaming Commission changed the terms, making it unappealing for MGM to move forward. That decision has never been fully explained, but many believe that Governor Hochul was aware of the change and its impact on Yonkers.
NYC Mayor Mamdani has called for free buses for NYC residents.
