Mt. Kisco BID, Comp Plan Update Sought to Help Downtown

Six months after the first of two meetings were held to devise strategies to reinvigorate downtown Mount Kisco, Mayor Michael Cindrich said he has been working with private stakeholders to entice new business to the village.

Cindrich said last week a willingness for coordination between the private sector and local government is needed to make the effort a success.

“I’m working to build bridges with the commercial property owners, real estate agents and business owners,” Cindrich said. “The revitalization of the business district must be a joint venture of government and property owners.”

To accomplish that goal, the mayor once again called for creation of a Business Improvement District (BID). A BID levies a tax on property owners that would be used to contribute toward needed improvements. Cindrich said the action requires a commitment of time and money. But feedback has been in short supply.

“Unfortunately, the property owners have been slow to respond,” he said.

Cindrich suggested hiring a consultant to analyze the business district, suggest outreach projects, devise marketing strategies and make recommendations regarding the types of businesses that might be successful in Mount Kisco.

While revitalizing downtown will take time, the business climate isn’t all doom and gloom.

Eileen Polese and Gina Picinich, co-executive directors of the Mount Kisco Chamber of Commerce, said the village enjoyed a successful holiday season, with the streets and stores filled with activity.

Modell’s Sporting Goods, which opened last summer, has been a welcome addition, they said. The Mount Kisco River Eatery and Siegel Brothers Wine & Spirits opened in December. Siegel Brothers Market Place is scheduled to open shortly.

Polese and Picinich said there organization would explore a proposal from Cindrich to create a BID. “As we have said in the past, our members would welcome and evaluate the benefits of any proposals for a Business Improvement District,” a chamber statement read. “We look forward to receiving the mayor’s plan.”

Cindrich said one component of the downtown revitalization is a Comprehensive Plan update, which is sorely needed. Developers are interested in building transit-oriented housing, mixed-use buildings and parking structures in the business district, he said.

However, the current central business district does not permit mixed-use residential development, something that could be addressed in a Comprehensive Plan update. The village board is hopeful of receiving grant funding for an update, but revitalization of the business district and finding tenants for vacant spaces does not depend on its review, Cindrich said.

Ideas for projects floated would “dramatically change the landscape of our retail district which is currently stuck in a time warp of nostalgia and regulations,” Cindrich said. “The question is: Do the residents of our community want change and to what extent?”

Complaints continue about inadequate parking and the need for streetscape improvements, Cindrich said.

Several downtown merchants said last week there is reason for optimism but there are differences of opinion about how best to help downtown.

Exit 4 Food Hall owner Isi Albanese, who has owned businesses in Mount Kisco for 26 years, said he opposes the creation of a BID. The responsibility for improving the village should fall on each landlord to maintain their own area, he said. If the village wants to promote an attractive downtown it should require landlords to maintain and beautify their buildings, he said.

Dawn Marie Manwaring, owner of the Beehive Design Collective boutique, said creation of a BID is unnecessary because the additional tax would be passed on to tenants. What’s more critical is for the village to update its Comprehensive Plan, she said.

“Any sort of reworking and revisiting I think is not a bad thing,” said Manwaring, who urged the village to schedule another meeting with landlords and merchants. “A lot of things have changed.”

Albanese also called for a Comprehensive Plan update. He said some realtors and potential business owners still shy away from Mount Kisco because it has had the reputation of a difficult municipality to receive approvals.

“I think the downtown needs a lot of help,” he said. “We have to catch up to some of the other towns that are doing well.”

Albanese agreed with Cindrich that for downtown revitalization to take hold, cooperation is needed to attract new businesses. Stanford has a committee devoted to find tenants for empty storefronts, he said.

Robin White, owner of New York Dolls, a clothing store, suggested having additional free parking periods and making parking meters more user friendly.

Attracting new small businesses to the area with owners who have a stake in the community would also be helpful, Manwaring added.

The village has been moving in the right direction regarding downtown revitalization over the past year, but the village needs to be more receptive to those seeking to open businesses in Mount Kisco, Albanese said.

“The town is realizing that we can’t close the door,” he said.