New Rochelle opened a new high-rise apartment, 360 Huguenot, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on July 31. The 28-story, multi-purpose building holds 280 units and is the first product of New Rochelle’s 2015 Downtown Rezoning Plan. Partnering with the City of New Rochelle, RXR Realty has outlined more than 12 million square feet of new development in New Rochelle, encompassing residential, retail, office, hospitality, and other institutional spaces.
“What we really wanted to do for New Rochelle is try to give it the New York City life,” RXR’s Chairman and CEO Scott Rechler tells 914INC. “This includes condominium-quality living, both in terms of the apartments, high ceilings, great views, a lot of open space — more than you get in New York City â —but also making it a community within itself.”
To that end, cutting-edge amenities of the property include community and outdoor spaces, health clubs, and programs to engage the building’s residents and outside community.
During the ceremony, the Mayor of New Rochelle announced the winner of 360 Huguenot’s artist contest. The winner, Daniel Martinez, was chosen from more than 100 participants across the country. After narrowing the entries down to three finalists, the winner was selected by the public via an online vote early in July. The contest’s prize: one year of a rent-free studio space in the building.
“Our goal is not just an economically successful community, but one that is culturally vibrant,” New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson explains to 914INC. “The creative spirit has been a critical part of New Rochelle’s identity since our founding and we’re thrilled artists are finding a place to call home to engage in their own form of creative expression.”
Martinez, a Bronx native, has been an avid photographer since the age of 15. After hearing about the contest from his brother, a resident of New Rochelle, he was inspired to participate in the contest. To stand out during the voting segment of the competition, Martinez drew portraits for strangers in Times Square.
“Most artists in New York City, we’re not where we want to be because we have to have a place to live â — so creating comes second.” says Martinez to 914Inc. “Opportunities like this allow me to focus on creating first.”
As a wedding and event photographer, Martinez hopes to bring photography classes to New Rochelle, teaching children and adults the possibility of photography as a career. With 31 projects approved and 11 under construction, the 2015 Rezoning Plan has multiple buildings currently in development.
“This project is just one part of a broader transformation to downtown Rochelle,” says Bramson. “Every day we’re becoming more economically and culturally vibrant as we attract new residents and businesses.”
With RXR being one of the largest real estate owners, developers, and managers in New York, they hope to continue diversifying the community with new developments. With planning beginning for the construction of a new church and division site, Rechler hopes to attract new talent, along with “more tax revenue that the city can continue to reinvest as it goes forward,” says Rechler. “We’re going to be building close to 700 units of additional multi-family, as well as retail on that site. We actually broke ground and we’re getting ready to go vertical on our construction.”
