Once a downscale, sleepy Rivertown squeezed between Hastings-on-Hudson and Irvington, Dobbs Ferry has taken a giant leap to the forefront with a wave of commercial, residential, and lifestyle improvements.
The biggest news in the village is the expected completion this fall of Rivertowns Square, a $150 million mixed-use development next to the Saw Mill at Lawrence Street. The project will turn an abandoned research laboratory into a 17-acre shopping center with a unique movie theater, upscale boutiques, restaurants, a 138-room hotel, and an apartment complex with 203 rental units.
“It’s a very positive development for Dobbs Ferry,” says Rand Realty broker Scott Rosasco. “The tenants are upscale, and it’s a substantial improvement of the site.” The retail portion of the site is reportedly 80 percent leased.
Rivertowns Square surrounds the existing Chauncey Square complex, where Bruce Schoenberg owns Oasis Day Spa. He’s anticipating an influx of customers both from the hotel and the residential development.
Maggie Segrich, owner of Alice & Chains bespoke jewelry on Broadway, believes Rivertowns Square will also help residents stay in town to shop. “A lot of what it offers we currently have to get in White Plains,” she says. “Now, we’ll be able to stay here.”
Traffic concerns put a bit of a crimp in the euphoria at the moment, although it’s temporary. The Ashford Avenue Bridge, which connects Ardsley and Dobbs Ferry and carries more than 20,000 vehicles daily, is being replaced, which will impact area traffic for three years.
A few miles away on the other side of town, the village recently completed the second phase of a $7 million waterfront park—part of the 51.5 mile Westchester RiverWalk—building a new fishing pier, boat dock, and playground along with a walkway that connects to the county trailways system.
Among other projects, CCI Properties is building an eight-unit apartment building with 1,800 square feet of retail space on the ground level at 78 Main, not far from another 16-unit building that’s replacing a long dilapidated building at 66-68 Main. Also under consideration is the controversial redevelopment of 75 Main, the former Oceana Publications building, where the developer proposes 24 residential units with street-level retail in the existing building as well as a multi-story addition on top of the existing warehouse.
The newly revitalized Dobbs Ferry Chamber of Commerce, which has attracted more than 75 members since the first of the year, hopes to capitalize on the village momentum. “Dobbs Ferry is becoming more of a destination spot,” says Chamber president Matt Kay, owner of Cedar Street Grill.
