Village Announces Relaunch of Freightway Development Site and Unveils Winning Anniversary Flag Design

The Scarsdale Board of Trustees relaunched the development process for the Freightway site, unveiled the winning design for the 325th anniversary flag of Scarsdale and recognized Gun Violence Day at their meeting on Thursday May 28, 2026.

Freightway Lot

Scarsdale Mayor Justin Arest and Village Planner Kellan Cantrell announced the first step in the possible development of the Freightway Parking lot. The lot has outlived its useful life and requires millions of dollars of repairs to stay open. Many see an opportunity to build a mixed-use structure on the site and the adjoining open lot with parking, housing and retail space.

As an initial step, the Village Board declared themselves the lead agency for a Generic Environmental Impact Statement (GEIS) which would study potential development impacts on:

-Schools and municipal services
-Traffic, mobility and parking
-Infrastructure and environmental conditions
-Fiscal benefits to the Village
-Community character and the Village Center
-The relationship to the train station area

The Mayor explained, “By declaring the Village Board as lead agency, the Village will lead and conduct the environmental review before inviting any developers for proposals and the community’s priorities will shape the process from the start.”

“The GEIS will allow the Village to examine a broad range of what if scenarios before the development process. ... and if the study concludes that redevelopment cannot meet Scarsdale’s community standards, the Village has no obligation to move forward.”

Cantrell emphasized that there would be many opportunities for public involvement at all stages of the process with public hearings and meetings. In order to build public consensus for the redevelopment of the site, he said, “We invite you into it from the start.”

He said, “A redevelopment could reduce the long term burden and create a revenue opportunity for the Village.” He announced a series of upcoming meetings with the first being a Board of Trustees work session on June 16, 2026 to review the GEIS process, present findings on the impact on schools and to receive public comments.

Additional meetings are scheduled for:

July 14
July 28
August 11

The timeline calls for the publication of the findings in March 2027.

See the presentation here:

Commenting on the announcement, former Village Trustee Seth Ross said, “I am the head of the Scarsdale Forum’s working group which has been studying the Freightway site, but speaking on my own behalf … There are so many reasons to move forward with the study. The garage is unsightly and underutilized. I urge you to learn more at https://www.thefreightwayscarsdale.com/ a new website that will be launched tomorrow. This is a complex situation. Work with your village board on the responsible development of the site. Join the effort in whatever way you believe productive. “

Village Trustee Tim Foley concurred. He said, “We just passed a resolution for a half million dollars to repair Freightway –- this garage is not staying the same – it is deteriorating.”

Take a look at the new Freightway website, thefreightwayscarsdale.com for more on the process and the project timeline.

Flag Design Contest

The results of the Scarsdale 325th anniversary flag design contest were announced. Deputy Mayor Gruenberg said that 42 designs were submitted, from artists ranging in age from 9 to 72 years old. A committee evaluated the designs, without knowing the artists’ names. From the entrees, two stood out and it turns out these designs were submitted by a mother and a son. The Village then asked for help combining the best of the two designs and came up with the following flag which will be hung in five locations around the Village. The flag was designed by Ling Zhu and Entong Deng. Gruenberg thanked Assistant Village Manager Ruby Tower for running the contest and organizing the flag display.

Gun Violence Awareness Day

In recognition of National Gum Violence Awareness Day all the members of the board and village staff wore orange lapel pins in honor of the event.

Mayor Justin Arest read the following proclamation, designating June 5 as National Gun Violence Awareness Day in the Village of Scarsdale.

Whereas, every day, nearly 130 people in the United States are killed by gun violence and more than 200 are shot and wounded; and

Whereas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 1,000 people die from firearm-related injuries in New York State each year; and

Whereas, protecting public safety in our community is the Village’s highest responsibility; and

Whereas, support for the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens goes hand-in-hand with keeping firearms out of the hands of those who pose a danger to themselves or others; and

Whereas, in January 2013, Hadiya Pendleton, a 15-year-old teenager who had marched in President Obama’s second inaugural parade just days earlier, was tragically shot and killed; and

Whereas, to honor Hadiya Pendleton and the many victims and survivors of gun violence across our country, communities nationwide recognize the first Friday in June as National Gun Violence Awareness Day and wear orange as a symbol of the value of human life; and

Whereas, the idea was inspired by Hadiya’s friends, who chose orange because hunters wear it to make themselves visible to others and protect human life; and

Whereas, the Village of Scarsdale encourages residents to reflect upon the impact of gun violence and recommit ourselves to keeping our communities safe; and

Whereas, on this day we also remember the efforts of Ms. Pat Colella, local resident and dedicated Gun Violence activist, who passed away in May 2023.

Now, Therefore, I, Justin Arest, Mayor of the Village of Scarsdale, do hereby proclaim Friday, June 5, 2026, as National Gun Violence Awareness Day in the Village of Scarsdale, and encourage all residents to support efforts to prevent gun violence and honor the value of every human life.