Scarsdale Village Revitalization is Not a Spectator Sport

This letter was sent to Scarsdale10583 by Brice Kirkendall-Rodriguez, President of the Old Scarsdale Neighborhood Association.
Many of Scarsdale's residents are former Manhattan residents and long for the convenience and variety of retail experiences that we used to enjoy as city dwellers. As a matter of practicality, many unique retail experiences require a significant population density to sustain. We are not likely to ever achieve the diversity of ethnic cuisine that is common along 2nd Avenue or the density of luxury brands that can be found on Madison Avenue. Nonetheless, Scarsdale can be your first choice for day-to-day, and even special occasion, experiences that enhance our local quality of life and even property values. The inviting and vital retail district that you imagine for the village center is achievable.

You have a significant role to play in this future! For starters, two important consumer surveys are circulating throughout the community. One was commissioned by the Village committee appointed to examine options for the grossly underutilized space commonly known as "Freightway" that hosts the majority of our commuter parking for Metro North. You can voice your ideas about the future of this site by participating in the survey.

The Scarsdale Forum is also conducting a survey of consumer preferences for the "Village Center" retail district that neighbors the train station. In the time you take to author a couple posts on Scarsdale Moms or Scarsdale Dads Facebook sites, you can provide valuable data that will be used to drive decisions for next steps in the evolution of our most significant retail district.

Even more significantly, you can participate in active experiments that are being conducted throughout the village center. Be on the lookout for pop-up stores, outdoor events and more. Stay informed about all of these activities by subscribing to the recently launched village newsletter "Scarsdale Official."

One notable experiment will be a Thursday farmers' market for six to eight weeks that began Thursday, September 7th (Noon – 7pm). We expect 15 vendors to participate which makes this much larger than the previous attempts to establish a farmer's market in the village. Why Thursdays, you ask? This is the time made available to us by the participants and given the choice of no farmers' market at all or Thursday, the Village wisely decided to try the experiment. Our last attempt was on Saturday mornings, and it was poorly attended. For a while I lived in California, and I observed one of the most successful farmers' market in the state, the San Luis Obispo farmers' market which operates every Thursday evening. Maybe our attempt is not such a crazy idea. A lot of Scarsdale residents head out of town on the weekends during the summer, so perhaps Thursday would be a better option for us. Let's find out!

Your feedback and your participation will bring vitality back to our village center. Try some lifestyle experiments of your own and see what it is like to live a little more local. Maybe I'll see you on Thursdays at the Scarsdale farmers' market.

Brice Kirkendall-Rodríguez
President of the Old Scarsdale Neighborhood Association