Cindrich Suggests Kisco Master Plan Change to Deal with Vacancies
Mayor feels that changes to zoning may be needed for the village to adapt changing retail economy.
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Responding to the rise of vacant storefronts, Mayor Michael Cindrich suggests that Mount Kisco's master plan may need an update.
During his report at Monday's Village Board of Trustees meeting, the mayor suggested that the plan, along with zoning, may have to be looked at for revision to make downtown viable, potentially with mixed uses.
“All zoning law should be considered a living document that’s going to be scrutinized and if we’re going to be a proactive government we can’t wait for the petition to change," he said in an interview. "Maybe we should encourage the change to see what that particular area is conducive to.”
Cindrich is making this suggestion not only because of the economy but because of a changing market. He explained that traditional retail operations are facing tough competition from online businesses such as Amazon.
“There’s a social phenomenon of having a downtown business district," he said. "But the reality of it is, retail right now in this economy is very difficult.”
He said that demographics and activity need to be looked at, and to making zoning amenable to the real world.
Should Mount Kisco's village board decide to do a master plan upgrade, it would not be alone in the area. New Castle, which last updated its master plan in 1989, may soon get a revision.
The last update to Mount Kisco's master plan came in 2000, Cindrich said. He served an a committee for it during the late 1990s.
“It was quite a task," he said.
Meanwhile, Cindrich is trying to get a meeting arranged between the village board and downtown commercial landlords to discuss the vacancies. He would like to have data to show at the meeting that show both commercial rental rates and vacancies. It is tentatively set for Feb. 7, with a seperate meeting for merchants to follow on another date.
“We’re going to start with the landlords, then we’re going to go with the merchants," he said.
Sarah
9:08 am on Tuesday, January 24, 2012
If you would like to join the conversation about this very issue, please join us online on Twitter this Wed eve at 9pm. Follow hashtag #westchat to join the conversation. We will be discussing the current problems Mount Kisco is having with so many small business and retail closings.
Anthony
12:38 pm on Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Sarah, I think the meeting should include the tenants as well as landlords tenant input is as important as landlord comment. I am the owner of 69 S. Moger and as many know most of the downtown properties are owned by Friedland Properties. I am very interested in participating in the discussion on Wednesday. One has only to read Planning Board Meeting Minutes to grasp the anti small business ethic the Village has adopted. Here is only one quote from a Planning Board Member taken from the minutes of May 2009 prior to the passing of a law which requires all new tenants to be reviewed by the PB "How are we going to protect the village from all of these little minor retail establishments that will cause chaos as far as traffic, traffic movement and the look of the village that we’ve spent a decade trying to change?"
It is these "minor little retail tenants" that are the life blood of this community. Until we get a change in this type of attitude by the Planning Board , then Mount Kisco's reputation of being a hard place to do business will continue to contribute to the demise of small businesses coming here.
Sarah
12:48 pm on Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Anthony - absolutely agree. I'm glad you hear you'll be joining our convo on Twitter on Wed night, and we hope to organize an in-person meeting in the next couple of weeks as well. Please pass the word on to other merchants you know who may be interested in joining us!
Sarah
10:56 am on Tuesday, January 24, 2012
If the mayor wants data on vacancies and asking rents, here's an eye-opening list:
36 Main St (was Wine Junction, next to Jos. A Bank)
2244 sq ft + 1k+ sqft basement storage ($52.50 sq/ft) $9818/mo
21 South Moger (where Mt Kisco Farm is now, they are leaving)
4,440 sq ft ($49 psf + $10 psf taxes and insurance) $18,130/mo
69 South Moger (adjacent to Gap kids, currently a hair salon)
1300 rsf ($35/psf) $3791/mo
74-78 South Moger (where kitchen/bath store is across from Gap)
5000 rsf ($28/psf) $13,553/mo
153 Main St (where On the One and Art Store was, now NY Dolls)
1,400-3122 sf ($27.65/psf + $10psf taxes) $3165/mo- $17,800
200 East Main St (where the Eco Furniture Store was)
2560 sf ($22 psf + $10 psf taxes) $4693/mo
360 North Bedford Road (was Johnny Rockets)
2000-5000 sf ($36.50 psf + $12.50 psf taxes) $6,000 – 15,000 mo
800 North Bedford Road (was Rugged Bear & Kitch'n Kafe)
1,500 – 12,000 sf ($30/sf + $7 psf taxes) $3750 – 25,000 mo
487 Main St (next to Myong & UPS store)
2200 sq ft ($26 psf + 12 psf taxes) $4766/mo
26-28 E Main St (was Spinelli's Italian, then a pizza shop briefly)
1,600 rsf + basement space $6000/mo
32 E. Main St (was old New York Dolls space, near Café of Love)
1100 sq ft $4000 mo
37 South Moger (was Touch of Jamaica)
600 sq ft $4250/mo
37 S Moger (currently Edward Jones Investments)
1500 sq ft $8250/mo
53 South Moger (former Victoria's Secret)
7700 sq ft $500,000 year or $44k/mo (no, that is not a typo!)
Tom Auchterlonie
12:41 pm on Tuesday, January 24, 2012
There's also The Flying Pig site, which closed at the end of the year. The mayor also mentioned this as an example.
http://chappaqua.patch.com/articles/the-flying-pig-to-close-at-end-of-year
Tom Auchterlonie
1:03 pm on Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Perhaps the biggest downtown vacancy is the Borders site, which is now listed for an asking rent of $29.50 per square foot: http://ga-re.com/media/162_East_Main_Street_Mount_Kisco_Pkg.pdf
Sarah
1:35 pm on Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Tom, that comes to $70,312/month when you factor in the tax cost psf. This clearly makes it the most costly retail listing in town. And also probably the most desirable location. But at what cost?
Jeff Kent
10:03 pm on Tuesday, January 24, 2012
'Welcome to Mt. Kisco...we're closed...go away.'