Delivering his sixth State of the City speech before a standing-room-only crowd, New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson outlined planning, development and environmental objectives intended to lay a “stronger foundation for a prosperous and vibrant” community.

Calling this a moment of “undeniable challenge,” Bramson opened by noting that the national economy had imposed “hard choices” on families, businesses and municipalities. He listed actions taken by the City government to reduce costs and control the local tax burden and pledged a continuing emphasis on efficiency and austerity to meet the “urgent needs of the here and now.”

Nonetheless, Bramson’s primary focus was on the future. “Even in this difficult climate,” he said, “the opportunities for progress are real and significant.” To pursue these opportunities, Bramson offered an ambitious agenda, including:

• Intensified economic development efforts, focused on New Rochelle’s downtown area.
•Creation of a new Comprehensive Plan to guide major land use and zoning decisions and successfully manage anticipated growth.
•Renewed focus on the New Rochelle waterfront, to claim it for public use and enjoyment.
•Reordering of municipal spending priorities to achieve better investment in infrastructure and equipment.
•Adoption of New Rochelle’s first Sustainability Plan, GreeNR.

Bramson concluded his remarks in a confident tone. Speaking in personal terms about the character of New Rochelle and its history of overcoming challenges, Bramson asserted that the community already possessed “everything that we need to shape our future.”