Waterfront Gateway Design Competition Proceeds to Phase II
This past June the City of New Rochelle in partnership with The Architect’s Newspaper launched a creative and innovative design competition to re-imagine the City’s waterfront in the area of Echo Bay. This three-part competition focuses on the development of a 2.92 acre plot located at the edge of the downtown on Route 1. Adjacent to residential neighborhoods, the site is located on an important promontory overlooking Long Island Sound's Echo Bay and is currently home to a former naval armory.
The interest in the design competition generated 28 transformative design submissions which were then reviewed and analyzed by a volunteer jury through a blind process without identification of the applicant or architect. The volunteer voting jury is comprised of industry professionals, local residents, and a representative of the veteran community: Robert Rogers, Abby Hamlin, Dave Kapell, Signe Nielsen, James Fleming, Chris Selin, Gregory Merchant, and Bennie Giles.
Each proposal was reviewed and judged based on six basic principles:
1. Encourage redevelopment of this unique property and highlight its distinctive waterfront features and the structural elements of its significant buildings;
2. Activate a currently underutilized site for the benefit of the public’s enjoyment;
3. Complement and enhance the ongoing revitalization of the New Rochelle shoreline;
4. Honor the site’s heritage;
5. Exhibit architectural excellence; and
6. Provide development feasibility.
The Phase 1 jury process has now concluded with the invitation to the top twelve transformative proposals to move into the next phase of the competition. The competition will now move into the Phase II portion which will focus on the selection of developer partners in order implement each of these innovative visions. It is expected that four (4) semi-finalist winners will be announced by October 15th and will be invited to participate in a public exhibit of the work to the community.
“We are delighted with the interest and level of participation this competition has generated,” said Development Commissioner Luiz Aragon. “It is a statement of the importance of our City in the true mosaic that is New York State. New Rochelle is at the right place at the right time.”
Detailed information about the competition can be found at www.newrochellecompetition.archpaper.com. The winner will be announced in December.