Content area
Full text
Yonkers has found a new buyer willing to build on a 6-acre undeveloped parcel in its downtown known as Chicken Island.
Mayor Mike Spano held a press conference to announce what he said could be a "watershed moment" for the city: AMS Acquistions LLC has agreed to purchase Chicken Island from the municipality for $16 million, pending City Council approval.
AMS principals said at the announcement they aim to turn the property into a downtown epicenter, with a concentration of shopping, dining, apartment buildings, offices and a luxury hotel.
The announcement marks the latest of multiple plans hatched for the property, which gets its name from a small chicken farm that operated there in the 19th century - a time when the Saw Mill River surrounded the lot and made it a small island.
"The city has tried for more than 40 years to develop Chicken Island without success," Spano said. "This is a game-changer for Yonkers, because it proves economic development and a growing tax base is possible beyond...