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Downtown Westchester reports busy holiday season, new openings and coordination issues with utilities
Summary
Downtown Westchester reported strong participation in fall/winter events (Turkey Trot, Small Business Weekend, Christkindlmarket), low vacancy (3.9%), several new businesses opening and concerns about short notice utility/road work communication with businesses and borough departments.
John O'Brien, executive director of Downtown Westchester, presented the fourth‑quarter report and highlighted three large events: the inaugural Turkey Trot (over 1,100 signups; 652 participants attended despite rain), Small Business Weekend (Nov. 29–Dec. 1) and the Christkindlmarket (Dec. 14), which downtown merchants reported as a strong sales day.
O'Brien said retail businesses reported sales beating last year’s record for many stores and that data from borough garages showed heavy use: “We got the bill from the borough, which showed a strong amount of people parking in the garages,” he said.
He reported the downtown vacancy rate at 3.9% and listed several new or soon‑to‑open businesses: Jolene's (French restaurant), Hotel Indigo (open), Westchester seafood restaurant (opening later this month), Outlast (beauty services), Chris Chicken, and Beer and Loathing (news barcade).
O'Brien also raised coordination problems with utilities and state road work, describing instances where business owners learned about lane closures or power switches late or from other businesses. “There was not great communication,” O’Brien said, adding that better sharing of notices among borough departments, utility companies and downtown stakeholders would reduce business disruption. He said borough staff can help by sharing parking and closure notices when they are received.
The committee did not take formal action on the report; members thanked O'Brien and noted the need to improve interagency communication about utility and road work that affects downtown businesses.
