Dear Residents,
As we enter 2025, I would like to share several economic development highlights from 2024 and offer a strategy for the year ahead.
Peekskill has continued to add new businesses and residents year after year. Visitors from around Northern Westchester and Hudson Valley recognize Peekskill as an economic and cultural hub because of its renowned amenities, such as the Paramount Theater, Riverfront Green, and Fleischmann Pier. The City of Peekskill seeks to invest in these focal points, recognizing they are economic engines driving growth for all our business owners.
In 2024, Peekskill invested in its Public Spaces.
Over 1,000 guests enjoyed fall foliage cruises from Fleischmann Pier following its grand re-opening in October, with many of these visitors continuing downtown via the Discover Peekskill Shuttle to dine or shop. Through significant investment from New York State’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative (“DRI”) and Local Waterfront Revitalization Program (“LWRP”), we reconstructed the historic pier, adding viewing platforms, seating areas, and kayak launches to the enhanced dockages for larger boats.
We made substantial progress on multiple transformative DRI projects in 2024.
Peekskill reopened Pugsley Park in June with new landscaping (including 47 native plant species), new pathways and seating, pedestrian lighting, public art exhibitions, and utilities to support large events. In June, nearly one thousand visitors attended a record-setting Peekskill Pride Festival in Pugsley Park.
In 2025, our Economic Development and the Community Hub Departments will work with the newly formed Peekskill Arts Council to program Pugsley Park with engaging new events.
Visitors to Peekskill also enjoyed many new public art installations funded by the DRI. These acclaimed murals and sculptures provide a glimpse of the City’s newly developed Art Trail, which will be completed in 2025, and an updated digital map of all of Peekskill’s Public Art is in the making.
Future Public Space projects include:
- The Downtown Civic Hub and Pedestrian Connectivity Project (funded by the DRI). Visitors have enjoyed outdoor dining and performances along bustling Division Street for years. This project will dramatically upgrade our streetscapes, public spaces, and art. throughout Restaurant Row to accommodate more diverse events and provide improved pedestrian mobility and safety.
- Monument Park Redesign (funded by the DRI). Enhancing this historic space for community use, including new pedestrian lighting and landscaping.
- Mid-Hudson Momentum Fund. In 2024, New York State awarded the City of Peekskill $10 million for infrastructure improvements, renovation, and expansion of the city’s downtown parking garages and for residential and mixed-use developments.
Peekskill is also supporting investment in its private buildings and businesses.
The Paramount Theater has increased ticket sales for several years, bringing 80,000 visitors to Downtown Peekskill in 2024. Through another DRI grant, new flexible seating, exterior and interior renovations, new lighting, and sound equipment will expand its success and attract renowned performers. Construction is expected to start in 2025.
Pop-up Art Markets. We ended 2024 by re-opening the long-shuttered Ford Piano Building for a holiday art and crafts market, which connected hundreds of shoppers with Peekskill’s diverse and accomplished artists. Our Economic Development Department sponsored a visitor shuttle between Downtown, the Metro-North, and the Holiyay© Market at our beautiful riverfront for those last three weekends of the year.
Enlivening 41 N Division Street. The City helped earn a $1.5 million grant to renovate the Workers Compensation Building at 41 North Division Street for a downtown anchor business. The project will seek to be an attraction for visitors and incorporate workforce development and entrepreneurial support programs. Recently purchased by Children’s Village, 41 N Division will also provide 24 new units of housing (with 14 dedicated to family affordable housing and 10 to assisting young adults).
City staff toured award-winning developments by Children’s Village in New York City. Their Peekskill project would be minuscule in comparison, fitting the scale of Peekskill’s downtown.
Cosmo’s Fresh Market. A $2 million Restore New York Communities Initiative grant is transforming a vacant building located at 630 Washington Street into a 12,000-square-foot supermarket, creating jobs and providing essential services. Construction on this project is currently underway.
Future Private Developments include:
- Peekskill Firehouse Kitchen Incubator. The City of Peekskill, Peekskill Facilities Development Corporation, the U.S. Economic Development Administration, New York State Empire State Development, and Westchester County have partnered to renovate the former 7,500-square-foot Centennial Firehouse into a community-focused Commercial Kitchen Incubator. The 4,500-square-foot commercial kitchen portion of the building will house five fully equipped and licensed commercial kitchens, complete with stations for prep, storage, packaging, shipping, receiving, and office space to help new food entrepreneurs start their businesses.
The Kitchen Incubator is among numerous workforce development initiatives under the City of Peekskill’s Community Hub. Through grants and partnerships from New York State, Westchester County, and the Peekskill Facilities Development Corporation, the Community Hub will offer mentoring, skills development, and training and certification in culinary arts, technology, and art careers.
- The Downtown Revitalization Fund. Eight catalytic renovation projects currently underway were funded by the City. A second round is now accepting applications.
- City-Owned Properties. In 2024, the city solicited redevelopment proposals for city-owned sites on Water Street and Railroad Avenue, with a Request for Expressions of Interest prepared for developers to submit their ideas on what they envision for those sites. The responses that were received are currently being reviewed by our Planning Department.
Peekskill’s economic development strategy honors the City’s rich history while embracing opportunities for innovation and prosperity. Peekskill is positioning itself as a premier destination in the county and region through public-private partnerships and investments in infrastructure, culture, and community.
I conclude this letter with a big THANK YOU to all of the organizations that partnered with us in 2024, as well as our partners who we collaborate with, the Peekskill Arts Alliance, MOCA, Arts10566, Hudson Valley Gateway Chamber of Commerce, the Peekskill IDA, the Peekskill Business Improvement District and Westchester Community College, who foster a cohesive community dynamic that encourages new investments and sustained growth. I must also thank our Mayor, Council, city staff, the many DRI Committees, past administrations, advisory boards and commissions who all worked together on these transformative projects, and, of course, our City of Peekskill residents, whose commitment to a better Peekskill is inspiring as we strive to move our city forward every day. I am very excited about 2025, and you should be, too!
Sincerely,
Matthew C. Alexander, Peekskill City Manager
