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WINTER 2011 VOL.

4 ISSUE 3
I N S I D E
YonkersDowntown.com YonkersDowntown.com
Q U E S T I O N S ,
I N F O R M A T I O N ,
I D E A S ?
C O N T A C T
S t e v e S a n s o n e
E x e c u t i v e D i r e c t o r
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1 5 M a i n S t r e e t
Y o n k e r s , N Y 1 0 7 0 1
I n f o @ Y o n k e r s D o w n t o w n . c o m
w w w . Y o n k e r s D o w n t o w n . c o m
Upcoming Events & Holiday Celebrations
Jonathan Cortell Elected to Board
5-7 Main Street.
Pg.4
Upcoming Winter Events.
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2ND ANNUAL
GINGERBREAD HOUSE
YOUNG DECORATORS
SHOWDOWN
Culinary students from Saunders Trades and Technical
High School will again team up with children at La Piata
Bakery to create attractive, edible gingerbread houses.
Owners Cecilia and Roberto Espiritu will be on hand to
oversee the contest and Mr. and
Mrs. Santa Claus will serve as
judges. Like last year, everyone
will be a winner.
4:30pm
Thursday, Dec. 15
La Piata Bakery
118 New Main Street
WINTERSCAPE ON
NORTH BROADWAY
CONCERT
What a great way to celebrate the holidays,
three hours of wonderful music performed
live by top musicians.
4 to 7 pm
Saturday, Dec. 17
Manor House Square
and North Broadway
For more details on these
and other events, visit
www.YonkersDowntown.com.
A Yonkers Icon.
Holiday Toy Drive.
onathan Cortell, Vice President of
L&M Development Partners Inc.,
New York City, has been elected to
the Yonkers Downtown BID Board of
Directors as a Class A member.
At L&M, Mr. Cortell has been respon-
sible for developing affordable, mixed-
income and market rate housing and is
currently working on transactions in
downtown Yonkers, New York City and
Orange, New Jersey. Prior to joining
L&M in 2005, he spent nearly six years
at the New York State Housing Finance
Agency, serving for a time as the
Agencys Vice President, Director of
Development.
He also worked at the New York City
Independent Budget Ofce and at
Duvernay & Brooks - a real estate
nancial advisory and development rm
with primarily public housing authority
clients. Mr. Cortell
has a BA and an
MPA from Colum-
bia University as
well as an MBA
from New York
Universitys Stern
Business School.
Ken Dearden,
Chairman of the
Board, said: We
are pleased to welcome Jonathan to our
Board. His proven leadership, expertise
and commitment to the community will
help the BID to advance its important
agenda in promoting the economic
vitality of the Yonkers.
BIDs New Ofce In Heart of Downtown
he Downtown BID has moved to
a new and expanded ofce at 15
Main Street that puts it in the heart
of the Yonkers Downtown. It is located
mid-way between Getty Square and
Warburton Avenue. Like its former ofce
at 4 Hudson Street, the BIDs new space is
also a storefront and provides easy access
for merchants and visitors to drop by. It
also provides a large storage space in the
basement to house supplies, signage and
other materials used for BID events.
Having a Main Street address gives
the BID greater visibility as the Yonkers
Downtown begins a new and exciting
chapter in revitalization with the grand
openings of yet more businesses that are
being planned, the completion of the
Saw Mill River daylighting project next
year, the ground breaking for the
construction of the new retail/residential
complex next door to us at 5-7 Main
Street and our new initiatives to help
promote the district as one of
Westchesters best shopping
and dining destinations.
The BID is planning a ribbon cutting
ceremony for its new ofce at noon,
January 25 which will be attended by the
new Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano and
other municipal and county ofcials who
were elected in November as well as
members of the BID Board and repre-
sentatives from the business community.
Make a point of dropping by the BIDs
new digs and say hello to Steve and his
staff. While there, you can also obtain
information about BID programs and
upcoming events. The BIDs phone
number remains the same,
(914) 969-6660.
T
J
Jonathan Cortell
YonkersDowntown.com 2
Message from the
Executive Director

Yonkers Down-
town is poised to
welcome thou-
sands of shoppers
who will again ll
the streets to take
advantage of the
numerous and
attractively priced
gifts the areas
retailers, specialty
shops and boutiques will be offering
during the holiday season. Once again,
the Yonkers Downtown BID has
launched a comprehensive campaign
to promote the District as one of
Westchesters best holiday shopping
and dining destinations.
To welcome and put shoppers in the
holiday spirit, the BID lined the trees
along Main Street with blue lights and
placed numerous holiday decorations
throughout the District. It also again
enlisted the aid of Gumbusters to
remove unsightly chewing gum from
several streets. To jump start holiday
shopping on Black Friday, November
25, the Downtown BID presented its
popular Sidewalk Sales.
To enhance the shopping experience,
the BID will ll the streets with holiday
music piped over a speaker system and
arrange appearances by Santa Claus.
On Saturday, December 17, from 4 to 7
pm, at Manor House Square and North
Broadway, the BID will present its rst
Winterscape, a concert featuring live
performances of holiday music.
This is an exciting time for the Down-
town as we begin a new chapter in the
Districts revitalization. Recently, the
Yonkers BID participated in the ground
breaking ceremony at the site of the
former Yonkers Public Library at 5-7
Main Street where a new retailing and
residential complex will be built.
(Rendering at right).
We wish everyone a wonderful holiday
and great shopping in the days ahead.
Steve Sansone
3
Best Holiday
Window Contest
Launched
Looking good pays. Thats the idea
behind the BIDs new initiative, a Best
Holiday Window Decorating Contest
that is now underway, offering a very
attractive prize to the winner one
year of free parking in the downtown.
Between now and December 21, the
public is invited to take photos of
holiday storefront displays they
believe are creative and attractive and
post them to the Yonkers Facebook
page. On December 22, a panel of
judges comprising members of the
Yonkers Board will name the winner.
The winner will be entitled to a prize
that is to be announced.
Steve Sansone said, Storefront
displays are key to helping retailers
succeed, especially during the busiest
shopping season of the year. Whats
neat about the campaign is that the
public, especially shoppers, will be the
ones who will be telling us what they
believe is attractive. It will be very
interesting to see what grabs their
attention and to share it with our
Facebook fans.
BID Gets the Word Out
About Rezoning Plan
Expected to be completed next summer, the new retail/residential complex at 5-7 Main
Street will comprise 7,300 square feet of retail space on the ground oor and 22 upper story
rental units. The buildings faade, dating to the 1930s, will be restored and its historical
character preserved.
Its that wonderful time of the year again. The Yonkers
Downtown BID in conjunction with the City of Yonkers
presented the Annual Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony
Thursday, December 1. There was live holiday music
including Young at Arts & the Westchester United Method-
ist Shine Star Steel Drum Orchestra and carols sung by
2011 Yonkers Idol Lynette Innabi and 2011 Junior Idol
Emma Clark. There was also a presentation of the Down-
town BIDs Annual Business Leader Award to Cecilia and
Roberto Espiritu, owners of La Piata Bakery. Santa was on
hand to greet children at the chalet and will continue to
make appearances on weekends. Giveaways at the Chalet
are thanks to CH Martin and McDonalds.
Meet Perstine Wesley,
A Yonkers Icon
Tree Lighting Dec. 1
he BID took a leadership role in
informing its members about
the City of Yonkers Planning
Departments proposed study for
rezoning of the downtown. The plan
would simplify zoning and make the
District more attractive for businesses
while preserving the historic character
of the area.
Stressing the importance of the
proposals potential impact on businesses
and on the future of the downtown,
the BID circulated iers throughout
the District and prominently posted an
alert on the homepage of its website,
www.yonkersdowntown.com, encourag-
ing business owners and property owners
to review the draft environmental impact
statement either by going to the Citys
website or reviewing copies of the plan
at the Riverfront Library, the City Clerks
ofce, the Ofces of the City Council
and Council President.
The BID also underscored the need for
its members to meet the November 14
deadline for commenting on the
proposal at the Planning Department
and at a public hearing. A special zoning
one-on-one meeting for BID members
was held at the Riverfront Library. At the
meeting, they had the opportunity to
discuss the proposal with representatives
from the Planning Department staff.
erstine Wesley, proprietor of
Harrys Shoe Repair, at 11 North
Broadway has been in business
for 50 years. Mr. Wesleys business is a
symbol of longevity and has contributed
to the stability of downtown Yonkers. He
takes tremendous pride in being actively
engaged in the community and serving
as a Goodwill Ambassador to
welcome and mentor new businesses.
A professional machinist who is adept
in the art of shoe repair, Mr. Wesley also
specializes in orthopedic footwear and
professional shoe dyeing, making him
one of the most sought-after craftsmen
in the city.
Mr. Wesley became a business associate
of Harrys Shoe Repair in 1962 with his
best friend, Harry Ward. In 1965, upon
the passing of Harry, he became sole
proprietor. He is a strong believer in
giving back to the community. As a man
who enjoys cooking, he has been a major
driving force as co-chair of the successful
Yonkers YWCA Celebrity Chefs. He also
supported Wesley and Friends,
another major city-wide event that
beneted two pivotal community service
organizations: The Yonkers YWCA and
the Nepperhan Community Center.
During the past half century, Mr. Wesley
has seen many ups and downs in the in
the economy. But he remains very
optimistic about the future of Yonkers
Downtown and the community to which
he is deeply devoted. He is an inspira-
tion to all of us.
Join the Downtown BID in
bringing joy to children at the
YWCA this holiday by partici-
pating in the toy drive. There
will be convenient toy drop-off
points in the downtown.
Call 969-6660 for
more information.
TOY DRIVE TOY DRIVE
T
P
Drop Off Locations
are at:
The Yonkers BID ofce ...15 Main St.
YWCA ......................87 South Bdwy.
Dolphin Restaurant ..1 Van Der Donck
Rogers Furniture ......15 North Bdwy.
Avon ....................20 Warburton Ave.
Wachovia .................12 South Bdwy.
Retro Fitness ..................66 Main St.
Metro 92 .......................92 Main St.
Zuppa Restaurant ..59-61 Main St.
Key Bank .................66 Main St.

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