Councilman Ivar Hyden


Re-Elect Councilmember Ivar Hyden








Serving New Rochelle District 4


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Meet Ivar



I am honored to serve New Rochelle



I have lived and had a business in District 4 for over 25 years. My wife Diane and I have three grown sons who attended local schools. I began my public service career as a member of the New Rochelle Municipal Art Commission and became its Chairman. I have served on committees related to the Public Library, the Business Improvement District, and the School District. I am currently on the Retail Advisory Committee and am the Vice-chair of the New Rochelle Industrial Development Agency and the Corporation for Local Development. I am a pragmatic progressive who believes in building consensus to get things done.



Accomplishments



Re-Imagining
Downtown



I have worked to transform the downtown into a growing and successful modern residential and business district. We have added many new buildings and businesses with many more still to come. This development has substantially increased our tax base, held the line on property tax increases and provided opportunities for all our residents. Although we are still suffering traffic and parking issues due to construction and infrastructure work the final results will be transformative for New Rochelle.



More Affordable Housing



As Vicechair of the IDA, I fought for lower rents and more affordable units in the new development projects. To date we have created over 500 units of affordable workforce housing in the downtown and another 450 units well below market rates. I also led the support on Council to create a new initiative to fund the rehab of existing multifamily housing to make it safer and up-to-date. I was Instrumental in creating support for affordable new condominium projects in conjunction with our first-time homeowners program, making it possible for lower income residents to own their homes and build generational wealth.



Job Creation & Training



With my strong support, our City spent over $600,000 in 2022 on job training and placement for local residents. Over 900 people found work through our First Source center. Several programs were instituted that provided job readiness training for minority youth including Pathways to Apprenticeship which prepares young people for career union jobs. The funding for these programs came from the City, the IDA and the CLD with funds generated from our local development projects.​



Protecting Residential Areas



I have worked to protect existing residential neighborhoods from encroaching development. Over the past year I have slowed major projects on Pelham Road, behind Harbor House and on Locust Ave. It is critical that large development be permitted only in the central business area and Echo Bay. I worked with the City, our State officials and the Westchester Land Trust to purchase additional land parcels to add to Glenwood Lake Park and prevent them from being developed.

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Second Chances for
Our Young People



I supported the creation of the Opportunity Youth Part in New Rochelle City Court. Founded by Judge Jared R. Rice, the program is a specialized calendar of cases that serves emerging adults, ages 16 to 24, who are facing misdemeanor or felony charges and are not in school, are unemployed or under-employed, and are typically disconnected from positive services. It aims to provide participants with age-appropriate alternatives to incarceration through a connection to community resources and a network of positive relationships with case managers, lawyers, and mentors. Participants in compliance with their wellness plans will often receive a more favorable disposition and could graduate from the court without a criminal record.



Promoting
The Arts



Using CLD and State funds, I was instrumental in creating numerous cultural events celebrating our diverse population. As former Chairman of the Municipal Art Commission, I produced 3 outdoor art events on Library Green and was instrumental in bringing the Farmers Market to the downtown. As vice chairman of the Corporation for Local Development I created the Day of the Dead Celebration and the African-American and Hispanic heritage concerts in 2022.


Working directly with the City, I helped create the upcoming Summer Concert Series celebrating our growing and diverse population. It will feature 20 professional concerts every Saturday at Ruby Dee Park, starting on Memorial Day weekend. I was also instrumental in the creation of the New Rochelle Art Center (operational Fall 2023) which will offer cultural events, master classes and educational opportunities in the visual, written, performance, and musical arts.



Increase Police
Accountability



To improve relations between the New Rochelle Police Department and the community they serve, I supported the implementation of body cameras.

I also helped community-based training programs. I am also working to help create a civilian complaint review board with strong legal power to further increase transparency and accountability.



Ideas For Our Future



I'm proud of my accomplishments but there is a lot more to do...

1. Finalize and implement the new parking and traffic plan already underway. Build more Municipal parking and do a better job communicating with our residents regarding street closures, detours and construction delays.

2. Continue expanding opportunities for more affordable housing and home ownership. I was instrumental in adding new affordable condominiums incentivized by the IDA to enable our residents to own their own homes, building equity and generational wealth.

3. Create a fund to rehabilitate the hundreds of older affordable units that already exist by incentivizing landlords of multi-family buildings to repair and modernize their units.

4. Use IDA funds to increase and bolster the first time homeowner's program.

5. Create grant programs to help jump start new small businesses and minority and women-owned businesses. Use the CLD and BID along with tax incentive programs working with landlords to subsidize rents and buildout costs.

6. Build pocket parks on vacant parcels in the downtown for our families to enjoy and redesign Ruby Dee Park at Library Green to make it more user and family friendly.

7. Create a "sense of place" for our downtown...tall buildings are not enough. We must make certain that everyone, especially our existing residents, benefit from the development process.

8. I am working now on new retail concepts and cultural events.

9. Our new Art Center will be the home for strong community arts programs and events of all kinds: music, video, theatre, dance, spoken word and master classes. Until that opens provide professional concerts every week on Library Green from May through September.

10. The LINC will create a linear park spanning approximately a mile along Memorial Highway from Lincoln Avenue in the north to Huguenot Street in the south, as well as an east-west spur extending from the Memorial Highway Roundabout, across North Avenue, to Exit 16 off the New England Thruway. The LINC will provide safe and easy connections from the Lincoln Avenue corridor to downtown New Rochelle while providing a new open space amenity to the city.



Endorsements



It takes trusting relationships with my colleagues on City Council, the City staff, and leaders

at the County, State and Federal level to get things done.


I am proud to be endorsed by Senator Nathalia Fernandez, County Legislator Terry Clements, Council Members Marta Lopez and Liz Fried, County Clerk Tim Idoni, and Linda Tarrent-Reid (President, Lincoln Park Conservancy).



City Council members Marta Lopez and Yadira Ramos-Herbert.



With local business owners, members of the City, the Council, and community members at the grand opening of Anderson Plaza.





My colleagues State Senator Nathalia Fernandez and County Legislator Terry Clements.





Ivar Hyden



I'm Here To Serve You


(914) 262-9785
Email: ihyden@newrochelleny.com
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