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The Westchester County Office of Economic Development and the Department of Planning are helping County municipalities build thriving communities and expand their tax base by attracting employers in opportunity sectors, including advanced manufacturing, clean manufacturing, life sciences, biological technology, and green technology. Companies in these sectors are growing and interested in moving to Westchester or expanding their operations in the County.
Bantam tools demonstrating their CNC milling machine in Peekskill, NY. Image credit: Bantam Tools.
To this end, we have filtered and scored sites in five case study municipalities, identifying potentially suitable soft sites based on key indicators including size, proximity to truck accessible highways and Metro North stations, and existing land use and underdevelopment.
Additionally, we are working with selected municipalities to review zoning codes to understand potential impediments to advanced manufacturing and life sciences development.
To delve into this analysis, please see the Interactive Parcel Map below.
Advanced manufacturing, generally comprised of manufacturing processes that are highly specialized and heavily reliant on technology, is a growing industry nationally and has the opportunity to further develop in Westchester, bringing high-skilled workers and high-wages to the County. Advanced manufacturing activities in Westchester include pharmaceutical manufacturing, medical devices, aerospace components, and food manufacturing.
Advanced manufacturers tend to have smaller scale production than traditional manufacturing, employing new technologies like 3D printing. These modern processes allow for more efficient customization and small-batch manufacturing, simplified processes for moving from design to production, and less on-site storage. As a result, advanced manufacturing in practice can look a lot like existing commercial/office uses in Westchester and have minimal impacts on neighboring parcels.
An example of an advanced manufacturer in Westchester is Bantam Tools, a hardware and software company focused on digital fabrication, now occupying a two formerly vacant industrial buildings – 11,500 square-feet and 9,800 square-feet – in Peekskill. The site of their facility is in a Waterfront Use Zone (WF-2) that required a Special Permit for light manufacturing uses.
The Bantam Tools facility in Peekskill, NY. Image credit: Bantam Tools.
The Regeneron Pharmaceuticals headquarters in Greenburgh and Mount Pleasant, NY. Image credit: TBD.
Life sciences is an umbrella industry encompassing biotechnology firms, pharmaceutical firms, contract research organizations, medical device/equipment designers and manufacturers, digital heath care companies, and genomics firms. Life sciences is a rapidly growing industry in the US and Westchester. Beyond new development, current market trends suggest that repurposing and rebranding older office buildings as life sciences or health technology centers is a significant opportunity, potentially allowing for the repurposing of Westchester’s existing office stock for life sciences.
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals is the largest life sciences firm in Westchester headquartered in Greenburgh and Mount Pleasant. The Regeneron campus and surrounding area provides a significant opportunity for developing a life sciences cluster in Westchester.
As part of this analysis, the County and consultant team analyzed parcels in five case study municipalities to assess the availability of parcels for advanced manufacturing and life sciences. The map below allows you to view parcels in the five case study municipalities and how suitable they may be for redeveloping.
What can I do with this tool?The suitability of a parcel for redevelopment will depend on the intended use. As such, the tool below allows you to select between advanced manufacturing and life sciences and filter parcels along various dimensions including permitting requirements, parcel shape, grade challenges, whether the parcel is vacant, and parcel square footage.
In addition to these filters, you can search for parcels by applying a score to the parcels. Score the parcels by applying weights to additional parcel attributes including existing land use, proximity to truck-accessible highways by vehicle and Metro North stations by foot, parcel size, and level of under-development.
This analysis pulled from multiple data sources including:
Data processing, analysis, and research by WXY architecture + urban design and BJH Advisors.