We often hear that “a rising tide lifts all boats.”   If, however, you’re not in a boat, a rising tide can kill you.

New Rochelle is in the 10th year of the radical transfer of city owned property to developers as part of the 2015 RXR Master Developer Plan.  The overlay zone has increased density with the anticipated and much lauded increases in the average income of those living in the 10801 zip code.  Sadly, the failure of development to create family-sustaining jobs for New Rochelle residents is also part of this legacy.

While the City takes great pride in the number of high income renters that currently inhabit the downtown, the number of New Rochelle residents living in poverty tells a troubling story. Between 2013 and 2024, while the percentage of New Rochelle residents living in poverty has declined, the actual number of people living in poverty has increased.  The expression attributed to Benjamin Disraeli, “there are three types of lies: lies, damn lies and statistics,” is a way to understand this paradox.

In 2015 the Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress profile of New Rochelle reported that in 2013, 11.2% of New Rochelle’s 77,820 residents were living in poverty, making the actual number of residents living in poverty 8,716.  According to the most recent census data, in 2023 the population of New Rochelle was 83,742 with 10.6% of residents, or 8,877 people, living in poverty.   

The so-called rising tide has not lifted New Rochelleans who are underemployed, unemployed, and/or severely rent burdened out of poverty.  In fact it has made their plight worse, as their numbers are hidden in upbeat reports of decreasing percentages of those living in poverty.  

The impact of the decreasing percentage of people living in poverty on New Rochelle’s ability to receive government funding for anti-poverty programs remains to be seen. 

What do we mean by “living in poverty?” The U. S. Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition–but not by geography– to determine who is in poverty. If a family’s total cash income (not including benefits like public housing, Medicaid, and food stamps) is less than the family threshold, then that family and every individual in it is considered in poverty.  These thresholds are updated for inflation using the Consumer Price Index. In 2023 the baseline threshold for a family of 4 (two adults and 2 children under age 18) was $30,900.   According to Apartment.com, the current average rent for a 1 bedroom apartment in New Rochelle is $2554 per month or $30,648 per year. 

Lift as we rise is a core principle of many Black sororities and fraternities.  It serves as a reminder that as a group moves forward, there is an obligation to reach back to make sure that everyone benefits from opportunities.  This philosophy was clearly embraced by legendary councilmember Rhoda Quash and has been sorely lacking in the 10-year relationship between City leaders and their development partners. 

Councilmember Quash demanded local hire and family sustaining jobs when Home Depot and other developments were being built.  In recent years, that same level of intentional accountability has been absent as billions of dollars of investment have been brought to New Rochelle’s downtown.

As the call for a pause in downtown development is being made by apartment owners at Leroy Place and many others, elevating the needs and concerns of residents who remain in poverty, despite the billions of public and private investment in the Queen City of the Sound, is of utmost concern to many residents.