City of New Rochelle Unveils New Digital Tools to Boost Downtown Growth and Support Local Businesses
The City of New Rochelle today announced the launch of the LiveXYZ Storefront Map & Directory and New Rochelle Downtown Vanguard Dashboard – two new digital tools designed to strengthen the local downtown business ecosystem, improve retail visibility, and provide the City, brokers, and prospective tenants with unprecedented timely insights into downtown activity.
Together, these tools advance the goals of the City’s signature Vanguard Initiative to activate the first floors of downtown buildings and create a more welcoming, accessible, and economically resilient city center. Alongside recent efforts—such as the adoption of the City’s Vacant Storefront Registry—they establish a unified, data-driven system for filling ground-floor vacancies, supporting entrepreneurs, and increasing transparency across one of New Rochelle’s main commercial corridors.
The Downtown Vanguard Dashboard is an interactive public platform that combines timely data on demographics and housing, downtown retail activity — including LiveXYZ updates on openings and occupancy — and metrics on cleanliness and safety. Updated quarterly, the dashboard offers a clear, comprehensive snapshot of downtown’s health, helping track progress and guide future investments.
Complementing this, the Storefront Map & Directory — developed in partnership with LiveXYZ — is a comprehensive, citywide digital map of all ground-floor storefronts, both occupied and vacant. Updated every 90 days and equipped with search filters and bookmarking features, the tool allows prospective tenants, brokers, and residents to easily identify available spaces, explore business types, and understand the composition of the city’s retail landscape. It is the first tool of its kind to launch in New York State outside of New York City, bringing a new level of clarity and insight into New Rochelle’s retail landscape.
“As New York’s fastest-growing city, we’re committed to making downtown New Rochelle more open and connected than ever,” said New Rochelle Mayor Yadira Ramos-Herbert. “These new tools give everyone, from residents to retailers to developers, a clear window into what’s happening downtown, helping more people see the opportunities that make our city such a vibrant place to invest and grow.”
“With 15,000 new residents expected downtown in the coming years, we’re entering an incredible moment of opportunity,” said City Manager Wilfredo Melendez. “These tools will help local businesses meet that demand and guide the City’s decisions with data insights – fueling a thriving, inclusive, and forward-looking downtown economy.”
“Active ground floors are what bring a city to life,” said Development Commissioner Adam Salgado. “By integrating the LiveXYZ tool with our new dashboard, we’re giving small businesses and investors a clear view of what’s happening downtown—and giving ourselves the information needed to adapt strategies, refine policies, and accelerate the momentum we’re seeing across the city.”
The LiveXYZ tool and dashboard are one of several strategies driving the City’s comprehensive plan to revitalize downtown New Rochelle’s retail landscape. The signature Vanguard Initiative, launched at the end of 2024, includes public realm and accessibility improvements, retail enhancements, fast-track zoning, and tenant incentives to foster an environment where small businesses can succeed. To date, the City has also awarded funding to 11 downtown businesses through its $2.25 million Retail Tenant Improvement Fund.
New Rochelle is also reinvesting $36 million of development revenue directly back into its downtown. This commitment fuels business openings while funding public art installations, EV charging stations, enhanced public spaces, and other community assets. As a result of these efforts and early successes, the City projects that downtown retail demand will grow by 36 percent within the next decade.