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Published: August 8, 2008

Reclaiming the waterfront for the people of Yonkers (Saturday "Community View" by Yonkers Mayor Phil Amicone) is an exciting and pivotal event in the city's history and a golden opportunity to do right by business, residents and working families. But doing right means more than opening flashy new restaurants and constructing fancy marinas for those fortunate enough to dine out or own a boat. It means creating good-paying jobs and affordable housing so that the area's low-income families benefit from the re-development of Alexander Street as well.

The good news is that the re-development at Alexander Street is expected to create hundreds of new permanent jobs, but the bad news is that the Master Plan does not ensure that these newly created jobs will support working families.

Living in Yonkers isn't cheap and, with redevelopment in the works, not going to get any cheaper. Already, half the renters in the city are paying more than 30 percent of their income on rent, and with the skyrocketing cost of milk, bread and gas, working families are feeling pinched now more than ever. If the Master Plan fails to safeguard the quality of these new jobs and the affordability of new housing, we will have squandered a rare opportunity to do right in Yonkers.

Matt Nerzig
New York
The writer is spokesperson for Local 32BJ, SEIU.