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PELHAM, N.Y. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority put buildings at four Metro-North stations throughout Westchester County on the market this week. The goal is to turn the century old station buildings into bustling businesses.
The MTA advertised rental opportunities starting this week for the station houses at Peekskill, Ossining, Tarrytown and Port Chester stations. The stipulation is that whoever leases the property must still allow passengers to use the buildings' waiting rooms and bathrooms and must sell coffee to customers from 6 a.m. to at least 11 a.m.
"The main thing is that the space will be retained," said Marjorie Anders, spokesperson for the MTA. "It's not like we're abandoning our customers. We're looking for compatible uses."
The buildings are each at least a century old and range from 1,150 square feet in Ossining to 7,395 square feet in Peekskill.
This endeavor is not the first of its kind. The Tuckahoe station has a Starbucks. Mt. Kisco's station has a restaurant. The Peekskill station building was a restaurant for almost a decade.
"We have done this elsewhere," Anders said. "When it works, it's very successful."
The increased use of ticket machines at stations throughout the past decade has led to a decline in the percentage of ticket sales from windows inside the station buildings. Anders said the MTA does not want the buildings to sit empty and idle, so the rentals will make use of the space.
Anders said that the MTA will try to rent out other station buildings after renovations.
"As they become ready, we will seek tenants for them because we want to see a more vibrant use of these buildings," Anders said.
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