Downtown Revitalization Committee Recommends Improvements to Boniface Circle

The Scarsdale Forum Downtown Revitalization Committee has released its latest report, which proposes improvements to Boniface Circle as an important step in enhancing both the appearance and utilization of Scarsdale’s open spaces.  

The report focuses on the area as the nexus for open space connectivity within Scarsdale Village Center, and the committee suggests a variety of landscape modifications, safety enhancements, and additional amenities in redesigning Boniface Circle to encourage greater public use.

Noting that Boniface Circle's landscape and hardscape are overgrown and crowded, the committee asserts that the current plantings and stone wall block access and obscure vistas to Chase Park, the Harwood Building, and surrounding merchant establishments. In addition, its report highlights security vulnerabilities and other hazards, such as the possibility of vehicle intrusion, inherent in the Boniface Circle design. To address these issues, it suggests that Scarsdale Village staff

1) replace, remove, and/or prune existing shrubbery and trees;
2) upgrade and relocate the current utility infrastructure;
3) provide café-style tables and chairs that can be rearranged to accommodate all-year outdoor use; and
4) install enhanced lighting.

The Downtown Revitalization Committee also proposed other items that may require additional funds, and fabrication and/or installation by outside vendors --the installation of impact-resistant security barriers to protect users from vehicle traffic and the relocation of the World War II memorial to Memorial Garden on Mamaroneck Road.

According to Susan Douglass, the committee chair, "Scarsdale residents need a reason to visit the village center to shop, dine, and gather with others, and a vibrant public space closer to the retail center. Boniface Circle is an intimate component of this concept, and residents would be well served if it is transformed into the usable, open green space it once was, instead of a dreary, closed-off and underutilized zone, used just as a walk-through." She continued, "Our goal is to create a public gathering, entertainment, and art space, similar to the many charming, small plazas in New York City, with the potential to provide a year-round environment for outdoor community engagement."

The full report may be accessed by clicking here.