Located along the Byram River and bordering Greenwich, Connecticut, the Village of Port Chester has the tremendous asset of an intact downtown core directly adjacent to a navigable waterfront. Consistent with many urban waterfronts, the historic development along the water was and remains typically industrial, which limits public access to the waterfront and limits the potential benefits to the adjacent Downtown. Consequently, this lack of access and absence of waterfront attractions has limited the Village of Port Chester as an attractive waterfront destination for residents and visitors. In addition, the Downtown Core has been victim to late 20th Century urban renewal and has several pockets of one story infill that has weakened the vibrancy of the Downtown and limited the amount of mixed use opportunities.

Working with the Laberge Group and the Mullin Associates, Synthesis developed a Conceptual Downtown Waterfront Development Plan that celebrates the waterfront and provides important connections from the waterfront to the Downtown. The plan features a centralized waterfront park that would anchor the waterfront and draw visitors to its many attractions such as its band shell, open lawn areas, gardens, and overlooks. The park would be flanked by waterfront shops and restaurants that provide opportunities for outdoor dining and access to the public promenade. Many of the industrial sites would be redeveloped into waterfront condos to add a strong residential component to the Downtown Core. Multistory mixed-use infill development and pedestrian friendly streetscape enhancements would effectively restore the downtown urban fabric and waterfront access.

As part of the Port Chester Downtown Waterfront Concept Plan, the Purdy Avenue Waterfront Development District is visioned to provide an appropriate mix of commercial and residential uses that celebrate the sites direct access to the Byram River and greater views to Long Island Sound.

The Synthesis team brought this vision to life with a site plan that responds to the sites unique topographic characteristics. Synthesis stepped the proposed development down toward the river by locating the higher density residential options on the high points of the site to take advantage of the views while providing appropriately scaled waterfront shops, restaurants and residential options in the lower areas along an extended waterfront promenade that provides opportunities for outdoor dining, public gathering, access to the river and a vital link to the downtown commercial core.