By Joseph Morales

     The Hartsdale Metro-North(MNR) station on the Harlem Line is the main commuter rail station serving the Hamlet of Hartsdale with a population of 2,964 residents according to Niche.com. The station is also the closest station for some Scarsdale residents, given its proximity to the Scarsdale Town Line. In addition to being a major transportation asset for the community, the station is also on the National Register of Historic Places. 

               Due to congestion on nearby highways get coupled with the struggle of driving in Manhattan, the Metro-North is the most convenient way for residents to get to Manhattan despite Hartsdale being car-oriented. Additionally, riding the Metro-North may become more compelling to riders in the Spring once the MTA implements congestion pricing, which will charge motorists $15 to enter Manhattan below 60th Street. Congestion pricing would be an even bigger burden for Hartsdale drivers, as they will either have to pay an additional $7-$11 toll for the RFK Bridge(formerly the Triboro Bridge) or face a congested trip to another one of the Bronx-Manhattan crossings.

               Given the importance of the commuter rail to Hartsdale, a station with amenities is critical to ensuring that people feel comfortable and content with riding the train. In addition, as the station is one of the first places visitors see upon entering Hartsdale, a quality station environment could go a long way to them having a positive first impression of the hamlet. Unfortunately for riders, the station’s historic waiting room, which is commonplace in suburban Metro-North stations, has been closed to the public since the start of the pandemic. It was once home to a Starbucks that had been a staple at the station for many years. However, they did not renew their lease in 2020, likely due to the poor business prospects of operating at a train station when everyone was working from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Indeed, many restaurants located inside of Metro-North stations faced inconsistent business during the thick of the pandemic according to a November 2021 LoHud article. Additionally, Metro-North ridership has still only reached 74% of pre-pandemic levels the last time the MTA reached a ridership record since the start of the pandemic, which means less customers for in station businesses. Given the slower ridership comeback coupled with the higher minimum wage in Westchester County, and the Hartsdale location likely wasn’t the most ideal location for a national corporation like Starbucks to continue doing business.

                   As you might expect, Hartsdale riders are not happy they are without access to the waiting room. While there haven’t been loud calls for Starbucks to return, the waiting rooms are still a valuable asset for Hartsdale commuters. Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner, who started an online petition for the room to be reopened told FOX 5 NY back in October, “There’s a lot of elderly people, a lot of disabled people, and when they’re waiting for a train they should be able to wait for the train in comfort.” The petition has gotten 561 signatures which is the equivalent of about 20% of Hartsdale’s population. The proposal from Feiner includes the MTA hiring a security guard to have the room open during rush hours until the agency finds a new tenant for a business in the waiting room. 

                    While the MTA is leasing out the space, the agency responded to the petition saying that passengers are better served by facilities on the platforms or on the bridge station and that opening the older station buildings is significantly expensive. The “bridge station” refers to the bridge connecting the north and south platforms. The cost factor is why the MTA leases the buildings out to tenants that operate them, with the MTA requiring them to keep the bathrooms and waiting area open during the AM commute as well as during business operations. In the case of Hartsdale, an email from the agency to Feiner states that passengers are served by the bridge station as well as two enclosed areas on the platforms. However, none of these areas have seating and the bridge station is located above the platforms. Additionally, the bridge station is also located above the platforms and requires riders to navigate stairs until the station’s new elevators are completed.

                  Luckily, the MTA has been pretty active in trying to find a good lease partner for the station building. Right around when the FOX 5 story on the situation aired, the MTA placed a For Lease sign on the building in coordination with Darren Gordon of Houlihan Lawrence as a co-broker. According to his Linkedin, Gordon has over 30 years of experience in real estate an in leasing, his name is “synonymous with reliability and success among his network.”

                  With this, the MTA issued an Request For Proposals(RFP) for potential tenants to place bids to lease the space. While the MTA initially told Paul Feiner that the waiting rooms would have to be open from the AM to PM Peak periods, the RFP states that they would only have to be open from 6AM-11AM Monday-Friday unless the business also operates outside of these hours. Despite this inconsistency, this should not impact things too much as most station businesses stay open for longer hours anyway. The RFP states that the MTA prefers to lease the space for 10 years but is open to a longer lease with a market rate reset of rent. Outside of these terms, any lessees must adhere to the MTA’s Retail Design Guidelines and cannot use the space for “offensive or unpleasant” uses. Even though proposals were initially due December 15th, the MTA has extended this deadline to January 5th.

                 As the MTA is attempting to find a tenant for the station building, there is hope that the station building can once again serve as an asset for the Hartsdale community. Given the buildings’ historic stature coupled with its long run as a Starbucks, there is hope that one day, the building can host a viable business and be a good place to wait for the train for years to come.

Works Cited

“Darren Gordon.” Linkedin, https://www.linkedin.com/in/gordondarren/. Accessed 3 January 2024.

Feiner, Paul. “Petition · Open the Hartsdale Train Station Waiting Room · Change.org.” Change.org, https://www.change.org/p/open-the-hartsdale-train-station-waiting-room. Accessed 3 January 2024.

Feiner, Paul. “Reasons why Metro North won’t open up vacant Hartsdale train station waiting room to commuters.” Town of Greenburgh New York, 17 November 2023, https://www.greenburghny.com/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=2260. Accessed 3 January 2024.

Giacovas, Richard. “Hartsdale Metro-North station waiting area closed.” FOX 5 New York, 4 October 2023, https://www.fox5ny.com/video/1290597. Accessed 3 January 2024.

“Hartsdale Demographics and Statistics.” Niche, https://www.niche.com/places-to-live/hartsdale-westchester-ny/residents/. Accessed 3 January 2024.

Metropolitan Transportation Authority. “Car Toll Rates.” MTA, 6 August 2023, https://new.mta.info/fares-and-tolls/bridges-and-tunnels/tolls-by-vehicle/cars. Accessed 3 January 2024.

Metropolitan Transportation Authority. “MTA Announces New York City Subway Set Single-Day Ridership Record.” MTA, 18 May 2023, https://new.mta.info/press-release/mta-announces-new-york-city-subway-set-single-day-ridership-record. Accessed 3 January 2024.

Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and CBRE. Hartsdale Train Station: Request for Proposals. October 2023. Accessed 3 January 2023.

Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Hartsdale Station Building RFP-Addendum #1. 14 December 2023, file:///Users/student/Downloads/Addendum%201_Hartsdale%2012.14.23%20(1).pdf. Accessed 4 January 2024.

“Minimum Wage | City of New York.” NYC Business, https://nyc-business.nyc.gov/nycbusiness/description/wage-regulations-in-new-york-state. Accessed 3 January 2024.

Muchnick, Jeanne. “How are restaurants in Metro-North stations faring without commuters?” Lohud, 4 November 2021, https://www.lohud.com/story/life/food/restaurants/2021/11/04/how-restaurants-metro-north-stations-faring-without-commuters/6092255001/. Accessed 3 January 2024.

​​“National Register Database and Research – National Register of Historic Places (U.S.” National Park Service, 2 August 2023, https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/database-research.htm. Accessed 4 January 2024.

Siff, Andrew, et al. “Congestion pricing NYC: MTA board approves initial plan.” NBC New York, 6 December 2023, https://www.nbcnewyork.com/traffic/transit-traffic/mta-board-approves-nyc-congestion-pricing-plan-what-to-know-about-tolls-exemptions-and-more/4926113/. Accessed 3 January 2024.