(rshsdepot) Hastings-on-Hudson & Brewster, NY

[Bernie Wagenblast <brwagenblast_@_comcast.net>]

Photo links:
http://yonkersrailspictures.tripod.com//sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictur
es/1yonkersmf.jpg (Hastings-on-Hudson station)
http://www.southeastmuseum.org/SE_Tour99/SE_Tour/html/brewster_station.htm
(photo and information on Brewster station)
http://www.southeastmuseum.org/html/railroad.html

Table for two, with a railroad track view
By LEN MANIACE
THE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original publication: June 10, 2002)

Contracts could be signed as soon as this week that would bring eateries to
Metro-North stations in Hastings-on-Hudson and Brewster under a plan to
rehabilitate the rundown commuter depots.

But deals are not imminent at four other railroad stations - in Port
Chester, Pelham, Tarrytown and Tuckahoe - that Metro-North also sought
proposals for in the fall, railroad spokeswoman Marjorie Anders said.

The new leases would be the latest in the railroad's plan to get private
businesses to rehabilitate faded stations, to improve their cleanliness and
to keep station buildings open longer. They would follow the introduction of
eateries at Mount Kisco and Hartsdale stations in 2000 and a restaurant at
the Peekskill station in 1994.

Anders said one contract would bring a business called the Blueberry Moon
Cafe to the 1,650-square-foot interior of the Hastings station, which opened
in 1910. Metro-North estimated the building needs approximately $220,000 in
renovations.

The Brewster station would become home to a cafe called Carry It Away. An
estimated $175,000 in renovations are needed in the 3,150-square-foot
station.

"Extensive negotiations have been completed for the Hastings and Brewster
stations," Anders said.

The businesses going into the stations would be required to pay for
renovations, in addition to rent.

Metro-North received 13 proposals for the six stations, Anders said, but she
declined to break them down by community, saying Metro-North did not want to
give out any additional information that might jeopardize the deals.

Anders said the end of the latest round does not mean the railroad had given
up on the four other stations; in fact, she said Metro-North was holding out
hope for making a deal in one of the other communities.

"We are not going to fold our cards and go home," Anders said.

In 2000, The Flying Pig Market and Cafe opened at the railroad's Mount Kisco
station after the restaurant owners spent more than $300,000 in renovations,
and a Starbucks opened in the Hartsdale station following approximately
$400,000 in work.

Metro-North's Peekskill station was the first renovated under the plan when
P.J. Kelly's Restaurant opened there in 1994.

The restaurant business there has boomed ever since, with catered events
such as birthday parties and weddings supplementing the commuter trade,
dining room manager Helen O'Donnell said Friday.

"The draw has a lot to do with the picturesque view of the Hudson River,"
she said. "The sunset over the mountains is fabulous."

Commuters, who remain P.J. Kelly's bread and butter, are kept happy with a
menu made up of freshly cooked items that can be ordered before or during
the train trip home, O'Donnell said. A train schedule is included as part of
the menu. "When they get here, their order is ready to go," she said.

When the eateries open in Hastings and Brewster, the buildings will continue
to be used as stations, with a ticket seller's booth and seating for
commuters. The operators are required to keep the buildings open until at
least early evening. Most stations now close at 1:30 p.m. and restrooms
frequently shut down sooner.

Depending on the final details of the agreement, annual rent at the Hastings
station would range from $10,000 to $25,000 and from $15,000 to $35,000 in
Brewster, Anders said. Rents would rise 3 1/2 percent annually.


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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org

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