YMCA Has Big Plans For Former Mrs. Green’s Site

RYE, NY — For a time, it was rumored the former Mrs. Green’s location on Boston Post Road would house a church soon to be founded by musician Kanye West, but something more exciting is actually being planned for the long vacant space.

Kanye's not really coming to town after all, but the Rye YMCA announced on Friday that it will convert the former grocery at 1037 Boston Post Rd. into a new state-of-the-art facility that will house four unique fitness studios. The space is very near the YMCA’s facility at 21 Locust Ave.

The move will free space for a new full-day early learning center for children ages 18 months to five years old at the Locust facility.

The plans for the new space include four studios for group exercise, yoga, HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) and indoor cycling. In addition to group classes, the studios can be used for personal training, virtual programming and special activities. The new YMCA Studios will also have a meeting room with a kitchenette for events, including chronic disease prevention classes, healthy living workshops, lectures and cooking demonstrations.

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“The pandemic has given us new insights into the needs of our members and the communities we serve,” Rye YMCA Executive Director Gregg Howells said. “With a renewed focus on health, wellness, child care for working families and the importance of connecting with others, The Y Studios couldn’t come at a better time.”

New fitness studio and meeting space is coming to downtown Rye. (Rye YMCA)

As part of the project, the Rye YMCA is renovating the first floor at the Locust facility to make way for the expanded child care programs. The expanded offerings will be open to 183 children up to grade six at the two sites.

Starting this fall, the YMCA will, for the first time, offer full day on-site care for toddlers and preschoolers. The organization will also increase the number of slots for its after-school program by offering school age child care at both the YMCS and at F.E. Bellows Elementary School for students in the Rye Neck School District.

After searching for additional space in Rye, Harrison and Mamaroneck, the building at 1037 Boston Post Road became available at just the right time, YMCA officials said. In August 2018, the Rye YMCA signed a 20-year lease with the option to renew for an additional 10 years. The agreement was contingent on the YMCA receiving approvals from the City of Rye. Unfortunately, the process was halted in February 2020.

Three weeks later, the Y was forced to close due to the coronavirus pandemic and the project was put on hold indefinitely.

“We had been looking for additional space for a long time, and could not have found a more perfect location, practically next door,” President of the Rye YMCA Board of Directors Fran DeThomas said. “This will be an enormous boon to the community and our members.”

The new satellite building will have space for expanded early learning opportunities. (Rye YMCA)

The new facility fills a prime downtown Rye location that has been vacant since 2016. YMCA officials note that the new satellite facility is directly on the path from the Rye Middle School and Rye High School campus to downtown Rye, making it convenient for after-school and other youth programs. The site is also near the Village Green, City Hall, the Rye Free Reading Room and the Square House.

Construction is expected to start later this summer with a planned opening in early 2022.