Eight flood-prone homes in Rye Brook will be torn down and converted to permanent open space after the village became the first municipality in Westchester County to complete a floodplain buyout program, Mayor Jason Klein said Thursday, Aug. 13.
The properties on Wyman Street, Brook Lane and Rock Ridge Drive were purchased with federal Natural Resources Conservation Service grants. The entire cost of the program, including appraisals and demolition, is covered by grant funding.
"All of this is done completely through grant funding. So this comes at zero cost to the Village of Rye Brook and therefore the taxpayers in the village," Klein said on the MyRye.com podcast hosted by former Rye Mayor Doug French.
The only expense to the village is the loss of property tax revenue once the parcels come off the rolls.
Twenty-four homes along the Blind Brook qualified for the buyout. Eight owners went through the full process. Once demolished, the sites become permanently undevelopable open space that absorbs overflow when the brook floods.
Klein framed the effort as a response to intensifying storms. What used to be considered a 100-year flood event, he said, now seems to hit every five years, compounded by decades of development in flood-prone areas.
Demolition contracts approved
Village trustees have already laid the groundwork. The board approved a demolition contract at its May 26 meeting, according to village records. At a July 6 special meeting, trustees awarded a $35,025 air-monitoring contract to Omega Environmental Services of South Hackensack, N.J., for the properties, according to board minutes. Village Administrator Chris Bradbury and Superintendent of Public Works Michal Nowak were present at that session.
Klein said demolition is about to begin.
$8.1 million for Rye Town Park
Separately, Klein outlined an $8.1 million New York State Green Resiliency Grant awarded to Rye Town Park. Westfair Communications reported the grant announcement in November 2025.
The money will fund two projects: stormwater culverts and piping to redirect runoff that has eroded parts of the beach, and parking-lot improvements including solar-powered lighting.
The grant is administered through the Rye Town Parks Commission, whose members include the mayors of Rye Brook, Port Chester and Rye, and the Town of Rye supervisor. Klein, who sits on the commission, said he was unsure of the construction start date and deferred to Town Administrator Debbie Reisner and Town Supervisor Gary Zuckerman for a timeline.
Broader flood work since Ida
The buyout program is one piece of Rye Brook's post-Hurricane Ida strategy. Since the September 2021 storm, the village has installed a stream gauge on the Blind Brook near Westchester Avenue and pursued culvert and retention projects. Rye Brook is also collaborating with Westchester County and Port Chester on water-storage projects at Avon Circle and the Port Chester Middle School fields.
As we reported Aug. 12, the Board of Trustees voted on revised state flood mitigation grants for Avon Circle and Brook Lane at its Aug. 11 meeting, a separate program from the buyouts.
The Rye Town Parks Commission holds monthly public meetings, typically at Crawford Park. Meetings are streamed and posted on the Town of Rye website.
