Welcome to the Sustainable Playland Inc. website where you will find the latest information about our plans for reformulating and reinvigorating Playland Park in Rye, NY. Sustainable Playland Inc. (SPI) is a non-profit corporation founded in 2010. A grass roots, citizen-led organization, SPI was formed in response to a Request for Proposals (RFP) issued by the Westchester County Executive seeking creative approaches for reinventing the 100-acre county-owned park for the 21st century.

SPI invested in excess of $200,000 to develop a comprehensive plan for creating a year-round destination that unlocks the full recreational, environmental and entertainment potential of Playland. This holistic approach is designed to create a family-friendly atmosphere with multiple activities and venues fostering a more balanced year-round usage and an enhanced and more consistent revenue flow.

At the same time, the historic 1928 amusement park with its classic rides and unique vintage architecture will be preserved and enhanced. The iconic amusement area, which occupies 25 acres of the park, will be a warm weather component in the package of activities that will include indoor and outdoor athletic fields, a revitalized beach and aquatic activities center, a great lawn and year-round restaurants. Improved access to the adjacent county-owned Edith Read Nature Sanctuary and an extensive rejuvenation of the park’s plantings and gardens are also important components of the plan.

In October, 2012, after an extensive and careful review of all of the responses to the RFP, County Executive Rob Astorino announced the selection of SPI to manage and operate Playland. An Asset Management Agreement is expected to be signed in the first quarter of 2013. Playland will be open and operated by the county as usual for the 2013 summer season while the process of transferring management of the park to SPI begins with the full transfer being in place for 2014. Considerable damage to portions of the boardwalk and the Ice Casino caused by Hurricane Sandy will be repaired by the county this year.

SPI has retained Biederman Redevelopment Ventures to manage Playland. Headed by Daniel Biederman, the company has an impressive track record in improving and managing public spaces including Bryant Park in Manhattan, widely regarded as perhaps the best example in the nation of the successful private operation of a public park. SPI’s operating partners include top professionals in their respective fields including Westchester Sports Center and Pinnacle Indoor Sports for the field house and outdoor athletic fields; American Skating Entertainment Centers, owner/operator of the Westchester Skating Academy in Elmsford, for the ice skating facilities; and Mega Funworks, operator of Rocking Horse Ranch and Splashdown Park in the mid-Hudson Valley, for the amusement park component, the beach and the new aquatic activities zone.

SPI’s mission is to create a family-oriented, multi-activity park for all Westchester residents as well as visitors to the county to enjoy. This 21st century approach is sustainable environmentally, historically and fiscally. Under SPI’s vision and leadership, Playland can once again be the gem of the renowned Westchester Country Parks System.