Plan Emerges for Sleepy Hollow Waterfront
by Deborah Meyer DeWan and Ray Curran
Scenic Hudson's nearly three-year collaboration with Historic Hudson Valley and the Village of Sleepy Hollow has produced a model planning process and redevelopment plan for the 97-acre waterfront property left vacant by General Motors Corp. in 1996 after nearly 100 years of industrial use.
Our conservation- and community-based concept plan focuses on the shared goals of creating continuity with the community, restoring the historic ecology of the land and achieving maximum public access to the site and river. It has generated great interest and enthusiasm among groups and governmental agencies in Sleepy Hollow, Westchester County and New York State.
Green Crescent Reconstructs Pocantico River
At the heart of our concept is what Sleepy Hollow Mayor Philip Zegarelli calls the "green crescent" - a social and ecological network of open space connecting existing parks, the community and its waterfront.
One aspect of this linkage involves reconstructing the Pocantico River, a tributary that historically traversed the site as it connected to the Hudson River. GM filled in the river during the late 1920s and rerouted it through Kingsland Point Park to the north. Flooding has been a problem since.
An admittedly ambitious project, the Pocantico River restoration could provide hydrological and ecological improvements as well as a landscape enhancement. Scenic Hudson and the village have brought in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for a preliminary investigation of the site's potential.
View full size image. |
|
Scenic Hudson's concept restores the original flow of the Pocantico River and creates a "green crescent" of connected open space. |
Community Dialogue Informs Developer Plans
The process of shaping a future for this high-profile project has been unique and encouraging. This is because the site developer, N.J.-based Roseland Property Company, did not release a development plan when GM announced its winning firm last year. Instead GM and Roseland acknowledged that Sleepy Hollow had already begun articulating a vision for the site, and the companies opened a dialogue with the community and other stakeholders to inform their plans.
Since then the parties have held a series of public meetings and workshops - funded by an Environmental Protection Fund grant from the New York State Department of State - to further articulate the community's vision and study linkages to the site. Also in attendance were representatives from the county's planning and parks departments, Hudson River Valley Greenway and neighboring Village of Tarrytown.
The forums focused on affordable housing, community uses and a new train station as well as impacts on adjacent neighborhoods and a Ginsburg Development Corp. proposal for an adjoining parcel. Roseland representatives attended all the sessions, responded to questions and listened to concerns.
Key Principles Incorporated
Thus far Roseland's preliminary plans reflect several objectives agreed to in the linkages forum and many of the key principles of our concept. Of note in Roseland's current design is compact, urban-style development consistent in scale and character with the existing village. It also incorporates Beekman Avenue, the village's main business thoroughfare, into a mixed-use commercial corridor.
Roseland's open-space provisions include elements of our recommended riverfront park plus extensions to the village's DeVries Park and Historic Hudson Valley's Philipsburg Manor National Historic Landmark. New buildings would be predominantly two and three stories and stay within existing height regulations to protect or enhance viewsheds. Walkability is another important element of the design.
Particularly encouraging has been the village's interest in continuing this participatory planning process, even prior to formal permitting, and Roseland's willingness to be involved. Scenic Hudson commends Mayor Zegarelli and village officials for their ongoing commitment to an open and collaborative dialogue among residents and other stakeholders.
Increasing Advocacy and Refining Linkages
Scenic Hudson and our partners are expanding our advocacy and outreach to further linkages and achieve the continuity of the green crescent. Reconstructing the Pocantico River may help address the flooding problem while enhancing the estuary. It is worthy of additional analysis.
An important focus will be open spaces, especially from the ecological and landscaping perspectives, and permitted land uses. Further discussions also are needed regarding affordable housing, development density, sustainable designs, transportation and links to Tarrytown and the county's Riverwalk project, which seeks to create a 46-mile continuous promenade for pedestrians and cyclists along the Hudson River between the cities of Peekskill and Yonkers.
Scenic Hudson and Historic Hudson Valley are continuing to work in partnership toward achieving shared goals and promoting a 21st century model for this site that will catalyze local economic and tourism objectives, protect resources and enhance the region. Roseland has indicated it anticipates having a formal proposal by fall. Stay tuned. |
|
 |
 |
|
| Scenic Hudson's plan for the vacant GM site, pictured above, includes public river access. |
|
)
