golf course property, the Village should review the option of PAGE 80 CROTON COMPREHENSIVE PLAN upzoning the property to create larger-scale lots that take into consideration the topography and slopes of the site. The Village and County authorities should also explore the option of rezoning the Croton Point Park parcel as a Parks, Recreation and Education (PRE) district to reflect its use as a public recreation area. The Village should also consider rezoning the property owned by the railroad to limit or control future alternative development on the property. In addition, the Village should explore upzoning the permitted lot size in residential sections of the Village where there are numerous lots that are significantly larger than the minimum permitted lot size. Upzoning residential districts will help retain the development pattern and density of the neighborhoods; further study will be required to define the suitable lot size for these areas. A new official zoning map should also be created that reflects zoning changes made since the 1992 Map was adopted. The Village should also consider creatively encouraging property owners, over time, to conform to the zoning code. For example, this could be accomplished through the possible long-term amortization of certain uses. 15. Improve visual quality at the railroad station. The Village should consider landscaping and pedestrian improvements. Attention should be paid to reduction of excessive signs and visual clutter. 16. Energy conservation awareness. The Village should be cognizant of energy conservation strategies in considering plans for the future. The following sections summarize the Plan Recommendations for five key elements of the Village: commercial districts, natural resources, transportation, residential areas, and community facilities and services. PAGE 81 CROTON COMPREHENSIVE PLAN 4.3 Commercial Districts A number of the underlying goals for the Plan, noted in Section 1.4, focus on the need to improve the quality, function, and appearance of the following major commercial retail and office districts in the Village, so that residents can be better served: • • • • • Upper Village Municipal Place/Croton Commons North Riverside Harmon/South Riverside North End Office District The specific planning strategies for these areas focus on business attraction, pedestrian access, retail mix, and visual quality. This Plan also recommends, as a broad goal for the entire Village, that no new rezonings occur that would permit commercial development outside of those areas currently zoned for commercial development, with the possible exception of the eastern section of Grand Street, currently zoned RB, where some of the properties are presently utilized for commercial purposes. A business consultant, retained to study this area, should make this possible rezoning one of its focus points. However, any study of this rezoning possibility should take into account the commercial interactions between the various commercial sections of the Village and the effects of this rezoning on other areas of the Village. If rezoning to commercial is done in the future, the scale and massing of the existing structures should be maintained. Specifically, the assembling of the multiple parcels which would enable large-scale retail development should be prohibited. a. Gateway Districts In addition to the general planning strategies, this section also addresses the commercial “gateway districts” to be established for several Croton-on-Hudson commercial areas. Gateways mark a sense of arrival, and connection to a community, and establish an image for the community. The defining characteristics of Gateway Districts in the Village include: • • • Vehicular entry points into Croton-on-Hudson from Routes 9/9A Commercial uses oriented toward automobile traffic Guidelines and concepts for new development when and if opportunities arise Based on these criteria, three existing commercial areas have been designated as Gateway Districts for Croton-on-Hudson. These are shown in Figure 4.1: PAGE 82 North End Gateway District Municipal Place Gateway District South Riverside Gateway District Village of Croton-On-Hudson, NY Figure 4.1. Gateway Districts BFJ Buckhurst Fish & Jacquemart, Inc. 83 CROTON COMPREHENSIVE PLAN • Harmon/South Riverside, running along Croton Point Avenue between Route 9 and South Riverside Avenue, and along South Riverside Avenue between Croton Point Avenue and Benedict Boulevard. The area is an important link to the train station via Croton Point Avenue and to the Harmon neighborhood. It also joins historic Van Cortlandt Manor to the south. • Municipal Place Shopping Area, consisting of lots on the north and south sides of Municipal Place between Route 9 and Maple Street, and the commercially-zoned portion of the block on the east side of Maple Street. The Municipal Place Shopping Area is an important entrance to the Village from Route 9. It connects to the Upper Village via Maple Street and to the surrounding neighborhoods. • North End of Village along Albany Post Road (9A), consisting of the eight lots between Routes 9 and 9A, the Village boundary and Warren Road. This area marks the entrance to the Village from the north along