giving merchants sufficient time to understand and comply with the ordinance. PAGE 85 HOLY NAME OF MARY CHURCH Parking d Ol UNITED METHODIST CHURCH st Po R th Sou d oa Parking Grand St Maple Street reet Village of Croton-On-Hudson, NY Figure 4.2. Upper Village Proposals Buildings Existing Trees BFJ Buckhurst Fish & Jacquemart, Inc. 86 Existing Sidewalk Improvements Cross Walks Proposed Expansion of Streetscape Improvements CROTON COMPREHENSIVE PLAN • Improving Parking and Reducing Traffic Congestion Although the Upper Village shopping area has municipal parking lots and on-street parking, there is still a perceived shortage of parking spaces for shoppers. The Village should work in cooperation with business owners and merchants in the area to assess the extent of parking demand and develop solutions that will accommodate shoppers and provide business owners with needed employee parking. One possible solution is to designate specific merchant parking locations outside of the immediate Upper Village area to make more spaces available to shoppers. The Village should also consider creative acquisition of appropriate properties on both Maple and Grand (east of Dobbs Park) to create a one-way street that would provide circulation around the Upper Village. The road should be wide enough to provide parking on one side. The Village should also study parking opportunities in the middle area between Dobbs Park and Grand Street. Traffic congestion on the roads through the Upper Village is also a deterrent to potential shoppers. Traffic is heaviest during rush hours, particularly during peak morning rush hours, when commuters travel to the train station and highways and store owners receive their deliveries. The Village should work with merchants in the Upper Village to coordinate merchandise deliveries to avoid conflicting with the heaviest traffic times. c. Municipal Place Shopping Area The Municipal Place shopping area is viewed by many residents as the major commercial hub of the Village, due to its central location within Croton-on-Hudson and the range of stores and services available, including the Village Post Office. The Village has recently proposed designating this area as a “Gateway District” given its high visibility and convenient access to Route 9. However, the area’s role as a potential “center” for the village as a whole has remained largely unfulfilled, due in part to the fragmented nature of the various plazas and adjoining commercial sites which lack a coordinated pedestrian network and/or consistent streetscape treatment. The vacant Katz Property located on the north side of Municipal Place, adjacent to Maple Street, presents an important opportunity to create a focal point for the area. It may also be possible to upgrade other sites within this area due to vacancies and possible relocation of businesses. In particular, an opportunity exists in the shopping plaza across from the Katz property to alter the commercial-retail mix. The Grand Union supermarket located there closed in early 2001. The space is slated to be filled by the CVS pharmacy that currently occupies space in another part of the PAGE 87 CROTON COMPREHENSIVE PLAN shopping plaza, with the result that the CVS space will become available for additional retail use. The following site improvements to the Municipal Place shopping area are recommended: • Katz Property Significant upgrading of this gateway area could create an opportunity to develop needed community facilities, and the Village could consider purchase of this 2.4 acre site. Developing a portion of the site as a community center, possibly coupled with office use, would help establish this area as a mixed-use center. In addition, the development of a landscaped park would result in a conveniently located meeting place for Village residents. Figure 4.3 shows one possible layout for the site, incorporating community facilities and office uses, parking, and a landscaped park. To the extent necessary, this property should be rezoned to promote these recommended uses. Figure 4.4 shows a possible site layout for this property and includes the following features: • • • • A mixed-use building on Maple Street that could include professional office as well as community facility space A park and meeting area oriented to the Municipal PlaceMaple Street intersection Convenient pedestrian access to both the proposed building and park, and connecting via a crosswalk to the stores on the east side of Maple Street A landscaped parking area set back from Maple Street with buffer planting to isolate it from nearby housing. • Create a Pedestrian Network The current layout of the Municipal Place shopping area discourages pedestrian access and instead requires shoppers to drive from one plaza area to another. A network of pedestrian routes should be established that provides safe and attractive links between the various shopping plazas and other commercial sites as well as other major destination points such as schools, the library, and recreation areas. These routes should link directly to store entrances and include landscaping, signage