COMPREHENSIVE PLAN Village of Croton-on-Hudson COMPREHENSIVE PLAN Village of Croton-on-Hudson January 2003 Prepared by Buckhurst Fish & Jacquemart, Inc. 115 Fifth Avenue, 3rd Floor New York, NY 10003 January 2003 Prepared for the Comprehensive Plan Committee One Van Wyck Street Croton-on-Hudson, NY 10520 VILLAGE OF CROTON-ON-HUDSON 2003 COMPREHENSIVE PLAN Prepared for the Comprehensive Plan Committee One Van Wyck Street Croton-on-Hudson, NY 10520 Prepared by Buckhurst Fish & Jacquemart, Inc. rd 115 Fifth Avenue, 3 Floor New York, NY 10003 Adopted January 21, 2003 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Mayor Robert W. Elliott Village Manager Richard F. Herbek Comprehensive Plan Committee Ann Gallelli, Chair Kurt Carlson Justin Casson Paul Doyle Roger Solymosy Lawrence Bickford, founding member Georgianna K. Grant, Village Trustee, liaison to Comprehensive Plan Committee Board of Trustees Georgianna K. Grant Deborah Y. McCarthy Dr. Gregory J. Schmidt Leo A. W. Weigman James Harkins, Former Trustee Sam R. Watkins Jr., Former Trustee Planning Board Ann Gallelli, Chair Frances Allen Ted Brumleve Joel Klein Andrew Zelman Planning Consultants Buckhurst Fish & Jacquemart Inc. rd 115 Fifth Avenue, 3 Floor New York, NY 10003 Paul Buckhurst, ARIBA, AICP, Principal-in-Charge Frank Fish, AICP, Principal Georges Jacquemart P.E., AICP, Principal Bonnie Braine, Associate Elana Vatsky Mass, AICP, Project Manager Martin Torre, Graphics Alex Rodriguez, Production CROTON COMPREHENSIVE PLAN TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1. Purpose and Function of the 2003 Comprehensive Plan 1.2 Previous Comprehensive Planning Efforts in Croton-on-Hudson 1.3 Citizen Based Planning Process 1.4 Guiding Goals of the Comprehensive Plan 1.5 Format of the Comprehensive Plan 2 2 3 4 5 5 2.0 2.1 2.2 CROTON-ON-HUDSON HISTORY AND PREVIOUS PLANNING EFFORTS Croton-on-Hudson History Summary of Previous Planning Studies: 1977-2000 6 6 8 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 EXISTING CONDITIONS Regional and Local Context Natural Environment, Parks, and Open Space Resources Zoning and Land Use Population and Demographics Housing Development and Trends Transportation and Traffic Circulation Community Services and Utilities Special Planning Areas: Commercial Districts and Hudson River Waterfront Summary of Planning Issues 15 15 15 34 40 44 47 52 61 74 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 PLAN RECOMMENDATIONS Defining Goals, Objectives, And Issues Through Public Participation Village Wide Recommendations Commercial Districts Natural Resources, Open Space and Trails Transportation (Traffic Calming, Pedestrian Facilities, Transit) Residential Neighborhoods and Housing Community Facilities and Services Implementation of Recommendations 75 76 77 82 97 103 106 111 113 APPENDIX: CROTON-ON-HUDSON RESIDENT SURVEY 115 FIGURES Figure 3.1 Figure 3.2 Figure 3.3 Figure 3.4 Figure 3.5 Figure 3.6 Figure 3.7 Figure 3.8 Figure 3.9 Figure 4.1 Figure 4.2 Figure 4.3 Figure 4.4. Figure 4.5 Figure 4.6 16 23 24 35 36 48 51 62 64 83 86 89 90 93 95 Local Context County and State Roads and Parks Existing Parks and Open Space Existing Land Uses Existing Zoning Roadway Classification Public Transportation Routes Commercial Areas Commercial Centers: Land Uses Gateway Districts Upper Village Proposals Municipal Place Proposals Possible long-term Municipal Place development strategy South Riverside/Harmon Gateway Proposals North End Gateway Proposals PAGE 1 CROTON COMPREHENSIVE PLAN 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1. Purpose and Function of the 2003 Comprehensive Plan Comprehensive plans are variously described as cookbooks, toolboxes, and blueprints, all providing guidance and strategies for a community’s future. As defined in NYS Planning and Zoning Law, a village comprehensive plan is a means to guide “the immediate and long-range protection, enhancement, growth and development of the Village.” The comprehensive planning process involves a variety of research and assessment tasks: review of past plans and objectives, analysis of historical trends and current conditions, identification of issues of concern, and formulation of recommendations for problem areas and opportunities. This work occurs in conjunction with public participation and outreach efforts (workshops, hearings, surveys), to assure that public opinion and input are an integral part of the planning process. To be effective as guidelines for future direction, the recommendations presented in the comprehensive plan should be framed by an overall vision for the community. This “vision” is also developed through review of past planning efforts, public input, and consultation with local officials and agency heads. The 2003 Comprehensive Plan was developed during a 16-month planning process, incorporating ideas and recommendations of Village officials, residents, and the Comprehensive Plan Committee. Extensive input from Croton-on-Hudson residents was obtained from three public workshop discussions and a mail survey of all Village residents. The public input, along with the research on existing conditions within the Village, helped define the guiding vision and the particular issues which the Plan will focus on. The Plan’s usefulness is therefore twofold: both in the decisionmaking and consensus building process that is involved in the creation of the Plan, and as a policy document guiding the future direction of Croton-on-Hudson. In order to serve as an effective guide, the Plan’s future land use recommendations are framed by a