tasks to be accomplished over the next five years and to articulate a vision for the Village. Public Workshops. Three public workshops were conducted between August 2000 and March 2001. The workshops, which were advertised in the local paper, on the Croton-on-Hudson website and on local access television, each had an impressive turnout of between 40 and 60 residents. Participants divided into discussion groups to focus on particular topics. Within each group, participants discussed their specific concerns and made preliminary recommendations which were recorded and presented to the entire assembly at the close of the workshop. Workshop Participants, August 2000 1 Resident Survey . In September 2000, the Village mailed 3,799 surveys, eliciting residents’ input on a range of topics relevant to Croton-on-Hudson’s character and future development. The response rate was a high 25%. The survey consisted of twelve questions concerning the Village’s character, commercial and retail amenities, public and recreational facilities, Village objectives and spending priorities and future development. The commitment of local residents to sharing their vision of Crotonon-Hudson was evidenced in the high level of participation in the planning process. All three workshops were well attended and the rate of return for the residential surveys was exceptionally high. The ideas, concerns and recommendations which evolved from these outreach efforts help ensure that the Plan focused on issues that are March 2001 Workshop 1 Although school district-related growth and planning issues were not in the mandate of this Comprehensive Plan, the survey developed information that could be of use to the school district. This information is available to be shared with the district. PAGE 4 CROTON COMPREHENSIVE PLAN of central importance to local residents. As a result of comments received at the Comprehensive Plan Committee’s Public Hearing, the committee added and further refined its recommendations. In addition to these outreach efforts, the Plan is presented at a public hearing for further comment prior to its adoption. SEQR review is also undertaken to evaluate any potentially significant environmental impacts that could result from the recommendations of the Comprehensive Plan. 1.4 Guiding Goals of the Comprehensive Plan The research and public participation stages of this comprehensive planning process provided the context for defining the scope and nature of issues and opportunities to be addressed in the Comprehensive Plan. Although numerous viewpoints and objectives have been presented, the vision for the Plan shared by most participants emphasizes the following overall goals for the future of Croton-on-Hudson: • • • preserving traditional qualities strengthening assets protecting resources. To realize these goals, the Plan emphasizes protecting, maintaining and enhancing Croton-on-Hudson’s unique features to the greatest extent possible: the waterfronts; parks, open space and trails; the low key, small-town quality; historic qualities and character; convenient transportation and pedestrian access; economic diversity and expanding the tax base. These goals and the Plan recommendations are discussed in more detail in Section 4.0. 1.5 Format of the Comprehensive Plan This document is structured in four major sections. This first section consists of the introduction to the Plan and the process. Section 2.0 describes Croton-on-Hudson’s history and past planning efforts. Section 3.0 describes the “existing conditions”: the Village’s physical environment, land use, zoning, population, housing, transportation, and community services, facilities, and utilities. Special planning areas (commercial districts and the Hudson River Waterfront) are also delineated. Section 4.0 describes the public participation process in more detail, and outlines the goals, objectives, and issues defined during the comprehensive planning process. That section also outlines specific recommendations for each issue area. PAGE 5 CROTON COMPREHENSIVE PLAN 2.0 CROTON-ON-HUDSON HISTORY AND PREVIOUS PLANNING EFFORTS 2.1 Croton-on-Hudson History Croton-on-Hudson was formally incorporated as a village in the Town of Cortlandt in 1898, but its history begins much earlier than that. Croton-on-Hudson’s colonial-era history dates back to the 17th century, and archaeological evidence indicates that it was populated by Native American Indians as early as 4950 BC. The Kitchawanc tribe, part of the Wappinger Confederacy of the Algonquin Nation, was native to the area and was responsible for several of the place names known in Croton-on-Hudson today. The Kitchawanc called the marsh separating Croton Point from Croton Neck "Senasqua," a name later used for the park further north. Croton itself is believed to be named for the Indian chief of the Kitchawanc tribe, Kenoten, which means "wild wind." A plaque on a rock at Croton Point Park marks the spot where a peace treaty was signed in 1645 between the Dutch and the Kitchawanc, under an old oak tree. More Dutch arrived in the following decades, at first to trade and then, by the 1660s, to settle in the area. In 1677, Stephanus Van Cortlandt, who later became the first native-born mayor of New York City, began acquiring land to create a manor and in 1697, a Royal Patent was issued designating the estate