ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

(LIST IN PROGRESS – ADDITIONAL NAMES TO BE ADDED IN THE NEXT REVISION)

Village of Nyack Board of Trustees

Mayor Nancy Blaker Weber

Deputy Mayor John Shields

Gordon Gebert

Richard Kavesh

Raymond T. O'Connell

Nyack Master Plan Steering Committee

Kieran Quinn, Chair

Ed Acker, Waterfront Committee Chair

Carolyn Cairns , Residential Committee Chair

John Dunnigan, Zoning Board of Appeals

Daniel Gottfried, Downtown Committee Chair

William Hodgson, Planning Board

Janet Hoshour, Project Coordinator

Kevin O'Donoghue, Parking Authority Chair

Peter Vermazen, Gateway Committee Chair

Art Wohlers, Parking Authority Alternate

Downtown Committee

Daniel Gottfried, Chair

(Names of other committee members to be added)

Gateway Committees

Peter Vermazen, Chair

(Names of other committee members to be added)

Residential Quality of Life Committee

Carolyn Cairns, Chair

(Names of other committee members to be added)

Waterfront Committee

Ed Acker, Chair

(Names of other committee members to be added)

Other Citizen Input and Assistance

Photography by J.C. Brotherhood, Evelyn Fitzgerald, Richard Kavesh, Jean Pardo and Marilyn Troy

(photographs to be added in the next revisions)

Jan and Lois Frivoll

John Lavelle

(Other names to be added)

Abeles Phillips Preiss & Shapiro, Inc.

John Shapiro, Principal-in-Charge

Paul Grygiel, AICP, Project Manager

Erik DeKok

Dalila Hall

Elizabeth Jordan

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Village Overview

The Village of Nyack is a special place, proud of its historic, scenic and socially heterogeneous character—quite unlike the suburbs that surround it. It is a small community with a population of fewer than 7,000 residents. Located on the west shore of the Hudson River just over 25 miles north of New York City , it is almost fully developed with a dense mix of uses, including a compact, urban downtown.

Nyack was incorporated as a Village as early as 1883, with the adjacent villages of South Nyack and Upper Nyack also incorporating around the same time. The majority of the Village's land area is located in the Town of Orangetown , with a small western appendage located in the Town of Clarkstown .

Though the Village has had a zoning code for a number of years, Nyack never has had a comprehensive plan for its development! There have been specific planning efforts throughout the years, including urban renewal plans in the middle part of the twentieth century, a downtown plan in 1978, and more recently a Local Waterfront Redevelopment Plan and Destination Parking Study. In view of the market, real estate and demographic changes of the 1990s, Village leaders decided that the preparation of a comprehensive plan should at last be undertaken.

1.2 Process

From the start, Nyack set about creating a plan that drew from its own strong sense of community.

In October 1998, planning professor John Mullin visited Nyack and coordinated a “town meeting” focusing on downtown Nyack. This well-attended event generated greater interest in planning for Nyack's future, resulting in the Village's decision to prepare a comprehensive master plan. A Master Plan Steering Committee was formed, chaired by former mayor Kieran Quinn and comprised of Village activists, civic leaders and Planning Board, Zoning Board of Appeals and Parking Authority representatives. Significantly, four topical committees were formed with equally diverse representation. The selected topics were the downtown, the gateway, the waterfront, and residential quality of life. These committees met over the course of a year to generate “bottom-up” plans for their topics.

Abeles Phillips Preiss & Shapiro, Inc. (APPS) was selected by the Village Board of Trustees in early 2000 to serve as the comprehensive plan consultant. A Village base map was prepared using data from the Rockland County Department of Planning's geographic information system. A survey of existing land uses in Nyack was completed and mapped. Demographic and economic information was obtained for the Village.

With this baseline of information, and over the next nine months, APPS worked in an iterative process with the four topical committees and the Steering Committee. A walking tour was conducted with each committee and APPS, at which issues were discussed in depth. APPS, the committees, Village staff and volunteers conducted additional research. The recommendations of each committee were distilled and revised.

A subsequent brainstorming workshop on each topic was staged. Each workshop was attended by both the Steering Committee and the relevant topical committee. The public was also invited, prompted by pre-publication of each topical committee's draft recommendations in the village newsletter (more on this later). These were not public hearings or presentations. Rather, the single-purpose agenda for each workshop, preceded by research and tours, provided the opportunity to delve deep into the potential recommendations.

While this interchange of ideas and priorities formed the core of the planning process, a variety of strategies were employed to generate more ideas and input. As some examples:

· In June 2000, a second Village-wide “town meeting” was staged on a Saturday morning. The chairpeople of the four topical committees each presented a summary of their draft ideas. The public responded. APPS moderated. The agenda for future work of the committees and consultants was set.

· A resident survey was designed, and distributed to all Nyack mailing addresses. In addition, surveys were made available at the public library and other public places. A total of 164 people responded, representing the normative response rate of over 2 percent.

· A merchant and business survey was also prepared and distributed through the mail and through drop-offs at virtually all downtown business premises. A total of 126 businesses responded, representing an unusually high response rate of over 25 percent.

· APPS met with a number of Village entities, including, in no particular order, the Village Treasurer, Building Department, Parking Authority, Village Historian and others.

· Volunteers were recruited at the start-up workshop and afterward to prepare specific research tasks, especially those that speak to the experience of Nyack as a place. These have included surveys of the most important vistas and scenic features of the village; photo essays on what people like and don't like in the built environment; maps showing sidewalk conditions; other maps showing which streets are considered particularly good or poor for pedestrians; maps and information on housing conditions; as well as maps and information on quality of life concerns, such as crime, sanitation, and safety.

· Information on the plan, including meeting dates and minutes, have been posted on the Village's website.

· The Village retained Janet Hoshour, Comprehensive Plan Project Manager, to coordinate the work of the committees, volunteers and consultant, as well as to be available for further outreach, interviews, and questions from the public.

· Set PowerPoint and slide presentations will be prepared. These presentations will be used by the Project Manager and Steering Committee and Topical Committee members to present the plan to smaller citizen groupings in order to obtain further input.

Along with the in-depth workshops, the most innovative aspect of the process has been the use of the Village's monthly newsletter (The Nyack Village News) for over a year, to generate ideas and broaden involvement. As noted, all of the workshops were advertised in the newsletter, with a printing of the initial recommendations of each of the topical committees. The newsletter printed the surveys and the survey results. This summer, the newsletter will invite people to submit their favorite traffic calming and landscape important ideas. This fall, the plan will be summarized in a special edition of the newsletter. The newsletter is mailed to every property owner and resident in the Village.

As shall be discussed, Nyack is not just a special place physically; it has a special sense of community. This plan recognizes and builds on that sense of community. It is truly a co-venture between the consultants (as out-of-towners) and the residents (as the true experts). The goal is to draft a plan that captures the enthusiasm of Nyack as a community, and can hold the Village in good stead for decades to come.

1.3 Document Organization

The remainder of this document consists of five major sections. The bulk of Comprehensive Master Plan is comprised of four chapters addressing the following topics:

· Downtown

· Gateway

· Waterfront

· Residential

As noted, these topics were selected early on by the Village of Nyack as the elements around which the Comprehensive Master Plan should be organized, instead of the typical plan elements such as land use, transportation and community facilities. This approach enabled in-depth analysis of the issues facing the downtown, main corridors leading in and out of the Village, and the waterfront, with issues particular to neighborhoods and quality of life addressed in the residential chapter.

The final chapter outlines the approach to implementation of the many recommendations set forth in the Comprehensive Master Plan. These include amendments to the Village's Zoning Ordinance, as well as actions that should be taken by various Village agencies and other entities.

1.4 Summary of Goals and Objectives

Downtown

Goal: To create a traditional downtown center that residents enjoy and in which they take pride.

Objectives:

· Promote and enhance downtown amenities and social character.

· Promote and enhance downtown's historic yet eclectic design character.

· Enhance the urban mixed-use character of downtown.

· Enhance walkability throughout downtown.

· Address perceived and actual parking problems.

· Improve connections between downtown Nyack and the rest of the village, particularly the waterfront.

Gateway

Goal: To generate new and higher-value development that can afford to pay for needed on- and off-site improvements.

Objectives:

· Enhance uses and the walkability of the entire Gateway.

· Pursue a design vision and image for the Thruway area other than a typical suburban corridor.

· Redesign the Thruway underpass and ramps to address the Village' design and safety concerns.

· Enhance the character of the Hillside Area as a transition to downtown.

· Protect and enhance the predominantly residential character of the Highland Avenue area.

Goal: To maximize the Hudson River as the Village's defining visual, open space and recreational amenity.

· Protect views and improve connections between the waterfront and the rest of the Village, particularly downtown.

· Enhance Memorial Park, with better lighting, security, access and amenities.

· Make Nyack more of a destination for low-impact boating and other water-oriented activities.

Goal: To protect the physical and social qualities that make Nyack a special community, in the full sense of the word.

· Problem-solve to ensure that Nyack remains a place where a wide variety of residents can find a home.

2. DOWNTOWN

Downtown serves many purposes for the Village's residents, business community, neighbors and visitors to the area. It is a regional antiquing and dining attraction, an employment center, a residential area, and a cultural center. It features festivals and a farmers' market, Village and private offices, theaters and museums, restaurants and nightclubs. Above all else, it is the heart of the village's active social life. People have numerous reasons to visit downtown Nyack, including the chance to window shop, dine, meet friends, people-watch and run into acquaintances.

Various land uses are located in downtown Nyack, including a dense core of street-level commercial uses with residential and office uses on upper floors. However there is concern among residents that it does not have enough businesses that provide a variety of merchandise for everyday needs. Though convenient to highways and highly walkable, residents and merchants both view parking as a serious concern. Residents and merchants alike are generally pleased with the variety and quality of restaurants and entertainment in downtown, but some residents are put out by the anti-social behavior sometimes associated with the downtown's many bars and bistros. While certain businesses and public facilities, such as the post office and library, are places where residents and workers can interact, there is not one central downtown gathering place. Downtown is a regional attraction, but it is constantly facing challenges from other attractions in the region for visitors. Downtown's streetscape harks back to the nineteenth century, yet has little connection to its own historic waterfront. It is a valuable asset for the village, but there is much that could be done to improve the area.

Therefore the following objectives have been set for downtown Nyack:

A. Promote and enhance downtown amenities and social character.

B. Promote and enhance downtown's historic yet eclectic design character.

C. Enhance the urban mixed-use character of downtown.

D. Enhance walkability throughout downtown.

E. Address perceived and actual parking problems.

F. Improve connections between downtown Nyack and the rest of the village, particularly the waterfront.

The overall goal is to create a traditional downtown center that residents enjoy and in which they take pride.

2.1 Description

Overview

In its earliest years, Nyack was focused on the waterfront. But when the railroad came to Nyack, its center shifted up the hill to the area around the depot. A large number of downtown Nyack's commercial buildings were constructed in the late nineteenth century as Nyack become more accessible due to the railroad (long since gone). Improved land transportation, culminating in the construction of the New York State Thruway with an exit just west of downtown, cemented the importance of downtown Nyack to the Village and also Rockland County .

Through these years Nyack's downtown has reinvented itself a number of times. Focusing on the past century, as downtown declined due in part to increased suburbanization and the loss of businesses to highway locations, significant portions of downtown Nyack were redeveloped in the 1950s and 1960s. The physical changes to downtown from urban renewal include the main Village parking lot south of Franklin and Main Streets, the bi-level Nyack Plaza shopping center and theater on Main Street , and adjacent multi-family residential buildings. Urban renewal removed blight, but left physical scars in downtown. In the late 1960s, downtown's revitalization began quietly with the arrival of Christopher's Antiques on South Broadway. More antique dealers came to downtown Nyack in subsequent years, followed by boutiques and restaurants of various types.

The core of downtown Nyack is located along Main Street , Broadway, Franklin Street and some adjacent streets. The western edge of downtown is not strictly defined, but it ends in the vicinity of Mill Street , at the foot of the Main Street hill. The total commercial floor area in downtown Nyack is approximately 300,000 square feet.

Market Support

Downtown Nyack was once Rockland County 's commercial center. Therefore the physical size of downtown is based upon serving residents from well beyond the limits of the Village. Since the early twentieth century, however, Rockland County has grown to nearly 300,000 residents served by numerous commercial areas spread along major roadways, while Nyack today is a community of just under 7,000 residents.

According to surveyed merchants, less than 40 percent of downtown Nyack's customers come from the Nyacks (see Table 1). Figures for the Helen Hayes Performing Arts Center's audience portray similar geographic characteristics.

Table 1: Downtown Nyack Customer Base

Nyack, Upper Nyack , South Nyack	38%
Other Rockland or Orange County	25%
Westchester or Connecticut	9%
New Jersey	9%
New York City	7%
Wholesale/E-Commerce	3%
Other	6%
No response	3%
TOTAL	100%

Source: Nyack Business Survey, 2000

These figures demonstrate that downtown Nyack needs and garners regional visitors to support its commercial space and amenities. Yet in some ways downtown is a victim of its own success. Residents of Nyack have expressed the desire to have a downtown that provides convenience retail and other services for Village residents, while also providing space for locally owned businesses that are true to the community's character. One major problem is that downtown Nyack has limited space for larger stores that could provide resident conveniences. The desirability of downtown combined with its generally small store sizes have caused higher and yet higher rents that make it difficult for start-up as well as larger businesses to find suitable space.

Land Uses and Attractions

While there is a mix of uses in downtown, its primary attractions today are specialty shops (such as antique and arts and craft stores) and entertainment (theaters, restaurants and nightclubs). According to a survey of merchants, Nyack's commercial establishments are busy year-round, although the busiest months of the year for many businesses are November and December, and the slowest months are July and August. This is due to the emphasis of establishments on comparison shopping for furniture, gifts, etc.

There are also various types of residential units located in the downtown area. These include upper floor apartments above retail uses, multiple-family residential buildings, one- and two-family homes and one-family homes converted to multiple dwellings. Downtown multifamily developments include Nyack Plaza family and senior apartments, and Tallman Towers . These residential uses contribute to downtown's mixed-use, urban feel.

Various community facilities also contribute to this quality, with three particular facilities housed in historic buildings located on South Broadway. Nyack Library is located in a Carnegie-funded building constructed in 1903 (with subsequent additions). The YMCA's building was constructed in 1928. The Nyack Post Office was constructed in 1933. Other downtown institutions include Nyack Center , the Senior Center , Head Start and several houses of worship.

There are a number of cultural facilities in downtown. These include the Hopper House museum, the Elmwood Playhouse community theater and the Helen Hayes Performing Arts Center. The Helen Hayes is a theater with approximately 600 seats located in Nyack Plaza on the south side of Main Street between Franklin and Cedar Streets. In a typical recent year, it was home to six plays and dozens of concerts, children's events and special events, with total attendance of over 100,000 patrons.

Special events in downtown include the Arts, Crafts and Antique Dealers Association of the Nyacks (ACADA) street fairs, various Chamber of Commerce-sponsored events such as Springfest and Septemberfest, the Memorial Day and Halloween parades, the fire inspection parade and First Night, the Village's New Year's Eve celebration. A farmers' market is held on Thursdays from June to October in the main parking lot.

There is limited transit service to downtown. The Red and Tan line (Rockland Coaches) provides regional bus service to New York City from Nyack. The line recently added service to midtown Manhattan from Nyack, in addition to its existing service to the George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal. Transport of Rockland (TOR) provides local bus service between Nyack and Haverstraw, Pearl River , Spring Valley , Suffern and intermediate points. Tappan Zee Express bus service also connects Nyack commuters to the Tarrytown Metro North railroad station.

Downtown parking is provided in public parking lots, private parking lots and on-street (curbside) spaces, both metered and unmetered. Public parking lots are managed by the Nyack Parking Authority and include the main lot on Main Street between Franklin and Cedar Streets as well as smaller lots on the periphery of downtown. Private parking is provided by some larger uses, such as HSBC Bank, First Union Bank and Presidential Life. On-street parking is available on most downtown streets, with meters on various streets in the core of the area. Parking is also provided for bicycles in various locations.

Parking is the top downtown issue among both residents and businesses alike. A quarter of residents surveyed indicated that parking regulations and the lack of parking are what they like least about downtown Nyack. Nearly 60 percent of residents and over two-thirds of merchants rated the availability of parking in downtown as poor or very poor. Of those few merchants who complained about a loss of customers in the past five years, most attributed the cause to parking problems. However residents and businesses differ as to whether the construction of a garage is the solution to the perceived parking problems.

That's because there is no one simple solution to parking problems. The Nyack Parking Authority has been active in trying to address parking problems through measures such as providing new capacity and shifting the allocation of spaces for longer-term parking. The Parking Authority and Chamber of Commerce also have studied this issue, with some interesting findings. Whether or not there is adequate overall parking supply downtown, the larger problem is really how the convenient spaces are allocated.

2.2 Recommendations

A. Promote and enhance downtown amenities and social character.

A1. Provide a Village Green to the east or west (as preferred) of the Helen Hayes Performing Arts Center. Downtown Nyack has a mix of stores, services, public facilities and events that is almost unheard of for a village this size. The one thing that keeps it from being a nearly perfect traditional downtown is its lack of a central gathering place. The need for a Village Green was highlighted at the downtown workshop moderated by Professor John Mullin in 1998, the village-wide forum in June 2000 and all of the downtown workshops. Veterans' Park provides some downtown open space, but it is generally underused and is neither large enough nor properly designed to accommodate full-scale community events. With the discussions of the possible expansion and redevelopment of the Helen Hayes Performing Arts Center and rearrangement of the main parking lot, the time is right to consider the provision of a Village Green. A Village Green located along Main Street to the west of the Helen Hayes would be prominent, serve as an attractive entry to the theater and better connect the theater to Main Street . Other options could also be considered in the area. Whatever site and design are adopted, there should be no net loss of public parking from the provision of a Village Green.

A2. Explore options to resurface the buried stream running through downtown as part of the Village Green. This idea was raised by Village residents at the Master Plan kickoff forum. Opening up the stream would have aesthetic benefits. It could also help alleviate flooding in parts of downtown, an issue that was mentioned throughout the plan preparation process. However, it should be part of a larger effort to ensure that prime parking spaces are not lost. This action should be considered a long-term objective due to the cost and effort that would be involved.

A3. Increase the number and quality of downtown gathering and sitting areas. Downtown has a few locations where pedestrians can stop and sit. Some of these are small but well used, such as the benches in front of Village Hall or in Veterans' Park. Other locations that attract crowds, particularly in front of various stores, are not designed to handle large numbers of people and create problems with noise and trash. Additional gathering places should be provided that have adequate facilities such as benches, trash receptacles and lighting. Attention should be paid to ensuring that the location of such facilities does not create nuisances for neighboring properties.

A4. Provide public restrooms to enhance downtown's attractiveness for shoppers and other visitors, mindful of security and maintenance issues. The need for public restrooms has been raised by both residents and the business community. There are four possible places that should be considered for downtown public restrooms: the proposed public market, a portion of an expanded Helen Hayes Performing Arts Center, the proposed Chamber of Commerce visitors’ center, and a kiosk in a redesigned main parking lot. A preferred location should be selected as part of these projects as they move forward.

A5. Increase the number of trash and recycling receptacles. Litter was cited by residents as the third largest problem in downtown (after parking and a lack of stores and services for residents). While this problem could be addressed by the Village, the experience of other downtowns throughout the Tri-State area is that it is best addressed by a downtown business improvement district (BID), as discussed next.

A6. Promote the creation of a BID (business improvement district). A BID is a tool used primarily by commercial districts as a means to organize and finance supplemental services for an area. The BID mechanism allows property owners and merchants to organize as a group to use a municipality's tax collection powers to voluntarily "assess" themselves. Funds are collected by the municipality and returned in their entirety to the BID, which utilizes the funds to purchase supplemental services such as sanitation, security, promotions and special events. Funds can also be used for capital improvements such as street furniture, trees, signage and lighting. The BID also could work with the Parking Authority to address parking problems. Unlike a merchant association, which is voluntary, a BID has the power of law behind it and thus provides a steady stream of income for continuous improvements and programs. This approach could be used in Nyack to bolster the Village's support of downtown improvements. According to merchants surveyed, two-thirds of business owners live in the Nyacks, and two-thirds of business owners support a BID as a way to pay for parking improvements in the Village. Both of these statistics bode well in terms of public support for a well-conceived BID.

A7. Retain and strengthen calendar of events. Over half of the Village's residents surveyed considered downtown's events, festivals and promotions as very good. The selection of events offered is one of downtown's main assets, which strengthens its character as well as the social character of the Village. However it is important that the primary focus of these events remains local in nature. There is too much competition from the New York region and too little space and road capacity in the Village for Nyack to compete on a regular basis in the larger marketplace.

B. Promote and enhance downtown's historic yet eclectic design character.

B1. Provide a consistent palette of lighting, landscaping, and sidewalks throughout downtown's public domains. The general layout and design of downtown is Victorian, but with funky and artistic elements mixed in. While some consistency can be achieved among downtown public spaces, the mix of building types and facade styles are somewhat varied and should continue to be. Any effort to unite downtown should be done through historic streetscape elements, not slavish adherence to historic building, facade and signage standards. The core area to initially target for these elements is Main Street from Broadway to Franklin Street as well as Broadway and Franklin Street from Main Street to Cedar Hill Avenue .

B2 Encourage better but still varied signage; employ a sign amortization law to bring all signs into compliance after ten years. A mix of signs adds to the charm of downtown, but within certain boundaries. The internal use of neon signs should be permitted, but they should not be permitted on the exterior of buildings. Vertical signs should be permitted, but the cheap look of black lettering on white backgrounds should be discouraged. Sandwich board signs that block sidewalks should be prohibited, but not kiosks where multiple businesses might advertise. Signs blocking window displays and views into stores should be discouraged. In short, the Village should employ a handful of prohibitions and much jawboning to promote varied but tasteful signage.

B3. Provide public art and additional seasonal displays. Nyack is proud of its creative character, and downtown is a natural place to showcase its creativity. The periodic installation of artwork and displays would say a lot more about Nyack than simply limiting seasonal displays or pole-mounted banners that are common to so many other downtowns.

B4. Promote compatibility in scale, density, design, and orientation between new and existing development. To help ensure the general continuation of a walkable, historically scaled building pattern, the Village should establish maximum setback, maximum floor area, and minimum height requirements for downtown development in addition to existing requirements. Regulations should mandate that buildings face the street. Combining individual parcels for development should be contingent on a special permit, demonstrating that the historic character, scale, orientation and mix of uses of the site(s) and downtown will be enhanced. These regulations would close the loopholes in zoning regulations that permit development that is out of character with downtown and its pedestrian-oriented, mixed-use character. Furthermore, the typical older commercial building in downtown Nyack includes the following design elements: first floor with glass and thin wood mullion storefront topped by a cornice band with a sign panel, second and third floors with three vertical double hung windows across and a top wood or brick cornice. Urban design guidelines should use these standards as a basis, with some flexibility to allow creative design that still fits in with downtown.

B5. Encourage redevelopment and redesign of the periphery of the Helen Hayes Performing Arts Center to better front Main Street . The theater's management has prepared preliminary plans for expanding its facilities and improving the retail component. It is clear that the existing design of the building has not been successful and that improvements are necessary. However, whatever is done on this site will last for decades, as the current development has, so care must be taken to ensure an appropriate design for this key parcel. One prime consideration of any redevelopment plans is to reconnect this block to Main Street at street level along its frontage. Building design also could enable upper floor uses for the theater and other non-retail tenants that would add to the downtown mix. The opportunity to create a Village Green is a third key element, as described earlier. And the preservation of parking is a fourth, as described later.

B6. Obtain funding from outside sources for technical assistance for storefront and building facade improvements. The residential survey indicated that the appearance of downtown stores is very important—15 percent of businesses surveyed planned to improve their storefronts within the next five years—and an amortization clause has been recommended for non-conforming signage. Technical assistance programs for these types of improvements are preferable to grants or tax incentives, as they reduce red tape and the inevitable “cookie cutter” solutions, which hamper design creativity. Furthermore, while there are generally insignificant cost differentials, technical assistance yields dramatic appearance improvements. It is, in short, more cost effective to provide “free” advice to many business and property owners than throw a lot of money at a handful of projects, even assuming that only half of the technical assistance recipients follow through on the advice.

C. Enhance the urban mixed-use character of downtown.

C1. Maintain a diverse mix of land uses. Downtown Nyack has stores selling old books and antiques; restaurants serving tacos to Thai food; and offices, services and a mix of other amenities often not found in suburban communities with populations ten times that of Nyack. However the quality and diversity of stores in downtown still are issues that were raised in the residential survey, as many believe that downtown is more slanted towards luxury boutiques than everyday goods. In fact residents considered the lack of stores and services for residents to be downtown's number two problem, after parking. As a large number of Nyack residents work at home or elsewhere in the village (one-third of residents surveyed work in Nyack!), there is a significant local market for convenience retail and services. Examples of these businesses include office supply stores and copying and mailing centers for those with home offices or small businesses, as well as general convenience retail for Village residents.

C2. Encourage—maybe even spend public money on—a downtown public market or supermarket. A possible site is the former Tappan Zee Playhouse on Broadway at Church Street , which is Village-owned. This location is centrally located in downtown, and more importantly would help connect the Main Street portion of downtown with the South Broadway downtown node a few blocks south. Other sites deserve consideration, including (1) a market in connection with the proposed Chamber of Commerce Transportation Center (to be discussed), (2) the Jackson Hose fire station on Park Street , and (3) the portion of the parking lot abutting Franklin Street . Location criteria for this use include providing parking on one side of the market and an entrance from Main Street or Broadway on the other side. But whatever the location and form the market takes, it must be affordable and provide goods for downtown and other Village residents. A market also could provide additional public amenities, such as gallery space or a public reception hall. It also serves as an incubator for small businesses, which can grow from shared space over time into permanent locations.

C3. Enhance the farmers' market; expand hours for the relocated farmers' market to include weekend mornings. The market is an important downtown attraction, particularly as July and August are slow months for downtown merchants. While the market is popular at its existing Thursday time slot, it could draw additional shoppers downtown on one or both weekend mornings. The farmers' market could be relocated to join with the proposed public market or possibly other downtown improvements.

C4. Mandate ground floor retail uses (including restaurants and realtors) along Main Street ( North Mill Street to Broadway), Broadway ( High Avenue to Church Street/Remsen Street , Hudson to Cedar Hill Avenues) and Franklin Street ( Main Street to Cedar Hill Avenue ). Nyack has a walkable downtown. The pedestrian experience is enhanced by the provision of interesting windows at street level, and is lessened by blank spaces and unused window areas.

C5. Strengthen regulations for bars and outdoor dining to address concerns such as noise, crime and proximity to residences. Nyack increasingly has become a nightlife destination for Rockland County and nearby areas. While bar and restaurant patrons generally are responsible and add to downtown's vitality and economic health, there are impacts on adjacent areas from rowdy patrons as well as increased traffic and parking demand. Noise is a particular concern where bars are located in proximity to residential uses. Zoning regulations should be tightened to address these concerns. While there is no one solution to this problem, options that should be considered include: (1) modifying closing hours, (2) restricting access of new patrons to bars after a certain time, (3) enacting clustering or spacing requirements, and (4) providing increased enforcement of “nuisance” offenses in the late night and early morning hours.

C6. Promote residential and artist live/work space. Adding residents to a downtown adds to the street life, which in turn can increase safety and provide additional customers for businesses. The provision of live/work space, primarily geared towards artists, has become an increasingly popular way to stabilize or revitalize older downtowns and urban areas. Artists generally require large spaces that are affordable, yet have relatively convenient access to the arts market, transportation and residential amenities, such as shopping, schools and recreation. These are features that downtown Nyack offers, lending credibility to an arts center. Artist and other live/work space should be permitted in downtown in the existing C-1, C-1A and D-D Zones as well as the existing downtown portion of the M Zone.

C7. Encourage office uses on the upper floor of buildings. The addition of office workers would increase the number of people downtown during the day on weekdays. Office uses also would help balance the mix of downtown commercial uses in terms of the need for services and would have a positive impact on tax ratables. Providing additional office space downtown would increase the possibility of existing small professional businesses in Nyack remaining in the Village as they grow.

C8. Promote small-scale overnight accommodations in or near downtown. Despite the Village's small size, Nyack has the possibility of attracting a boutique hotel or inn due to its convenient highway access, urban amenities and positive image as a regional tourist destination. This type of use should be permitted in all non-residential zones by special permit, with stringent requirements to ensure that the design is consistent with the surrounding area and that negative impacts are limited. (Note: as with retail uses, larger-scale hotels should be located in the Thruway area of the Gateway.)

C9. Support downtown community facilities, including the library, YMCA and Helen Hayes Performing Arts Center . These institutions add to the mix of uses and bring visitors to downtown. Despite what these uses add to the community, it is sometimes not feasible for certain community facilities to remain in a downtown area. The Village should encourage the existing clustering of civic and cultural uses downtown to the extent possible, but be prepared to address the void left if any of its anchors leave. The adaptive reuse of existing structures should be encouraged where appropriate.

C10. Support a transportation center in downtown. Most downtown buses stop along Cedar Street adjacent to Veterans' Park. As other improvements are made in this immediate area, it may be appropriate to relocate the existing bus stop or incorporate it into the design of new buildings. For example, the Chamber of Commerce is proposing the construction of a new visitors' center in this location that could include a bus stop and public rest rooms. This project could serve a number of purposes, particularly serving as central starting point for downtown visitors, and a place to find clean and attractive rest rooms. This potential project should be integrated into the larger design for the superblock including the main parking lot. Any building in this location should be pulled up to the sidewalk line and not set back from the street as the Helen Hayes is at present.

D. Enhance walkability throughout downtown.

D1. Provide safe and attractive sidewalks. Nearly half of residential survey respondents walk to downtown on a regular basis and over two-thirds of residents surveyed describe downtown's walkability as “very good.” Keeping sidewalks to and from downtown in good repair, well lit and shaded is not just a matter of civic pride, but also good business. (So, for that matter, are all of the other pedestrian enhancements presented here.)

D2. Protect pedestrians in the crosswalk with pavers, bump-outs and signage. These techniques are useful ways of dealing with twenty-first century trucks and other traffic on a nineteenth century street grid.

D3. Prohibit new curb cuts on Main Street and Broadway in the core downtown area. The addition of new driveways in the areas with the heaviest pedestrian traffic would have significant detrimental impacts on walkability, and therefore should be strongly eschewed.

D4. Provide additional street trees, in a manner sensitive to uses. Street trees provide shade in summer and character all year round. Tree species that bloom high are preferred, since they are less likely to obscure views of storefronts. Likewise, clusters of trees should be located in front of open lots, with thinner groupings in front of stores.

D5. Provide adequate street and sidewalk lighting, with minimal impacts on adjoining residences. The Village (and/or BID) should explore the possibility of taking back ownership and maintenance of light fixtures. If, over time, Orange & Rockland decides to get out of the lighting business, it may be willing to sell poles to the Village for as little as one dollar per pole. Street lighting maintenance and power is approximately $40 per pole per month. So if downtown has, for example, 100 poles, the total annual cost would be roughly $600,000 per year. A business plan should be prepared to assure that this cost is recouped.

D6. Prohibit solid security gates; promote awnings. Solid roll-down gates detract from the pedestrian and window-shopping character of downtown, and unnecessarily increase the perception of danger. Where gates are considered necessary by a property owner, other options such as see-through mesh gates (which are now far more affordable) or increased internal store security should be promoted. Awnings on the other hand add to the character of downtown, and provide needed shade and shelter in the summer and rain. Discretionary approvals should be linked to awnings, wherever they are appropriate.

D7. Promote infill development. Vacant lots and breaks in retail frontage detract from the downtown's pedestrian quality and unity. This is especially a problem on Franklin Street and Main Street , where urban renewal has left its mark. Incentives should therefore be provided, such as permitting 100 percent lot coverage in connection with the provision of off-site parking. In addition, small pavilions should be encouraged on the periphery of the main parking lot to increase street life along Main and Franklin Streets. However any development involving existing parking lots must ensure that there is no net loss of parking.

D8. Encourage merchants to stay open on weekend evenings, or to at least keep stores lit at night. Adding lighted and active storefronts to the evening street scene encourages pedestrian activity and adds to the feeling of safety and security for downtown visitors and residents.

E. Address perceived and actual parking problems.

E1. Provide additional on-street parking spaces through re-striping, removing curb cuts, and diagonal parking. There is limited space for parking on the sides of streets, but heavy demand for these spaces. The Chamber study found, for instance, that at peak times there was 72 percent utilization of off-street parking, but 82 percent utilization of public on-street parking. The Nyack Destination Parking Study found that 73 percent of all shoppers parked on the street. Where possible, existing parking should be modified to permit additional parking. While the gain is incremental on any one block, the aggregate gain can be quite large and, given the minimal cost of re-striping, re-curbing and moving meters, quite cost-effective. The Nyack Destination Parking Study found that there are 280 curbside parking spaces, and a demand for 355 spaces. The goal should be to increase on-street parking by 75 spaces.

E2. Dedicate the most convenient off-street parking spaces to short-term parking; move long term parking areas to outlying lots. As noted, there are three main types of parking that need to be provided downtown: short-term for impulse shoppers, medium-term for shoppers and diners and long-term for employees. A major problem in downtown is when long-term parkers, such as merchants, use spaces that would be better utilized by short-term visitors. Extrapolating from our merchant surveys, approximately 50 on-street spaces are used by merchants, which exacerbates the parking shortage. The Parking Authority has been successful in shifting allocation of spaces to some extent to encourage long-term visitors to park in fringe areas, where there is adequate capacity. This approach should be continued and expanded.

E3. Acquire and build additional small-scale at-grade lots in locations close to the downtown core area, especially along New Street and Park Street . A parking garage has been suggested as a solution to the parking problem. However it is difficult for a garage to work—and be worth the very substantial investment—without a major captive audience such as that generated by a courthouse or hospital. Shoppers and diners in a downtown of this scale generally prefer on-street spaces and surface parking lots, which should be encouraged. The Nyack Destination Parking Study notes a shortage of off-street parking in the area north of Main Street near Broadway, and on southern Broadway. Given the limited number of possible on-street spaces in the downtown core, additional small lots should be constructed on underutilized property on New and Park Streets, and, should they ever vacate, automotive sites on South Broadway. The design of these lots must be sympathetic to the surrounding area, with adequate screening and landscaping, minimal curb cuts and provision of pedestrian and bicycle amenities.

E4. Promote shared parking for multiple uses. Downtown has a wide mix of uses, some of which have different times of peak use. In addition, some smaller private parking lots use more space than necessary to maintain separate access points. When possible, these uses should share parking facilities, thereby maximizing usage of spaces and reducing the need for new parking. This approach could be used to lessen requirements for new construction, as well as in connection with “grandfathering” of parking requirements for pre-existing non-conforming uses. Shared parking can be provided by the private sector or through turning adjacent lots over to the Parking Authority for public use, with credit given to those properties giving up parking spaces.

E5. Improve the “readability” of parking options for visitors. There are currently some signs directing downtown visitors to parking areas, but these are limited in number and in the information they provide. By providing clear to follow signs that direct visitors to off-street parking, the impression of easy access to parking is created. Intercepting drivers as they approach downtown also would reduce congestion in the core. Signs should have specific information directing visitors to particular lots for specific destinations, such as the Helen Hayes Performing Arts Center or waterfront attractions.

E6. Direct drivers going to and from the main parking lot to use Franklin Street for access. Routing additional traffic to Franklin Street and off Main Street in the core area would benefit businesses along Franklin Street and help reduce congestion in the core area without inconveniencing drivers.

E7. Reconfigure existing lots to increase their landscaping and attractiveness, especially at night, and in sync with expansion of parking spaces elsewhere. It is clear from the planning process that whatever solution is developed for the parking problem, Nyackers do not want downtown to become a sea of large surface parking lots. Some of the existing parking lots around downtown provide valuable spaces, but in some cases at the expense of adequate landscaping and buffering. The Village and Parking Authority should set an example for private parking lot owners by enhancing the visual appeal and reduction of environmental impacts of their own lots. Landscaping and trees should be provided both on the perimeter of parking lots as well as in aisles. Safe yet attractive night lighting of lots also must be provided. The Nyack Destination Parking Study noted that 100 percent of diners in Nyack drove, and 83 percent parked in lots.

E8. Redesign public and private parking on the Nyack Plaza superblock to create more attractive and better used parking and open space amenities. The existing main parking lot is most important to downtown due to its size and central location. It also should be reserved mostly for shorter-term parking due to its convenient location. The distribution of spaces could be changed on this lot and its design altered to provide at least as much parking in this area. The lot also should be both inviting and attractive. As part of this redesign, Artopee Way should be closed to enable more efficient design. Primary access to this facility should be from Franklin Street (as discussed above) and Church Street , so as to direct traffic away from the more congested area of Main Street between Cedar Street and Broadway.

E8. Work with the Parking Authority to resolve existing concerns. There is (and will always be) both justified and unreasonable grousing with regard to issues such as enforcement, hours of meters, convenience of parking, and landscaping of parking lots. Ideas should be pursued as described above to provide additional capacity and reallocate existing resources. One particular approach could be to provide short-term parking in front of uses with high turnover, such as the Post Office or banks, medium-term parking for the rest of on-street spaces and in the most convenient portions of off-street lots and long-term parking elsewhere. The Nyack Parking Authority generally has done an admirable job of managing parking demand and increasing supply in downtown. It should be encouraged to work with the Chamber of Commerce, Village and civic groups to continuously problem-solve parking provision, design, and regulation.

F. Improve connections between downtown Nyack and the rest of the Village, particularly the waterfront.

F1. Enhance views of the Hudson River from Broadway and Main Street . The Hudson River is arguably Nyack's most important natural resource and one of its primary identifying characteristics. Maintaining and improving visual connections to the river from downtown will help remind visitors of the waterfront connection. It will also remind visitors of why Nyack, as a river village, is different from inland communities and downtowns.

F2. Use signage to direct visitors to the waterfront. Despite the short distance from the downtown core area to the waterfront, there is little to indicate the connections between these two areas. As noted above, the connection to the Hudson River is part of what makes Nyack special. A synergy between waterfront uses and downtown will enhance both areas, and provide reasons for visitors to stay in Nyack longer. In addition, getting visitors used to traversing the small hill between downtown and the waterfront may increase the use of fringe parking areas towards the waterfront by downtown visitors.

F3. Extend street tree, sidewalk and sidewalk lighting strategies to cross streets. The core area of downtown is rightfully the focus of many of the recommended streetscape improvements, as these areas have the heaviest foot traffic and concentration of uses in the area. Over time, however, physical improvements made along Main Street , Broadway and Franklin Street should spill out onto adjacent streets, and not just end at the corner.

3. GATEWAY

When one thinks of the Village of Nyack , what are the images that come to mind? The Hudson River waterfront. A vibrant downtown with a diverse mix of shops, restaurants and cultural amenities. Historic and charming homes and neighborhoods. Yet when many people arrive in Nyack, their point of entry into the Village is through an area that has little to do with these cherished images of Nyack—through one of several automotive-oriented corridors that could be located off any highway in any suburban community.

The “Gateway” area of the Village of Nyack begins at a break in the Palisades ridge through which the New York State Thruway and Route 59 funnel thousands of vehicles daily to and from the Tappan Zee Bridge . It spills down Main Street into downtown Nyack, as well as into other parts of the Village to the north and south along Highland Avenue (Route 9W). Thus, the Gateway consists of three somewhat distinct areas that are described below: the Thruway area, the Hillside area and the Highland Avenue area.

The overall appearance and function of the Gateway area are generally the result of automobile influences. Yet it is acknowledged that automotive-oriented uses are necessary and sometimes appropriate in certain areas. The challenge is how to accommodate high volumes of vehicular traffic and larger-scale uses while providing some indication that this area is part of the Village of Nyack , with distinctive architecture, attractive urban design treatments and pedestrian and bicyclist amenities where appropriate.

Therefore the following objectives have been set for Nyack's Gateway area:

A. Enhance uses and the walkability of the entire Gateway.

B. Pursue a design vision and image for the Thruway area other than a typical suburban corridor.

C. Redesign the Thruway underpass and ramps to address the Village's design and safety concerns.

D. Enhance the character of the Hillside area as a transition to downtown.

E. Protect and enhance the predominantly residential character of the Highland Avenue area.

The areas immediately surrounding the two parts of the interchange include numerous automotive-oriented land uses. These commercial uses include fast food restaurants, gas stations, automotive dealers and strip centers, as well as the only overnight accommodations in the Village. There are also some offices and light industrial uses in this area. The lack of assemblages in this area hinders cohesive development, and promotes auto-oriented and other uses that do not reflect the latent value associated with real estate next to a major highway interchange. The Thruway interchanges themselves pose congestion and safety problems in the immediate area, and promote traffic congestion as much as several blocks away due to traffic heading to and from the Thruway. Nonetheless, the interchange is a vital link to the regional highway network, without which the downtown, Nyack Hospital and residential values would decline.

The section of Main Street from Highland Avenue to downtown includes a mix of uses as well as a development pattern that is not quite downtown, not quite highway-oriented. There are varied commercial uses in this area, including antique stores, other types of destination retail and bars and restaurants. Mixed in also are various types of residential uses. The Hillside Area provides views of the Hudson River , and the character of this area is influenced by buildings built mainly at the end of the nineteenth and earlier part of the twentieth centuries. There is limited off-street parking in this area provided on private lots, although a Village Parking Authority lot is located at close to the Hillside area on the north side of Main Street.

the northern section of the Gateway is generally more residential in nature, although a notable exception in this area is Nyack Hospital . The Hospital is located between Highland and Midland Avenues and Fifth Avenue and Sickles Street, with an accessory parking lot located approximately one-quarter mile north on the west side of Highland Avenue. BOCES (the former Nyack High School ) is located across Midland Avenue from the Hospital and the “new” Nyack High School also is located in this general area a short distance north of the Village border. This street also is designated as US Route 9W, and it carries relatively high volumes of traffic. Residential uses along Highland Avenue and in its general vicinity include one- and two-family homes as well as multiple-family dwellings. There are some larger lots in this area that could be redeveloped, such as the former Nissan dealership just north of Nyack Hospital on the east side of Highland Avenue .

A1. Provide safe, attractive, well-lit and landscaped walkways throughout the area. Efforts should be made to provide adequate sidewalks and walkways in light of the high volumes and speed of traffic in much of the Gateway. Sidewalks and walkways are particularly important to connect to destinations such as Nyack Hospital and bus stops. Shade trees and pedestrian-oriented lighting should be provided.

A2. Require buffer areas between commercial and residential development, as well as between other possibly non-compatible land uses. The nature of the mix of uses in the Gateway is different than that in downtown Nyack. Whereas downtown is pedestrian-oriented and densely developed, much of the Gateway is spread out and auto-oriented. Many of the particular types of uses that should be located in the Gateway have impacts due to large parking areas and high turnover of vehicular traffic. Adequate buffering should be provided between these types of uses and residential properties. The zoning regulations could require different buffer types for different uses and lot sizes, perhaps as special permit requirements.

A3. Enact and promote shared parking for multiple uses. The provision of large parking areas required for many of the types of uses permitted in the Gateway area consumes significant amounts of land, particularly when individual lots with separate access points are provided for a series of neighboring properties. Shared access and circulation should be permitted for adjacent parking lots in commercial zones if cross-access easements are provided. The reduction of the number of total required spaces should be allowed for uses documented to have differing peak times of traffic generation.

A4. Consider extending a downtown BID to the Gateway. A BID (business improvement district) could provide a regular revenue stream with which to create and maintain landscaping and design improvements in the area, primarily in the public right-of-way. This idea could be pursued (1) after a possible downtown BID proves successful, providing a management structure for a BID that extends to the Gateway; and (2) as redevelopment takes place in the Gateway, assuring that the expansion of the BID does not drain resources from the downtown area which should remain the focus of the BID.

A5. Develop distinct but related design images for the different sections of the Gateway, as described in detail below. Amend the Village Zoning Code to require signage, lighting, landscaping, building materials and sidewalks throughout the Gateway that complement the Village's eclectic design character. The Gateway is generally disconnected from Nyack. These types of improvements could help better connect this area with the Village and encourage investment in the Gateway.

B. Pursue a design vision and image for the Thruway area other than a typical suburban corridor.

B1. Use development incentives to promote the assemblages needed for Thruway area redevelopment. Despite the Gateway's location at a major highway interchange and along major arterials, its market potential has not been realized. A plan for a transportation improvement district should be prepared with a GEIS (generic environmental impact statement) that ties new development to on- and off-site improvements. This plan should be completed as any improvements are planned to the Thruway interchange in Nyack, as the form of Thruway improvements would shape the market for the property within the Gateway.

B2. Locate uses that cannot or should not locate downtown in the Thruway area. These uses include those with larger building footprints, high parking demands or other characteristics that require additional land and convenient vehicular access. For example, many Village residents expressed a need in the residential survey for a supermarket. Other suitable uses include larger-scale office buildings, hotels, and hospital-related uses that require large amounts of parking and vehicular traffic.

B3. Link higher-value redevelopment in this area to higher-quality design and amenities. All new development should achieve the highest design standards possible. New development contingent on special permits could also be required to contribute to Village-wide amenities, e.g., a hotel involving special exceptions for building height and other elements affecting community character could be tied to public access to its pool and/or other recreational amenities.

B4. Provide standards to encourage design in the Thruway area that can be viewed at higher travel speeds as well as by a pedestrian. This section of the Village accommodates uses that require high volumes of traffic. While high-quality design is important to Village residents, it is not necessary nor desirable to attempt to strictly copy streetscape elements from downtown Nyack in the Thruway area. The emphasis should be on promoting ample landscaping (street trees, sidewalks, shade trees, parking lot trees, landscaped buffers) rather than on promoting certain architectural styles.

B5. Pursue joint design standards and code enforcement with other agencies and neighboring municipalities. The Route 59 corridor in Nyack is viewed as part of a larger whole along with areas in Central and West Nyack . Common aesthetic and coordinated safety improvements along Route 59 will benefit those in all of these communities. Therefore Nyack should work with Clarkstown and Orangetown as well as Rockland County and the New York State Department of Transportation to improve conditions in this area.

C. Enhance the character of the Hillside Area.

C1. Enhance the identity of the Hillside area by creating regulations that acknowledge its role as a transition between the almost completely auto-oriented Thruway area and the pedestrian-oriented downtown area of the Village. The Hillside area has a generally cohesive character along Main Street from Highland Avenue to North Mill Street . It also is somewhat pedestrian oriented, with older buildings constructed in the early twentieth century located close to the street. This section of the Village should be promoted as a unified sub-district that serves as a gateway into downtown, yet which has a distinct character from downtown. Architecture and design treatments in this area should not be Victorian, yet should not be completely modern. Uses in this area should include certain types of retail, other commercial and residential, with a focus on artistic and funky types of businesses.

C2. Replace the R-M Residential Mixed Use District with a zone that furthers these objectives. In particular, enhance existing height and dimension regulations in this area by adding maximum setback, maximum floor area, and minimum height requirements. The regulations for this zone should incorporate the use and design objectives noted above to enable creative design. Interesting, but not overwhelming, signs should be permitted, such as flag signs.

C3. Control the consolidation of individual properties through the special permit procedure. The objective is to assure that land assembly is done in a way that provides benefits to the surrounding area and does not overwhelm the immediate area. The mix of smaller older buildings in the Hillside area adds to its character. Lot consolidation could be permitted for unique situations, but would require special permit review to demonstrate the reasons for and benefits of agglomeration.

C4. Provide additional and improved street and sidewalk lighting. Improved lighting increases safety for both pedestrians and motorists, and can enhance the appearance of an area. In general, inadequate lighting is provided on sidewalks with excessive roadway lighting. Lower mounted light fixtures and different types of light standards can improve this situation.

C5. Provide additional street trees. Trees alongside roads can greatly improve the appearance of an area, provide increased shade in warmer months and increase safety and reduce traffic speeds by narrowing the perception of a road's width. As is the case with downtown, the density of trees can be reduced in areas where business visibility is desirable. More dense plantings can be located in residential areas and in front of parking lots.

C6. Create a plaza at Main and North Mill Streets, taking advantage of the open lots framed by historic buildings at this site. This plaza would mark the transition from the Gateway to downtown, and would better connect the Hillside area with downtown. The plaza could be created using some existing private spaces, such as parking lots, with additional public improvements. Some type of focal point should be included in a design, whether a flagpole, memorial or other improvement.

D. Maintain and enhance the predominantly residential character of the Highland Avenue area.

D1. Maintain the character of residential portions of the Highland Avenue area and limit the impacts of non-residential uses in this area. There are existing stable residential areas along Highland and Midland Avenues and adjacent streets that should be protected from intrusion of commercial uses.

D2. Work with Nyack Hospital to ensure that any future growth is appropriate in terms of location, scale and design. The Hospital is a valuable resource for the Village and its residents. However its expansion can have detrimental impacts on the stability and character of the surrounding residential neighborhood. Efforts should be made to locate uses that require large amounts of parking and vehicular traffic away from residential areas, and ideally in the Thruway area. (The Thruway area has more land available and better road access than the Hospital's current location, with fewer neighboring residences, yet it is still close to the Hospital. These characteristics make this area ideal for future off-site and related facilities for Nyack Hospital .)

D3. Reduce traffic impacts by reducing speed limits, increasing speed enforcement and modifying streets in the Highland Avenue area. Specific measures that can be taken include changing street direction, reducing pavement width and adding medians on certain streets. As one example: reinstate on-street parking wherever practical on Highland Avenue . Additional parking will serve the dual purposes of providing parking for businesses and residents and narrowing and traveled way of a street, thus reducing traffic speeds.

D4. As described for the Hillside area, control the consolidation of individual properties special permit procedure. With the exception of Nyack Hospital and the Village Gate townhouse development, the prevailing character of the Highland Avenue area is that of detached dwellings. This pattern should be continued, with lot consolidation permitted by special permit only for upon demonstration of unique reasons for agglomeration, and assurances that land assembly is done in a way that provides benefits, and does not overwhelm, the immediate area.

D5. Pursue pedestrian improvements to make the critical Main Street/Highland Avenue intersection more pedestrian-friendly. This intersection is the intersection of Nyack's two highest-volume roads—Route 59 and Route 9W. It is the point where the State highway (Route 59) ends and Main Street begins. It also is used by numerous pedestrians, including children walking to school and workers and patrons walking to and from Route 59 businesses as well as Nyack Hospital , the village's major employer. The design of this intersection should improve safety for pedestrians through measures such as additional pedestrian signals or bumpouts into the street for crosswalks.

E. Redesign the Thruway underpass and ramps to address the Village's design, safety and economic development concerns.

E1. Ensure that adequate mitigation measures are provided for any adverse impacts resulting from physical expansion of the Thruway. It appears likely that the Thruway will be expanded in the area of Nyack at some point in the coming decades, although the exact type, shape and size of improvements are uncertain. The Village should be prepared for this expansion to occur at some point, and should be prepared to press for efforts by the Thruway Authority to minimize and mitigate impacts on Nyack from expansion. Particular measures could range from wider buffer areas next to the roadway and additional sound barriers to other, more indirect mitigation measures such as improved transit service from the Gateway.

4. WATERFRONT

Nyack is and has always been a riverfront town. The Village owes its founding to its location along a break in the Palisades ridge dropping to the Hudson River . The river now provides recreation opportunities for Village residents and visitors, such as boating and fishing. It also provides visual excitement and a sense of openness that belies the relatively high density of the Village.

Yet there is only one fully publicly enjoyed parcel on the waterfront, Memorial Park! With the exception of the boat launch and marina to the north of Memorial Park and the Main Street pier on the Clermont property, the remainder is either in private control, or if public, difficult to get to. The waterfront has vast untapped potential to provide additional benefits to the community.

Therefore the following objectives have been set for Nyack's waterfront:

A. Protect views and improve connections between the waterfront and the rest of the Village, particularly downtown.

B. Enhance Memorial Park, with better lighting, security, access and amenities.

C. Provide additional waterfront parks and access opportunities.

D. Make Nyack more of a destination for low-impact boating and other water-oriented activities.

The overall goal is to maximize the Hudson River as the Village's defining visual, open space and recreational amenity.

4.1 Description

Nyack's waterfront, like many others along the Hudson River , was once utilized for industrial and commercial purposes. Public access was limited, if provided at all. In the past few decades, attitudes towards waterfronts have changed towards increasing public access and recreational amenities. The Hudson River has seen dramatic changes with regard to removal of former industrial properties and remediation of environmental problems. Water quality has increased to the point that fishing is permitted for most species. In a few short years, swimming beaches on the Hudson River could be commonplace.

Nyack's waterfront is poised to take advantage of these large-scale improvements through local-level actions. The Hudson River is the second best thing about living in Nyack, according to surveyed residents (the Village's sense of community was rated as the number one feature). Yet the River is a resource that can and should be enhanced. Although the Nyack waterfront is almost fully developed, there are numerous opportunities to increase public connections and access to the waterfront.

The waterfront can be divided into three main areas, as described below.

Southern Waterfront

The southern waterfront is comprised almost entirely of Memorial Park, with four private residential properties and the American Legion Hall located between the south end of the park and the border of South Nyack . Memorial Park was created in 1920 for a Village veterans' memorial and became a Village park in 1935. It has 6.3 acres of land plus 3.4 acres of water. The eastern half of the park's land area is composed of fill deposited in the river, which was added in the 1950s in connection with the construction of the Tappan Zee Bridge . The park has one ball field, tennis and basketball courts, a playground area, a gazebo and open areas. Events held in Memorial Park include the Mostly Music concerts, Riverfest, Crabfest, and the Fourth of July fireworks. Vehicular access is provided to the park from Depew Avenue . On street parking also is located on Piermont Avenue , which forms the western border of the park.

Central Waterfront

This portion of the waterfront stretches south from Hook Mountain Yacht Club to just north of Depew Avenue . It generally consists of filled land that extended the natural water's edge to the east. Gedney Street forms the western boundary of most of this section of the waterfront. A few major multifamily residential developments are located in this area, including Clermont, Rivercrest and West Shore Towers . Although much of the land on the Central Waterfront is in private ownership, it contains three key under- or undeveloped parcels: the Nyack Boat Club, Presidential Life site (bounded by the Nyack Boat Club on the north, Clermont Phase III on the south and Gedney Street between First Avenue and Lydecker Street on the west) and Clermont Phase III site (bounded by the Presidential site on the north, the foot of Main Street and the rest of the Clermont development on the south, and Gedney Street between Lydecker Street and Main Street on the west). The Village of Nyack owns one key parcel in the central waterfront just south of the Clermont development. This property includes the Village marina and boat launch as well as a parking lot and the River Club restaurant, which is leased to a private operator.

This section of the waterfront includes the area from the Hook Mountain Yacht Club just north of Ackerman Lane to the Upper Nyack border. The northern waterfront is all in private ownership with the exception of the public right-of-way at the foot of Laveta Place . This area is characterized by older single-family homes on large lots. Unlike the southern and central waterfronts, which are mostly manmade, the northern waterfront is characterized by the land along the river's edge sloping steeply up to the adjacent residential properties. Access opportunities along this stretch of Nyack's waterfront are thus limited by ownership patterns as well as by topography.

A3. Amend the zoning regulations in the low-density areas along the northern and southern waterfront to eliminate the possibility of land assemblage for cluster development and higher-density uses. The existing zoning for these areas allows increased residential building densities and has no limitations on land assemblage. Higher-density development in these areas would wall off the upland community, visually and symbolically, from its river. The lower density character and scale of these areas should be preserved.

A4. Increase security at public areas along the waterfront by providing improved lighting without impacts on neighboring properties. Security is a primary concern of Village residents, particularly in areas like the waterfront that are somewhat isolated at night. Any new lighting should improve safety, but not be overwhelming to neighbors.

A5. In the central waterfront from Second Avenue to Memorial Park, support cultural and commercial amenities that bring people to the waterfront. These include small museums, a music barge, a fish restaurant, etc. In particular, allow and encourage small-scale overnight accommodations. These may include conference centers, boutique hotels, inns and bed-and-breakfasts—with appropriate guidelines for each to assure their compatibility in design, scale, etc. with their upland context. Adding places for visitors to stay would increase the attractiveness of Nyack to visitors.

B. Enhance Memorial Park, with better lighting, security, access and amenities.

B1. Expand recreational and park resources. Memorial Park is the Village's only large recreational area. Although it has a limited area, its offerings can be expanded and improved in the following manner:

· Recover the sunken barges for docking or other recreational uses.

· Consider making the one exposed barge more of a focal point on the waterfront, possibly through public art or seasonal displays on it.

· Provide additional summer uses, such as sprinklers.

· Provide additional winter uses, such as ice-skating.

· Consider the provision of lighting for the ball field.

· Improve the condition of the basketball and tennis courts.

· Provide decent public rest rooms.

· Provide a concession stand.

B2. Undertake safety and security improvements in Memorial Park. An analysis of the behavioral and use patterns of the park should be undertaken, with the goal of improving security, particularly in isolated areas such as near the culvert opening under Piermont Avenue . Security lighting should be improved where necessary. The use of the gate limiting access to the park needs to be clarified to see whether the park should be closed to vehicular traffic at certain times. Security personnel should also be provided in the park.

B3. Upgrade and maintain Memorial Park's landscaping and open space. Memorial Park is currently attractive and well maintained. The Village should affirm its commitment to the park's beauty by providing additional landscaping where necessary and ensuring that Memorial Park continues to be well maintained. As one example, the parking lot at the water's edge could be redesigned to increase lawn area while allowing a limited amount of parking to remain at the shoreline for evening and winter visitors.

B4. Improve pedestrian access to Memorial Park for all pedestrians. The existing access from Depew Avenue appears to be somewhat hazardous for all pedestrians, let alone for people in wheelchairs or who are bringing baby carriages to the park. Safe access should be provided to the park for all pedestrians. This access point should also comply with Americans with Disabilities Act regulations. As noted in the riverwalk recommendations, connecting the park to other parts of the waterfront and Village is important. A connection to Piermont Avenue at the southern end of the park should be provided as part of the riverwalk. In the event that a suitable connection is made from the Spear Street parking lot to Memorial Park, removing direct vehicular access to Memorial Park (other than for emergency vehicles) should be considered.

B5. Provide high design standards to comfort stations and other design features, with the input of the Architectural Review Board. Public facilities need not look institutional; their design should be characteristic of Nyack's unique blend of architecture. Park lighting should be non-glare, so as to avoid adverse impacts on neighboring properties.

B6. Over time, spread out recreational uses to other potential waterfront park sites. Memorial Park should still remain a central gathering place for Village residents and visitors with a wide array of activities. However, there is limited space for additional uses in the park. Decentralizing certain recreational uses when possible would reduce impacts on immediate neighbors of any one park and provide opportunities elsewhere on the waterfront. A swimming pool is a particular priority that should be addressed in this manner.

C. Provide additional waterfront parks and access opportunities.

C1. Create a “Riverwalk” along the entire length of the waterfront in the Village. The concept of a waterfront walkway has been considered in Nyack for some time. Providing this type of facility would link together the various portions of the waterfront and create an additional recreational amenity for the Village. (The proposed path of the riverwalk is shown on the Waterfront Land Use/Design Map.) Specific recommendations for this walkway include the following:

· In the area from First Avenue to the south end of Memorial Park, locate the Riverwalk at the water's edge.

· Expand this riverside portion of the Riverwalk to Second Avenue in the event that the Nyack Boat Club looks to redevelop its property.

· In other areas, connect the waterfront segments along the first inland public right-of-way.

· Provide a bridge over the cove north of Memorial Park for the Riverwalk. This connection also would permit easier use of the Village parking lot for park visitors.

· Provide a pedestrian connection from Memorial Park to the parking lot along the water's edge of the easternmost residential property on the north side of Depew Avenue , in the event that the property owner were to seek a commercial use such as a concession stand or bed-and-breakfast. (The C-3 Waterfront Commercial Zone permits water related commercial uses in tandem with the provision of public benefits, such as a walkway. This zone could be expanded slightly southward to include this property.)

· Provide access to the Riverwalk and Memorial Park from the foot of Hudson Avenue . There is currently no direct connection to the park and waterfront from the south end of Memorial Park. A connection in this area would benefit residents and visitors.

· Utilize design elements, such as signage, graphics and pavers, to unify the riverwalk. The experience of using the riverwalk would be enhanced though these unifying elements.

C2. Promote public acquisition of undeveloped parcels on the waterfront. Nyack is deficient in parkland, and waterfront parks are particularly scarce in general. The Clermont Phase III and Presidential sites are the last major vacant parcels on the Hudson River in Nyack, and should be considered for acquisition as a Town or County park. Until or if this does not occur, the existing zoning regulations should remain in place for these lots with additional design guidelines that promote extension of a riverside walkway. Other objectives in this immediate area should include purchase of development rights from adjoining recreational sites such as the Nyack Boat Club, preservation of water views from upland cross-streets, and creation of architecture comparable to the upland historic context.

C3. Create a small “viewing point” park at the foot of Laveta Place , similar to the Gesner Avenue mini-park at the river's edge in South Nyack . The Village already owns this land up to the water's edge. This park would provide the only public access of the waterfront on the entire northern waterfront. Due to space limitations and its location in a residential neighborhood, it should not be a major facility, perhaps only encompassing a viewing platform, a few benches, a bicycle rack, and a trash receptacle.

C4. Promote additional small “viewing point” parks at the foot of Fourth Avenue , Second Avenue , First Avenue and the northern tip of Gedney Street , in connection with any discretionary zoning approvals requested by the concerned private property owners. These types of parks would be similar in concept to the Laveta Place viewing station, simply providing an area to stop and look out on the Hudson River . They could be pursued only in connection with redevelopment or other privately initiated actions on these sites.

C5. Consider creating zoning incentives to promote an attractive redevelopment in the area south of Burd Street and east of Piermont Avenue as a planned development. This development could involve relocating Spear Street to continue Remsen Street towards the waterfront with pedestrian and/or vehicular access. Objectives for any redevelopment in this area should include requiring private development of public parking, no net loss of public parking, enhancement of waterfront views and improved public access to the waterfront and public parking.

C6. Design and program all of the parks and amenities with the involvement of the adjoining residents, to allay concerns about lighting (e.g., adequate but non-glare), safety, noise, etc. While there are significant overall benefits from provision of additional parks, any potential detrimental impacts to nearby properties should be mitigated to the greatest extent possible.

C7. Determine if private landowners are encroaching on publicly owned land. There may be areas along the waterfront that have been essentially taken by property owners that should be public land. The Village and County should determine whether this has occurred and take appropriate steps to reclaim the land.

D. Make Nyack more of a destination for low-impact boating and other water-oriented activities.

D1. Enact a transfer of development rights (TDR) program to preserve recreation on waterfront properties. TDR is a tool that enables property owners to continue using their land for a specified purpose, such as open space or recreation, while selling the rights for future development for other uses, generally to a public or non-profit agency. This program would provide revenue for uses such as the Nyack Boat Club. At the same time it would foreclose the potential for their removal to make way for new development.

D2. Promote as many additional boat-mooring locations along the riverfront as are feasible and permissible by State and Federal regulations. Nyack has a waterfront that is convenient to countless boaters from the New York area and beyond. It also is a community that is tied to the water and is a desirable destination. The Village should encourage boat mooring for more visitors and residents.

D3. Allow and promote additional water-oriented activities, such as watercraft rentals, water taxi stops, tours, boat launches, beaches etc. at Memorial Park and other locations north to Second Avenue, and at the Hook Mountain Yacht Club site. The waterfront is a recreational asset that should be accentuated by providing additional opportunities for use of the water.

D4. Prohibit uses, such as a commuter ferry, that would significantly aggravate traffic congestion or involve large parking lots that usurp precious waterfront land. A proposal in the early 1990s to develop a commuter ferry terminal on the Nyack waterfront and a large parking garage for its passengers generated extremely heated debate among Nyackers. Although the ferry proposal was defeated at that time, there is likely lingering interest in placing such a facility on the Nyack waterfront. Yet a ferry would only be acceptable with a small facility that provides limited service for Village residents and/or brings weekend visitors to Nyack.

D5. Extend the Village’s control of property into the Hudson River . New York State regulations enable municipalities to have jurisdiction over waterfronts up to a certain distance offshore. Nyack should investigate whether these regulations are applicable to its waterfront, and if so, pursue this designation. The Village also should research titles, easements and riparian rights along the waterfront and into the river.

5. RESIDENTIAL

Nyack is truly a Village in every sense of the word. When asked in a survey conducted for this plan to name the three best things about living in Nyack, the top answers from Village residents included Nyack's diversity, its charm and physical beauty and its walkability, as well as downtown and the Hudson River . But the overwhelming top response was the Village's sense of community. “Quality of life” is a term that is almost always mentioned in a comprehensive plan, but it can mean different things. In the case of Nyack, quality of life is a sum of all the attributes, the large and small, tangible and not so tangible, which have made the Village a special place. The Nyack community recognizes these attributes and seeks to ensure that the Village remains a special place far into the future.

Therefore the following objectives have been set for Nyack's residential areas:

A. Problem-solve to ensure that Nyack remains a place where a wide variety of residents can find a home.

B. Enhance Nyack's historic yet eclectic character and design image.

C. Emphasize Nyack's pedestrian-oriented circulation system.

D. Contemporize Nyack's physical and public facilities.

The overall goal is to protect the physical and social qualities that make Nyack a special community, in the full sense of the word.

5.1 Background

Topography and Transportation

More so than most communities, Nyack has been shaped by topography and transportation systems. The Village is located along the edge of the Palisades ridge and slopes downward to the Hudson River . Therefore there are areas of steep slopes throughout the Village. The steepest slopes are generally located in the area west of Highland Avenue , although there are localized areas in Nyack with extreme topographical constraints. The other major natural constraint is the presence of floodplain areas along the shore of the Hudson River .

The Village originally served as a port on the Hudson River , offering access to the interior of Rockland County , due to a break in the Palisades . The railroad came to Nyack in the late nineteenth century, and shifted the Village's center away from the waterfront to the south end of the current downtown. In later years, the railroad was abandoned and supplanted by the construction of the Palisades Interstate Parkway in 1947 and the Tappan Zee Bridge in 1955. Nyack therefore entered the automobile age as a pedestrian-scaled village with extraordinary convenience to a regional roadway network.

The construction of the Tappan Zee Bridge required the routing of the New York State Thruway through the southwestern section of Nyack. The Thruway, also designated as Interstate Routes 87 and 287, has three interchanges in the Nyack area. Interchange 11 is located at the western end of the Village, with northbound access at High Avenue and Polhemus Street , and southbound access at Mountainview Avenue and Route 59. Interchange 10 is located in South Nyack and provides partial access. Interchange 12 located in the Town of Clarkstown approximately one mile west of Nyack provides full access to the highway. There is also limited bus transit service in Nyack.

Community Facilities and Activities

The breadth of services and infrastructure provided within Nyack is impressive for a community of fewer than 7,000 residents, and enhances both the quality of life and urbane quality of the Village.

The Nyack Library is located on South Broadway and receives the majority of its funding from the Nyack School District . The Nyack School District provides educational services for residents of the Village of Nyack as well as South Nyack , Upper Nyack , Valley Cottage and Upper Grandview . The district currently has four elementary schools serving students in kindergarten through fifth grade, one middle school for students in sixth through eighth grades and Nyack High School , located in Upper Nyack , for students in ninth through twelfth grades. The current Nyack High School opened in 1990, replacing the old high school located in the Village on Fifth Avenue between Midland Avenue and Franklin Street . The old high school is currently occupied by Rockland County BOCES. Nyack College is located just outside the Village in South Nyack . According to respondents to the residential survey, the library and schools are the most important Village service priorities.

Memorial Park is the one major park located in Nyack. As described in the waterfront section, it has a land area of 6.3 acres and it has one ball field, tennis and basketball courts, a playground area, a gazebo and open areas. The other park located in Nyack is Veterans' Park on Main Street at the corner of Cedar Street . Recreational facilities are provided on the grounds of the old high school, including a track and sports fields. A small park with a playground is located in South Nyack just outside Nyack on Cedar Hill Avenue ; and a Clarkstown recreation center is located in Central Nyack just beyond the Nyack border on Waldron Avenue .

Other outdoor recreational facilities in the Village include the Village boat launch and marina at the foot of Spear Street , the Nyack Boat Club on Gedney Street at Second Avenue , and the Hook Mountain Yacht Club at the northern end of Gedney Street . One other large open area in the Village is the 36.8-acre Oak Hill Cemetery . The cemetery features wooded areas and is located on the hillside above Highland Avenue , rising from 200 feet above sea level to over 400 feet. In addition to its dramatic views of the Village and the Hudson River , Oak Hill Cemetery is the final resting place for numerous Nyackers including Helen Hayes, Edward Hopper and Carson McCullers.

Other community facilities in the Village include the YMCA, Nyack Center , various houses of worship and cultural facilities described in the downtown section. The YMCA serves 700 full members from Nyack and surrounding communities. It provides recreational facilities such as a gym and pool, as well as a nursery school and small camp programs. Nyack Hospital is located between Highland and Midland Avenues and Sickles and Fifth Avenues. The hospital, founded in 1900, currently has 375 beds and nearly 1,400 employees. Active civic groups in the Village include the Arts and Craft Dealers Association, the Chamber of Commerce of the Nyacks, the Friends of the Nyacks and the Nyack Rotary Club.

Police protection for most of the Village is provided by the Orangetown Police Department, with the westernmost section covered by the Clarkstown Police Department. The Joint Nyack Fire District provides fire protection for the Village as well as South Nyack and Upper Nyack with eight individual fire departments serving various areas. The Nyack Community Ambulance Corps, founded in 1939, provides emergency medical service for the Village.

The Nyack Water Department provides water service to the Village, as well as to portions of surrounding communities. Its treatment facility is located in West Nyack at its source along the Hackensack River . Sewer service for Nyack is provided by the Orangetown Sewer District.

Many of Nyack's residents and members of its business community are engaged in civic organizations, including the Rotary Club, the Historical Society of the Nyacks and the Police Athletic League. Volunteer efforts were particularly important in the preparation of this plan. From the earliest beginnings of this process, Nyackers have assisted greatly by attending meetings, taking photographs of the community, distributing surveys and drawing maps, among numerous other activities. The plan has been shaped in great part by the community's involvement.

Architectural and Historic Resources

Nyack is rich in architectural styles, including various historical structures. The housing stock of the Village includes numerous Victorian houses, with varied architectural styles such as Queen Anne, Gothic Revival, Italianate and Second Empire . The oldest house in the Village is the John Green House, circa 1820, located on the lower end of Main Street . Downtown Nyack features a number of commercial buildings constructed before 1900, with various other structures in and around downtown constructed in the 1920s.

Yet Nyack does not feel frozen in time, as minor, and sometimes quite original modifications have been made to older buildings. The Village's old, new and modified architecture is generally characterized by its orientation to the front yard and tree-lined streets, reinforcing the sense of community. Numerous homes feature porches, cupolas, towers and other elements that add to the unique sense of place of Nyack. Due in part to relatively small lot sizes, gardens and landscaping feature prominently in the residential street life of the Village.

Nyack is one of the few villages in New York with a Victorian heart that does not have a historic district. The Village established a Historic District and Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1985. A proposed downtown historic district was defeated in 1987. In 1989, a residential historic district for North Broadway also was defeated. The Architectural Review Board was created in 1999.

Nyack is essentially fully developed. While there are limited vacant parcels throughout the Village, most opportunities for development will actually be redevelopment of existing properties. Maps showing existing land uses in Nyack in 1990 and 2000, as well as the Village’s existing zoning, are included on the following pages. Comparison of these maps shows that most formerly vacant parcels have been developed since 1990.

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Village Overview

1.2 Process

1.3 Document Organization

1.4 Summary of Goals and Objectives

2. DOWNTOWN

2.1 Description

2.2 Recommendations

3. GATEWAY

3.1 Description

3.2 Recommendations

4. WATERFRONT

4.1 Description

4.2 Recommendations

5. RESIDENTIAL

5.1 Background