Tarrytown Connected

Over the past decade the area around Tarrytown’s train station has seen new investment and revitalization. It has been transforming from an industrial waterfront area to a mixed use community with significant public open space and recreational amenities (see Figure 1). Transportation infrastructure is being upgraded. The Metro-North train station and overpasses were recently renovated; vehicular and circulation improvements are being planned for Depot Plaza; and the Village is exploring the feasibility of reopening a former pedestrian tunnel under the railroad tracks to improve access between the station area and waterfront. With the opening of the ​“New NY Bridge” growth in tourism is expected and there will be opportunities to consider Bus Rapid Transit service at Tarrytown station and related amenities such as sheltered seating, off-vehicle ticketing and real-time schedule information. There have also been significant investments in open space and recreational amenities, including the development of the Scenic Hudson RiverWalk Park, improvements to Pierson Park, the construction of a new Village recreation center and outdoor swimming pool center, and the removal of chain link fencing from the perimeter of Sarah Michaels Park. Alongside these public improvements, successful new luxury housing and small-scale commercial uses at Hudson Harbor have signaled a strong market for development in this area.

Following the success of Hudson Harbor, there has been increased attention towards the potential for further development in the area on underutilized sites, particularly the many surface parking lots owned by the Village of Tarrytown shown on Figure 2. These parcels are a significant Village asset and their future use will have a dramatic impact on the character of the station area, waterfront, and the Village at-large. The Board of Trustees recognized that new development on Village-owned property could have positive tax benefits for Tarrytown residents. And that because the Village owned these parcels, they were in the driver’s seat in determining how these valuable sites would be used in the future. Further, they noted that realizing the full potential of the station area and waterfront as an active ​“people place” with improved visual and physical connections to Downtown would be beneficial for the Village as a whole.

Recognizing this opportunity, in Spring 2014 the Village of Tarrytown’s Board of Trustees undertook a unique planning process to set out a Strategic Plan to better understand existing conditions in the station area/waterfront and chart a path forward. This Strategic Plan evaluated the area bounded by the Village of Sleepy Hollow to the north, the Hudson River to the west, the Washington Irving Boat Club and County wastewater pumping facility to the south and Cottage Place and the eastern side of the Franklin Courts/Franklin Towers property to the east. This evaluation included 1) mapping and analyzing physical conditions in the area and 2) meeting with property owners and government, business and community stakeholders in order to understand issues and opportunities on individual sites and how they relate to and impact one another. The Strategic Plan outlined three central principles to guide the Village in planning for the future of the area:

1. Create ways to make it easier to get from the station area to Downtown and back.
2. Address traffic congestion at the train station.
3. Take me to the river and all around the Village.

This work was guided by a Steering Committee composed of the Village Administrator, liaisons from the Board of Trustees and Planning Board, a representative from Westchester County Planning Department, two Village residents and a study area business representative. This analysis resulted in an outline of coordinated projects to be undertaken by the Village and its partners. Together these projects seek to maximize the potential of the station area and waterfront as a destination and a gateway to the greater Village. Finally, the Strategic Plan provided recommendations for community outreach, further developing public and private partnerships, and obtaining grant funding necessary to move the plan forward.

One of the initial projects identified in the Strategic Plan was to develop a cohesive vision for the future of the station area and waterfront and a conceptual plan illustrating that vision that could be used as the basis for future rezoning. Based on the stakeholder meetings that took place as part of the strategic planning process, it was clear that such a plan would need to not only address the immediate station area, but also the relationship between the station area/waterfront, the Downtown and Village at-large. To that end, this report:

1. Outlines a vision for the future of the station area and waterfront, that clearly connects this area to Downtown;
2. Illustrates different ideas for how that vision can be achieved;
3. Analyzes the trade-offs associated with different land use decisions in terms of visual, traffic and fiscal impacts; and
4. Provides a roadmap to assist the Village of Tarrytown in moving ahead with infrastructure improvements, zoning changes and engagement of partners in the redevelopment of Village owned land.