Stakeholders’ Advisory Working Group
Land Use, October 23, 2007

The Land Use SAWG meeting #4 was held on October 23th, 2007 at Power Authority in White Plains, NY. View minutes of the meeting here (PDF, 42 KB).

he presentation can be viewed in the following formats:

The project is conducting a series of local area studies on how land uses potentially would be affected by project alternatives. This presentation examines Hillburn and Suffern in Rockland County, and Tarrytown in Westchester. Future presentations will address other communities in the I-87/I-287 corridor.

Existing land uses in the Rockland County portion of the project corridor.
The Villages of Hillburn and Suffern are located in the Town of Ramapo and are at the western end of the corridor.

Statistics for the Hudson River at the Tappan Zee Bridge, including depth, width, cross sectional area, and tidal range.

Hillburn is a historic village located at the entrance to the Ramapo Pass and is bounded by the Thruway and Route 17.

Elevation above sea level in the Hillburn area.
Hillburn is located within the Ramapo Pass, where the Ramapo River cuts through the Ramapo Mountains. The town is bordered by mountains of over 1,000 ft. The pass provided early transportation routes, including the railway that initiated the village.

This figure shows an aerial view of the village and identifies several key features:

• Highways (Old Route 17, Route 59, I-287, I-87 and Interchange 15A)
• The NJ Transit/Metro-North Railroad Port Jervis Line
• Utility corridors
• The Ramapo River
• The Mt. Fuji Restaurant on a hilltop in the village

The village, approximately 2.2 square miles in area, was built as a company town for the Ramapo Iron Works, which manufactured railroad components. The town was incorporated in 1893.

After the Iron Works successor company, Ramapo Ajax, left in 1933, the village went into decline and was further isolated by construction of the Thruway in 1955. As a result it retains much of its Victorian character. Its present population is small, with 784 residents in 2000, and comprises 40 percent Native Americans and a total minority population of 60 percent. Based on this data, it has been identified as an Environmental Justice population in the project study area.

The existing land use patterns in Hillburn.
Land use within the village is predominantly single-family residential, with commercial uses located along Routes 17 and 59, including the Mt Fuji Restaurant. East of I-87, the river valley accommodates the railroad, utilities and light industrial uses; much of the remaining land has steep slopes and is parkland or vacant.

Land use policy in Hillburn is guided by a zoning ordinance adopted in 1989 and a draft Comprehensive Plan prepared in 2004.

The village’s zoning map.
6 districts are indicated: 3 residential types; Highway Commercial; Light Industrial; and Manufacturing.

The relationship between land uses and zoning.
Low density residential (R-6 & R-9) within the village and very low density (R-40 - one residence per acre) in its more undeveloped periphery. The rail and utilities corridor is zoned Light Industry (LI), with Highway Commercial (HC) on Routes 17 and 59.

The village’s comprehensive plan includes a Vision Statement describing its desire to protect its existing rural and historic character, while enhancing areas, specifically Route 17 and 59, that detract from it.

The comprehensive plan’s goals and objectives include:

• Down zoning R-40 districts to a less dense R-60;
• Preserving environmentally sensitive areas; and
• Supporting local businesses and increasing employment by encouraging new office development in the industrial and commercial districts.

Suffern is located to the southeast of Hillburn on the opposite side of the Thruway. The two photos show:

• The intersection of Route 202 and Route 59 with the Thruway viaduct and mountains in the background; and
• The view from the mountain overlooking the Thruway and Suffern, with the former quarry a major feature in the distance.

An aerial view of the village and identifies several key features:

• Highways (Route 59, Route 202, I-287, I-87);
• The NJ Transit/Metro-North Railroad Port Jervis Line and the Suffern station;
• The Piermont rail line:
• The Ramapo and Mahwah Rivers;
• The former Tilcon quarry; and
• The company facilities of Avon and Novartis.

Like Hillburn, Suffern was a railroad center and is just over 2 square miles. However, it is much more densely populated, with over 11,000 people in 2000. The photos show views of historic buildings on Suffern’s main street, Lafayette Avenue (Route 59).

Suffern is developed in a relatively compact pattern with both multi-family and single-family neighborhoods with local retail centered on Lafayette Avenue. Large employers include Novartis pharmaceuticals, Avon, Good Samaritan Hospital, and the Salvation Army Office Training Academy.

Existing land uses in Suffern, based on data from the Rockland County GIS.
Note the extensive former quarry area designated as industrial, some vacant lands associated with Novartis, the mix of residential densities, the commercial area in the village center, and the various institutional uses.

Land policy in Suffern comes from three tools:

• 1995 Zoning law;
• 2001 Downtown District Plan; and
• 1961 Comprehensive Plan, which was updated in 2005.

Suffern’s zoning map.
There are 14 zoning districts, 6 of them in the downtown area. Most of the village is zoned residential; however, south of I-287 and within the half-mile study corridor, more than 50% is zoned for light industrial and manufacturing. Other areas within the study corridor are divided among office, central business, and residence districts. The zoning map also shows the flood plain areas of the Ramapo and Mahwah Rivers in a dark shading.

The zoning overlaid on the land use map.
Note the Planned Light Industry (PLI) district covering the former quarry and Avon headquarters, the mix of residential and business uses in the General Business (GB) district, and that the Manufacturing (M) district is comprised primarily of water and water treatment plants and ballfields.

The village’s Limited Comprehensive Plan (2005) updated the 1961 plan and focused on:

• Protection of natural resources
• Future use of vacant parcels
• Providing adequate parking in the downtown

The comprehensive plan indicates limited areas for future development with only 68 additional residential lots and the potential for additional non-residential development at the Good Samaritan Hospital, Salvation Army, and Novartis sites. It also identifies a lack of adequate parking in the downtown area.

The Downtown Plan identifies the development potential of underutilized parcels and notes the poor link between the NJ Transit station and the downtown.

The Downtown Plan also notes the poor connections to the Avon complex, the potential opportunities of the Hallet Place and Pierpont Line locations, and proposes a Business Improvement District.

The next section of the presentation focuses on Tarrytown in Westchester County. This figure shows existing land uses in the Westchester County portion of the study area.

The Village of Tarrytown from the Tappan Zee Bridge, with the village rising from the river up the ridge with Marymount College on its summit.

Tarrytown is a historic river town incorporated in 1870. Today Tarrytown has a population of just over 11,000 and maintains its traditional dense development pattern near Main Street and the river and rail station and larger estates at the periphery. Many of these estates have since been subdivided in a more suburban pattern.

An aerial view of Tarrytown and identifies several features:

• Metro-North Railroad and Amtrak rail along the riverbank and Tarrytown Station
• Tappan Zee Bridge and I-87/I-287
• Routes 9 and 119
• Main Street
• Lyndhurst
• The Kraft Foods facility

Industrial functions along the river are increasingly giving way to residential development, as at Ferry Landing. I-87/I-287 physically bisects the village into north and south, with only Route 9 and Meadow Street providing north-south access.

Existing land uses in Tarrytown from the county’s 1995 GIS.
Some the gray “vacant” areas have since been developed or acquired for parkland. Note the gray alongside I-287, which is the Talleyrand Swamp. Note also the commercial and office uses located near the Tappan Zee Bridge landing area, as well as the high and medium density housing here. Some of the designated institutional uses (e.g., camps and clubs) have since been converted to residences, although Lyndhurst, Sunnyside and a new county park dominate the riverfront in the southern part of the village.

Land use in the bridge touchdown area is dominated by the Thruway maintenance building, State Trooper facility, and the rail tracks along the river. Note the relatively steep grade from the river/tracks up to Route 9.

Land uses along Route 9 (Broadway) in the vicinity of the bridge are mixed and include offices, retail, hotel, multi-family and single-family residential, and institutional uses.

Land uses along Route 119 include large-scale office developments, townhouse and condominium developments, as well as some older single-family residential neighborhoods. Axe Castle, a visual landmark on the ridge summit north of 119, is now a conference center with condominiums.

Tarrytown does not have a current Master Plan, and older plans from the 1960s and 1970s are considered obsolete. Zoning and subdivision regulations were updated in 2005. The Village has a Draft Waterfront Revitalization Plan (2001) that has yet to be approved by the State.

The village’s zoning map.
Zoning provides for 25 districts:

• 14 residential districts of various densities
• Mixed use district
• Variety of general business, retail, light industry districts
• Historic Commons District (Lyndhurst)
• Waterfront Development District

The zoning overlaid on the land use map.
While zoning in the study corridor is relatively complex, uses are generally consistent with the zoning, except that the institutional uses south of I-287 have been developed as residential. Some development potential exists in office business, higher density residential, and mixed use districts near the Route 9 and 119 intersection areas.

Goals of the village’s Draft Waterfront Revitalization Plan include:

• Development, but not overdevelopment, in the coastal area
• Improved public access to the waterfront
• Improvements to existing transportation facilities to increase the attractiveness of the waterfront
• Restoration of the historic structure and function of the railroad station
• Concern about air quality in the vicinity of the bridge toll plaza

Thank you!