Nyack resident JC Brotherhood follows up his previous article (How Much Is Four Acres Worth?, June 8th) on NyackNewsAndViews with a commentary in the July 3 Journal News. “Riverspace ambitions don’t match Nyack’s reality” makes the point that there are hidden costs in the Riverspace Downtown initiatitive that local officials aren’t talking about — or have yet to evaluate.

Sources: Journal News, LeftOfTheHudson, July 3; NyackNewsAndViews, June 8

Urban planning can be alot like fashion: what was once old is now new, again.

Transit Villages are designed to build shops, housing, and offices together in areas that are well served by public transportation, much like older downtown districts. An alternative planning approach which avoids urban sprawl, transit villages uses past experiences building towns and cities before automobiles created the suburbs we know today.

The updated transit village version, moderate- to higher-density development is directed to areas within an easy walk of public transportation with special attention is given to the needs of pedestrians.

The main benefits of transit villages stem from more efficient land use and more compact building. Building up uses far less land than building out and allows for growth without using open space. Building more compactly means there are more destinations at each transit stop within easy walking distance. As a result transit can run more frequently and thus be more convenient for more people.

This LoHud story talks about using the transit village concept to incorporate some of the ideas mentioned in the Riverspace Downtown project, especially as it pertains to increased density and a friendly pedestian enironment.

Sources: Sierra Club, NJDOT, Federal Highway Administration (Bay Area Fruitvale Transit Village Project

If you have been out of the loop on the plans, cost and possibilites of the Riverspace Downtown project, the Journal News offers a concise summary of what has been proposed.

How much is 4 acres worth in downtown Nyack? Should Nyack demand fair market price for its market share? No question here, responsible leadership needs to be clearer when identifying its goals and objectives. Continue reading →

The Riverspace Board presented a bold vision for a revitalized downtown Nyack Thursday night, presenting a $100 million plan for a “public spirited…community fueled” retail, commercial and residential development to replace the current arts center. The new plan includes two parking garages, a public piazza, a new arts center and new a restored street grid. Continue reading →

Riverspace is having a meeting on June 5 to present its plans for rebuilding the downtown. There has been some discussion about the Riverspace project on that Nyacksocialscene email group, some thoughtful some not, and I put out this piece to identify issues that I think need to be discussed in connection with this project.

I invite your comment, and I hope people attend this meeting at the Riverspace theater, which is at 7:00 PM.
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Fans of reality TV, high stakes dramas and social documentaries are in for a big treat. And if you live in Nyack, you won’t have to leave the zip code to see the free performance.

Riverspace presents their plans for a reborn downtown Nyack on June 5th. This follows up meetings in February, April and May to discuss redevelopment of the property which includes the arts center, the adjacent strip mall, Veteran’s Park and the M&T Bank. Riverspace board members Josh Goldberg and Debbie Reich have proposed a mixed-use development with a new arts center as the anchor. They hope to replace the current unsustainable patchwork of donors and volunteers with a new business model that produces commercial and residential rental income that will help fund Riverspace.

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As many of you may have noticed, the rear lot behind the theater is being torn up and there will be disruptions and confusion for a while. The improvement is to add about 60 spaces (from recollection) and will add needed parking inventory. The thing to remember about this project is that it costs about $700K, some of which is being used to redesign a bus stop at the rear of the theater, which is maybe $200K of the price, leaving about $500K for the actual parking. Better is better than not better, but it is not as good as the best. Continue reading →

Board member Debbie Reich says the Riverspace development team is working to determine if the proposed garage can be built partially or completely underground. She told participants at the May 5th Open Dialogue session at Riverspace they’re spending $15,000 to drill and learn how deep they can go. Reich points out that even if it’s possible, it still might not be practical to put all parking underground as expenses go up the further you go down.

Nyack will hold a community forum to talk about gang violence and youth issues in the community on Wednesday May 7 at 7pm in the Nyack Center.

The meeting is to engage in a conversation about the fight on April 16th in Nyack. Open to the public. Nyack Mayor John Shields, Nyack Village Board of Trustees, Orangetown Supervisor Thom Kleiner, and Orangetown Police Chief Nulty among others will be present to hear your questions, comments and solutions. At Nyack Center-58 Depew Ave. Nyack, New York (corner of Depew and Broadway). For more information please call-Nyack Village Hall (845) 358-0229 or Nyack Center (845) 358-2600.

Here’s a list of stories and opinion pieces written about what happened on April 16th. Also, the Inside Rockland blog provided a good summary on May 5th, referencing the April 23 letter from Nyack’s Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Valencia Douglas.