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

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 →

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.

The Village Board approved a budget which will include a sharp rise in parking ticket prices from $12 to $25. If the unlucky recipient pays the ticket within four days it will be reduced to $15. The new prices will take effect September 1.

The Journal News says parking tickets are up since Muni Meters were installed but the actual number of paid violations is flat. The Nyack Parking Authority wrote 14% more citations this year than last in 2007, however, many of the initial violations during this transition period were subsequently dismissed due to complaints about insufficient instructions explaining how the new meters work.

Source: Journal News, April 24

Click on the image below
The Village Board has authorized bonding for a major reconstruction project for the public off-street parking along Artopee Way, behind Riverspace. About half of this $700k capital project will be dedicated to fix drainage issues, which is currently flooding Nyack Plaza Community Housing. Also, about 60 new spaces will be provided with a better layout. The bus stop, currently on Cedar street, will be moved to Artopee Way near Franklin behind the bank.

Continue reading →

This post was originally placed on the Nyack Social Scene Yahoo listserv. Thanks to the posters and the the keepers of that user group for allowing us to repost this notice here.

Is there a plan to eliminate the white lines that emarcate parking spaces on broadway and main streets? Ditto for the vestigial parking meters. Seems to me that people are still parking solely within the demarcated spots. Eliminating the lines, thereby allowing cars to park bumper to bumper, as in NYC, would probably increase parking inventory (not to mention revenue) by about 30% in the applicable areas.

According to my conversation with Mayor Shields a few weeks ago about this question, he said that the “lines would be covered over when repaving is done in the Spring”. A bit vague but at least the deciders are aware of the issue…

I just got back from a trip to Italy. It is a curse of an urban planner to be thinking about work while traveling to foreign cities. I’m always noticing urban design elements, and this time I was particularly focused on the parking situation.

I noticed that in Italy, there are muni meters everywhere, from the smallest medieval villages to the large cities. It is just a part of life there so there isn’t any confusion or resistance. Change is difficult, so there will be an adjustment period for many residents to get used to the muni meters. There are becoming more commonplace so in time even visitors won’t think twice about them. Nyack is on the vanguard. Continue reading →