01 - Chapter 1 - Introduction, Vison & GoalsPlan Rye Brook
Chapter 1: Introduction, Vision and Goals 1
1. INTRODUCTION, VISION AND GOALS
1.1 Study Background and Process
In the fall of 2012, the Village of Rye Brook began the process of preparing its first-ever
Comprehensive Plan. Although the Village has a long history of planning, covering a wide range
of specific topics, it never before had in place a master planning document to guide future
decisions on development, zoning and capital spending. The primary goal of the Rye Brook
Comprehensive Plan is to maintain and improve the overall quality of life for village residents by:
1. Promoting sustainable development;
2. Encouraging a stable and enduring economic base;
3. Providing for safety, health and education;
4. Preserving the natural, cultural, recreational and historic assets of Rye Brook;
5. Enhancing the design of the built and natural environment; and
6. Advocating for smart-growth design principles in the planning process.
This Comprehensive Plan will build on prior planning efforts and establish a policy guide for land
use within the village. The Plan also represents the culmination of a unique and innovative
partnership with the Westchester County Department of Planning, which completed in May 2012
an extensive report, Village of Rye Brook Planning Base Studies: A Detailed Study of Existing
Conditions, in a pilot project to demonstrate how County and municipal planning documents can
inform and support each other. This report – together with the prior Village planning studies –
forms a baseline for the comprehensive planning effort.
New York State municipal law provides that the Village Board may prepare a comprehensive
plan with the assistance of a special board. Accordingly, in 2013, the Village Board appointed a
12-member advisory committee representing a broad range of interests in the village. This
committee met regularly over the course of the one-year planning process, provided guidance
and direction in the drafting of this Plan and hosted a total of four community visioning sessions
to collect and incorporate vital public input.
The concluding Future Land Use Plan and Implementation sections of this Plan incorporate the
village’s essential characteristics and future goals addressed in the following chapter topics:
Regional Context; Demographics and Growth Trends; Land Use and Zoning; Natural Resources
and Stormwater Management; Parks, Recreation and Open Space; Transportation; Infrastructure
and Utilities; Housing and Residential Development; Large-Scale Commercial Development;
Commercial Center; and Municipal Facilities and Community Character. The final piece of the
Plan is an Action Agenda that is both part of the document and can also be used as a stand-
alone to-do list for the Village Board.
Plan Rye Brook
Chapter 1: Introduction, Vision and Goals 2
1.2 Public Participation
In undertaking the creation of a Rye Brook comprehensive plan, a major focus for the Village was
that the process be as open, transparent and engaging of the community as possible. Public
participation was identified early on as essential for the development of a successful Plan, and a
variety of outreach methods were utilized to reach stakeholders from a broad spectrum of the
community, as follows:
Project Branding
To capture the interest of these stakeholders,
the project team created a name and a brand
for the comprehensive planning process: Plan
Rye Brook. Major elements of the brand
included a consistent color palette, font and
style of layout that could be used for all
publicity materials and project deliverables.
The idea was to create a name and project image that would be instantly recognizable
and visually appealing, and that would convey qualities that make the village unique and
distinguish it from its neighbors.
Project Website
A stand-alone project website was created and regularly updated to disseminate the latest
study developments, including public meeting announcements, newsletters, summaries of
past meetings, project team contact information and draft deliverables. The site also
incorporated a feature allowing users to sign up to receive email updates of website
changes and project milestones.
Public Survey
Attending public meetings is difficult for people with many constraints on their time,
including work, family and social obligations. Because of this, there are generally only
specific segments of the population who attend public visioning sessions – namely those
who are deeply civic-minded or those with a specific issue of concern. Therefore, an
online survey was used to further inform the visioning process by allowing the project
team to gain insights into the opinions of the portion of the population who may not be
reached by traditional outreach methods. The survey was available from mid-August
through September of 2013, and was completed by approximately 860 people, whose
responses to the variety of questions were integral in drafting the Plan chapters. A
summary of the survey results is found in the Appendix.
Public Visioning Sessions
As noted, four public workshops were held as part of this comprehensive planning
process. The first public workshop was held on June 10, 2013, at the Village of Rye Brook
offices to introduce the project and gather public comments and suggestions for several
key areas of focus: land use and zoning; the commercial center; and the environment,
Plan Rye Brook
Chapter 1: Introduction, Vision and Goals 3
open space and sustainability. Three additional workshops were held on October 28,
2013; January 13, 2014; and March 24, 2014, to discuss ideas and concepts in
additional Plan chapters. Recommendations from these sessions have been reviewed and
appropriately integrated into this document. The four workshops are summarized in the
Appendix.
Other Public Outreach
In addition to the above public participation efforts, the Village employed a range of
targeted measures to get the word out about the comprehensive plan, including hosting a
table at the annual Rye Brook Birthday Party in Crawford Park in June 2013; event flyers;
email blasts; press releases to local press; and posting of a sign at the Rye Ridge
shopping center.
1.3 Previous Village Planning Efforts
While Rye Brook has not previously prepared or adopted a village-wide comprehensive plan,
over the years it has undertaken a number of planning studies, many of which contain specific
recommendations that have since been implemented. These studies form a background for this
Plan, and descriptions of many are found in the Westchester County Planning Base Studies report.
Hawthorne Avenue Land Use and Zoning Analysis (March 1994)
Byram Ridge Zoning Study (July 1994)
Rye Brook Vision Plan (December 2000, not formally adopted by the Village Board)
Stormwater Analysis, East Branch Blind Brook (November 2002)
Residential Bulk Regulations Study (August 2003)
Conservation Easement Study (February 2004)
Large Lot Subdivision Study (March 2004)
Vision Plan Implementation Task Force Report of Findings (August 2004)
Lincoln Avenue Property Analysis and Report (January 2005)
Scenic Roads Overlay District Study (April 2005)
King Street Traffic Study (April 2005)
Byram Ridge Task Force Report of Findings (June 2006)
Hazard Mitigation Plan (June 2007)
Pavement Management Study (November 2007)
Flood Mitigation Study, Bowman Avenue Dam Site (March 2008)
Blind Brook Watershed Management Plan (March 2009)
Open Space Zone Study (October 2010)
Affordable Housing Discussion Paper (January 2011)
Plan Rye Brook
Chapter 1: Introduction, Vision and Goals 4
1.4 Vision, Goals and Policies
Vision Statement:
The future of the Village of Rye Brook shall be one that strives to maintain and enhance the quality of life
of its residents, businesses, interest groups and future generations based on a community consensus that
establishes and strengthens the village’s distinct identity while working with neighboring communities to
achieve desired or shared goals.
Built Environment
1. Goal: Preserve character of residential neighborhoods.
Policy: Maintain the quality and preserve the character of residential structures.
2. Goal: Enhance sense of community through changes in the built environment.
Policy: Minimize activities that create significant adverse impacts to the quality of life in residential
neighborhoods.
Policy: Promote a diversity of housing choices for both current and prospective residents.
Policy: Preserve and enhance the visual character of the village’s major roadways.
Policy: Enhance community identity by creating community focal points.
Policy: Enhance community identity through the redevelopment and enhancement of existing
commercial areas to create a Village Center
Natural Environment
1. Goal: Preserve the remaining open space character.
Policy: Preserve the character of the remaining under‐ or undeveloped properties in the village.
Policy: Preserve and enhance significant open space vistas and other visual resources important to
the community.
2. Goal: Maintain and improve the quality of the Blind Brook and the Long Island Sound watershed.
Policy: Address stormwater management from a regional and village‐wide perspective to reduce
flooding impacts.
Policy: Reduce sources of non‐point pollution and preserve environmental resources in the Blind
Brook and Long Island Sound watershed.
Policy: Improve access to and raise awareness of the Blind Brook.
3. Goal: Promote environmental stewardship.
Policy: Encourage sustainable development by adopting changes, as appropriate, to the Village’s
zoning and building codes.
Plan Rye Brook
Chapter 1: Introduction, Vision and Goals 5
Mobility
1. Goal: Improve traffic circulation while minimizing impacts on the environment and community
character.
Policy: Actively participate in regional transportation planning efforts by governmental agencies such
as the New York State and Westchester County departments of transportation and the New York
Metropolitan Transportation Council.
Policy: Identify roadway improvements that enhance vehicle safety and improve traffic circulation
using planning and engineering best practices.
Policy: Encourage development that capitalizes on existing transit resources.
2. Goal: Increase and promote viable alternatives to automobile travel.
Policy: Promote strategies that increase bicycle and mass transit use.
Policy: Improve pedestrian safety and increase pedestrian circulation opportunities, particularly in
the commercial center.
Community Resources
1. Goal: Enhance the quality and availability of community services, while respecting limited
resources.
Policy: Promote community identity through enhanced services, facilities and other community
resources.
Policy: Cost‐effectively improve and increase parks and other community services and facilities.
Policy: Explore opportunities for enhanced provision of community resources through cost sharing
with neighboring municipalities, as appropriate.
Plan Rye Brook
Chapter 1: Introduction, Vision and Goals 6