14 - Chapter 14 - Summary of RecommendationsPlan Rye Brook
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14. SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS
The following is a summary of all recommendations made in this Plan. The following chapter,
Implementation and Action Agenda, discusses and prioritizes those recommendations that are
action items.
Land Use and Zoning
Create either a new Open Space/Recreation zone for the Blind Brook Country Club
property, or zone R-30 and mandate cluster development. Include the Village- and Town-
designated parks in the Open Space/Recreation zone, to preserve these significant open
space assets.
Review the C1 and C1-P zones to address excessive front yard setbacks and provide
sufficient buffering from adjacent residential uses, and look at increasing height and floor
area ratio (FAR) maximums to accommodate 3-4 story mixed-use development
(residential over commercial).
Explore allowing multifamily uses in the C1 and C1-P zones by special permit, subject to
the following criteria:
o Co-location with commercial/office uses
o Residential uses limited to upper floors in buildings fronting Westchester Avenue,
Bowman Avenue or South Ridge Street
o New residential uses limited to studios and one-bedrooms
Throughout the R2-F two-family residential zone, look at allowing offices as principal uses
rather than accessory home offices, subject to a special permit, to encourage viable uses
while preserving the residential character of existing buildings.
Explore creating a Village Center overlay zone – encompassing the existing C1, C1-P and
OB-S zones, the OB-2-zoned parcel on Bowman Avenue east of Port Chester Middle
School, as well as R2-F-zoned parcels along South Ridge Street, Westchester Avenue and
Bowman Avenue – to promote mixed use, “downtown” development. Such a zone could
provide for more flexible use, area and bulk standards or zoning incentives, but require
new development to conform to a set of advisory design guidelines.
Pursue right of first offer for the gas station property at Ridge Street/Bowman Avenue for
potential use as mixed-use development and/or public space.
Natural Resources and Stormwater Management
Continue to focus on stormwater management at the regional and intermunicipal level,
through partnerships with other municipalities, institutions and advocacy groups, and
pursue funding for such partnerships and projects as needed.
Create incentives for homeowners to better manage stormwater on a local level.
Undertake a comprehensive sustainability plan to articulate a vision and approach to
sustainability that is tailored to Rye Brook, with an action plan of implementable practices
or projects that would be effective in addressing specific goals, objectives and targets in a
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measurable and cost-effective manner through the establishment of milestones and
appropriate timelines. Such a plan should explore measures such as:
o Reviewing existing land use regulations for opportunities to promote sustainable
development, reduce parking requirements and implement alternative parking
solutions, regulate the use of herbicides and pesticides and promote the use of
alternative energy sources.
o Amending zoning and subdivision regulations to include incentives for green
buildings and infrastructure that incorporate sustainable design practices.
o Adopting a policy for new Village buildings to be green, incorporating LEED-type
compliance requirements.
o Exploring a “green homes program” to encourage owners to make energy-saving
improvements to their homes.
o Passing EnergyStar legislation to facilitate green residential projects.
o Conducting energy audits as needed for Village facilities, to establish potential
retrofit strategies to reduce energy use.
o Considering the long-term environmental and financial benefits of LED street
lighting Village-wide.
o Replacing cars and trucks in the Village fleet with high-efficiency options.
o Joining New York State’s Climate Smart Communities program, which provides
access to information on available energy-efficiency programs, including state and
federal assistance.
o Conducting a Village greenhouse gas emissions inventory.
o Creating a sustainability committee to educate the public about available
programs.
Parks, Recreation and Open Space
Consider installing additional benches and seating areas near the older baseball field at
Pine Ridge Park.
Undertake upgrades to Garibaldi Park to improve its usage and aesthetics, with
consideration for the following:
o Replacing the playground apparatus.
o Seeking alternate funding for replacement of the baseball field and surrounding
area with artificial turf, depending on the long-term cost implications, so that the
field is less subject to degradation by informal play.
o Coordinating with the Washington Park Plaza shopping center owners on
installation of a planting screen or mural along the rear of the commercial
building to reduce the incidence of graffiti that detracts from the park’s image.
o Pursuing future acquisition of additional properties along Garibaldi Place,
especially between the existing parking area and the playground entrance, to
allow for more programmable park space and added parking.
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Consider enhancements to passive recreational spaces to make them more user-friendly;
raise their visibility; and reduce problems associated with unmarked open space, such as
dumping. For Rich Manor Park in particular, explore actions such as:
o Addition of park signage and benches.
o Wayfinding signage directing bicyclists and pedestrians to the park via the path
along Acker Drive.
o Creation of walking paths into and through the park, providing for views of the
brook.
Pursue creation of a trail network on the 16-acre Village-owned parcel on upper Lincoln
Avenue. Explore providing both pedestrian and bicycle trails, as well as related amenities
such as benches, restrooms, signage and bike racks.
In future development or redevelopment of key vacant or underutilized sites, seek to link
existing parks and open space areas through new or enhanced sidewalks or trails and
signage. Potential linkages include connecting Roanoke Park to the future Bowman
Avenue Park; possible usage of the State-owned Hutchinson River Parkway right-of-way;
and connecting future open space and recreational uses at the westernmost Village-
owned parcel on Lincoln Avenue to adjoining publicly accessible open spaces at SUNY
Purchase and Pepsico in Harrison.
Continue to focus installation of new sidewalks on arterial roadways that link parks and
schools with neighborhoods, while recognizing that sidewalks may not be feasible or
desirable in lower-density residential areas.
Explore acquiring Crawford Park from Town of Rye to capitalize on its potential as the
Village’s “Central Park.” One area of potential focus for expanded uses at the park is the
portion fronting Ridge Street, which is not subject to the same deed restrictions as the
remainder of Crawford Park.
Undertake a comprehensive study of a potential community multipurpose recreational
center, to determine:
o The need for such a facility based on available comparable resources in the
surrounding vicinity;
o The uses, programming and amenities that could best be accommodated in such
a facility, based on needs that are not being filled by Rye Brook’s existing
community center or parks;
o Estimated construction and operating costs; and
o The fiscal and tax implications of building and maintaining the facility.
Explore the potential for dog park(s) at the Village-owned Lincoln Avenue property or the
future Bowman Avenue Park.
Transportation
Continue to monitor opportunities to improve safety and function of identified areas of
traffic congestion (including the intersections of South Ridge Street with Westchester and
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Bowman Avenues, and along King Street), working closely with the Village Police
Department and County and multi-State transportation departments.
Undertake a bicycle and transportation improvements plan to establish a priority list of
capital improvement projects and potential funding sources for necessary infrastructure.
Extend and widen the sidewalk along the northern side of Bowman Avenue, from South
Ridge Street to Port Chester Middle School, to increase pedestrian capacity and provide a
continuous walkway from Ridge Street west to the school’s baseball field.
Explore the potential for a new pedestrian crossing on Ridge Street from the sidewalks on
the eastern side of the roadway to the Crawford Park entrance on the western side.
Revisit prior proposals for replacing the King Street/Hutchinson River Parkway interchange
with a dual roundabout interchange and/or roadway striping plan, coordinating with the
Town of Greenwich and the New York State Department of Transportation.
Initiate discussions with the County on potential new or expanded bus routes along King
Street (and potentially other corridors), based on existing data and studies and with the
goal of maintaining traffic volumes and minimizing impacts to adjacent residential
neighborhoods. Such study would also involve coordination with the NYSDOT.
Continue to work closely with the County on potential strategies to mitigate noise, air
quality and other impacts related to the Westchester County Airport.
Infrastructure and Utilities
Promote water conservation through public education, potential planning guidelines and
policies to mandate water conservation and coordination with regional experts on
effective and innovative tools.
Facilitate the use of green infrastructure techniques as presented in the NYS DEC
Stormwater Management Design Manual.
Work with the County to continue to implement projects that can reduce inflow and
infiltration into sanitary sewer collection systems, in order to improve capacity and reduce
stress on the County’s treatment plants.
Educate the public about illegal sewer connections.
Work with utility companies and appropriate governmental agencies to identify, monitor
and track repaving and road improvement projects with utility infrastructure projects, to
reduce repetitive construction, costs and traffic delays. Coordinate with the agencies and
utility providers on effective public dissemination of this information.
Housing
Maintain good communications with HOAs, major property owners and landlords.
Continue strong enforcement of land use regulations and the conditions of site plan,
subdivision or other land-use approvals.
In the event that multifamily residences are allowed in commercial zones, include a
provision that 10% of any new units be set aside for fair and affordable housing.
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Consider allowing multifamily uses (senior as well as market-rate) by special permit in
office zones.
Adopt a policy that any zoning change (including mixed-use) sought by an applicant that
would expand the permitted uses should include a provision for affordable housing units.
Explore allowing accessory apartments (“in-law apartments”) in low-density single-family
zones subject to criteria including:
o They would be allowable only in the R-12, R-15, R-20 and R-25 zones
o They would require a special permit from the Village Board
o They would be required to satisfy parking requirements for both the principal and
accessory residential use
o They may be no larger than 20% to 25% of the principal residential use and
limited to studios or one-bedroom units
o Either the principal residential use or the accessory apartment must be occupied
by the property owner or a family member.
Continue to encourage affordable housing developers to utilize the Village’s affordable
housing floating zone and other land use provisions adopted as part of the Westchester
County model ordinance.
Commercial Development
Abolish the OB-S zone and rezone the areas included in that zone to the C1-P district.
Consider rezoning the commercial property between the Port Chester Middle School and
Rye Brook Plaza from OB-2 to C1-P. With this rezoning in place, look at revising the
permitted uses in the OB-2 zone to exclude single-family uses and residential-to-office
conversions, as the only remaining uses in the OB-2 zone would be the 760/800
Westchester Avenue office complex and the middle school.
Clean up the permitted and special permit uses in the OB-2 and OB-3 zones to eliminate
redundancies and minimize confusing cross-references.
Assess whether separate OB-2 and OB-3 zones are needed, given their identical
minimum lot sizes and similar area and bulk regulations.
Consider whether multifamily housing should be allowed in office zones by special permit,
as well as complementary retail, restaurant or recreational uses.
Consider measures to address issues of nonconformity in PUD zones, including:
o Removing the locational requirement that PUD zones must be north of the
Hutchinson River Parkway.
o Adjusting the density requirement for residential uses to a less restrictive regulation
that still maintains Rye Brook’s low-density character.
o Adjusting the FAR requirement for office uses to more closely match modern
facilities. The current maximum FAR of 0.12 is highly restrictive; a range of 0.25 to
0.5 may be more appropriate.
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o Removing the square footage restriction on retail uses, and instead require any
retail to be accessory to a principal use. Continue to make such uses subject to a
special permit.
o Allowing assisted-living or senior congregate-care facilities to be a maximum of
four stories or 45 feet in height, as consistent with typical facilities of this type.
o Adjusting the parking requirement for assisted living facilities to 0.5 spaces per
unit (current requirement is 0.75 spaces per unit) to more closely match the actual
parking utilization of these facilities.
Village Center26
Focus on creating a navigable pedestrian network to improve access to the shopping and
civic destinations surrounding Rye Brook’s primary intersection at South Ridge Street and
Bowman Avenue.
Work with the County DPW to create formalized crosswalks at the Bowman Avenue/South
Ridge Street and Ellendale Avenue/South Ridge Street intersections.
Complete the sidewalks along the frontages of the Rye Ridge Shopping Center, especially
on the west side of South Ridge Street north of Crescent Avenue.
Work with the owners of shopping centers to establish clearly defined networks of internal
pathways within surface parking areas, and link these networks to enhanced Village
sidewalks.
In the short-term, create landscaped buffers along sidewalks on South Ridge Street.
Longer-term, promote a development pattern that places new buildings closer to the street
frontage and provides parking to the rear of buildings. This could be encouraged through
the use of design guidelines or other regulations, including streamlining site plan review
or by providing developer incentives.
Work with property owners to strengthen pedestrian frontages within shopping centers
through improved landscaping, lighting and wayfinding signage and branding, and
extend this approach to the shopping centers’ parking lots and road frontages along
South Ridge Street and Bowman Avenue.
Incorporate in any plan for replacement of the DPW facility green building elements and
green buffers, including trees, bushes and ground cover, along the property edges to
visually and audibly screen its activities from adjacent residential uses. Carefully control
the design and placement of lighting so that it does not spill over onto adjoining
properties.
Implement design guidelines as an advisory document to encourage diversity in building
type, program and character, and to promote flexibility in the approval process. Such
guidelines could be applicable within a Village Center overlay zone.
Consider developing local signage design guidelines based on existing positive examples
in Rye Brook.
26 See Land Use and Zoning Recommendations for zoning-related recommendations in the Village Center.
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Municipal Facilities and Community Character
Revisit the 2010 Police Department and Village Hall Space Analysis Study to determine the
extent to which its recommendations for the Police Department remain valid and may be
best implemented.
Look at broadening the constituency of the Anthony J. Posillipo Community Center to
appeal to a wider demographic and attract more users, while ensuring that the center
continues to serve its core constituency of Rye Brook’s seniors. Potential measures include:
o Forging stronger partnerships with area institutions such as schools and the
library, and improving coordination with the Village Parks and Recreation
Department.
o Targeted building investments such as multimedia upgrades to make the facility
more attractive to hosting a greater variety of events and activities.
o Obtaining additional parking adjacent to Garibaldi Park and clearly marking it as
usable for the Community Center, with improved signage and wayfinding.
o Enhanced branding and expanded outreach to the community at large, including
improved marketing of the center’s availability for event rentals.
Continue to maintain a strong and cooperative relationship with the Blind Brook and Port
Chester School Districts to ensure that they meet the needs of students and their families,
while retaining and enhancing the community character of Rye Brook as a whole.
Undertake a village-wide community branding initiative.
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