02 - Chapter 2 - Regional ContextPlan Rye Brook
Chapter 2: History and Regional Context 7
2. REGIONAL CONTEXT
The Village of Rye Brook is a suburban community, located in southwestern Westchester County,
approximately 20 miles northeast of New York City. The village is located within the Town of Rye
and is bordered to the south by the Village of Port Chester and the City of Rye; to the west by the
Town/Village of Harrison; and to the east by the Town of Greenwich, Connecticut.
Rye Brook comprises a land area of about 3.5 square miles in a key location with regard to
regional transportation routes (see Figure 1). The combination of three interstate highways, the
Hutchinson River Parkway, the Metro-North Railroad in adjacent communities and the
Westchester County Airport make the village highly accessible and contribute to the high value of
its real estate.
2.1 Village History
The Village of Rye Brook is Westchester’s newest municipality, incorporated on July 7, 1982, from
the last remaining unincorporated area in the Town of Rye. The Town’s history began in 1640
when land was purchased from Native American inhabitants. The first colonists to move into the
area were settlers from nearby Greenwich, who in 1660 negotiated a treaty with Mohican chief
Shenarockwell for all the land along Long Island Sound between the Mamaroneck and Byram
Rivers. The Town apparently took its name from the town of Rye, in Sussex England, the former
home of some of the settlers. Over time, this land became established into three individual
municipalities: the Village of Port Chester (1868); the eastern section of Mamaroneck Village
(1895); and Rye Village (1904), which later seceded from the Town and became a city in 1942.
In 1940, the unincorporated area of the Town of Rye (now the Village of Rye Brook) had fewer
than 2,000 residents, and was characterized by large estates, farmland and open space. The
area experienced significant population growth through the 1960s, and had grown to 8,000
residents by 1980.
A 1981 Pace University study, commissioned by the Village of Port Chester to assess alternative
forms of government for that village, initiated the concept of self-governance for Rye Brook. A
group of residents of the unincorporated area of the Town, known as the Independent Civic
Association (ICA), concluded that the only certain way of achieving independence, self-
determination and protection of the residents’ tax base was to form an independent village
separate from the Town of Rye. The ICA led a petition and referendum process that resulted in
the 1982 incorporation of the Village of Rye Brook. This process also established the principle of
non-partisan and non-compensated public officials that remain an important part of the Village’s
government today.1
1 Adapted from The Village of Rye Brook – A Historical Perspective, by Jules Harris.
RYE BROOK, NY
PLAN RYE BROOK FIGURE 1: REGIONAL CONTEXT
Bedford
Yorktown
Somers
Cortlandt
Lewisboro
Yonkers
North Castle
New Castle
Harrison
Pound Ridge
North Salem
Mount Pleasant
Greenburgh
White Plains
New Rochelle
Rye City
Scarsdale
Peekskill
Briarcliff Manor
Rye Brook
Tarrytown
Irvington
Mount Vernon
Eastchester
Croton-on-Hudson
Mount Kisco
Ossining Town
Dobbs Ferry Port Chester
Ossining Village
Mamaroneck Town
Ardsley
Sleepy Hollow
Pleasantville
Buchanan
Elmsford
Pelham
Larchmont
Bronxville Mamaroneck Village
Hastings-on-Hudson
Pelham Manor
Tuckahoe
SOURCE: WESTCHESTER COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING
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Chapter 2: History and Regional Context 9
2.2 Relevant Regional Policies
A community’s growth and development patterns are shaped most directly by the land-use and
planning decisions made by its local government. However, many local concerns, such as air and
water quality, traffic conditions and economic growth, have impacts that reach beyond municipal
boundaries. These can be most effectively addressed when the regional context is taken into
consideration. This broader outlook for growth and development is provided by vision plans
issued by state and county governments and sometimes inter-municipal agreements. For Rye
Brook, several plans and initiatives have been developed on the county and inter-municipal levels
that are relevant to local decisions, including:
Regional Plan Association: A Region at Risk
Westchester County’s Patterns for Westchester: The Land and the People
Westchester County’s Westchester 2025
2.3.1 The Region – A Region at Risk
Since 1922, the Regional Plan Association (RPA) has issued three plans that provide a regional
perspective on land-use issues in the 31-county New York/New Jersey/Connecticut metropolitan
area. The Third Regional Plan, A Region at Risk (1996), presents a broad vision for improving
regional quality of life and competitiveness within a global economy. The plan’s specific
recommendations, expressed as Campaigns, include policies on green areas, the economic
development of centers, improved transportation systems, the workforce and governance. Some
of these recommendations are incorporated in this plan. In March 2014, the RPA launched a
multiyear effort to complete the Fourth Regional Plan.
2.3.2 Westchester County Patterns and Westchester 2025
In 1996, Westchester County adopted Patterns for Westchester: The Land and the People, which
serves as a policy document designed to guide sustainable development that “balances economic
and environmental concerns and serves the needs of a changing population.” Patterns offers a
broader vision and context for local-level planning initiatives. It supports looking at both local
and cross-border issues and encourages inter-municipal communication and cooperation, to
strengthen individual municipalities and the County overall.
Because final land-use authority rests with municipalities, Patterns acts as a guide and not a
mandate for local planning efforts. However, the County does have two sources of influence: 1)
when considering distributing grants or funding assistance for local planning efforts, the County
can look at whether these local efforts conform to the vision set forth in Patterns and 2) under
Articles 239-m and 239-n of the State’s General Municipal Law, the County’s planning
department has mandatory review over certain proposed planning and zoning actions. These
include adoption of a comprehensive plan and the issuance of site plan approval, special permit
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Chapter 2: History and Regional Context 10
or variance for property within 500 feet of a municipal boundary, County or State park or
recreation area, County or State roadway, County-owned stream or drainage channel or County-
or State-owned land on which a public building or institution is situated. If the County does not
approved the proposed action, it can require that the referring local board approve the action by
a majority-plus-one vote of all board members.
Patterns organizes the county’s municipalities, transportation network and natural environment as
centers, corridors and open space, respectively. The basic premise of Patterns is that existing
centers, if nurtured by necessary infrastructure, can support commercial and residential growth;
that existing strip development along corridors can be reshaped to capture some benefits of
centers; and that not all land uses are appropriate to all locations. Centers, typically containing a
commercial or mixed-use core and surrounding residential and industrial sectors, are likely to
contain the main commercial services on which communities depend. They are where schools,
libraries, seats of government and transit facilities are usually found. Centers often provide a
range of housing opportunities that outlying areas may lack, and are distinguished by activity and
the density and mix of land uses. Patterns notes that while areas of concentrated development
found along corridors can function as centers, especially where public transportation and a public
component are provided, centers remain the optimal locale for development investment.
Rye Brook is not identified as a center in Patterns, and the village is recommended for medium-
density suburban growth, intended to “blend physical development with the natural
environment.” However, a principal corridor, Interstate-287, runs through the southern portion of
the village, which has created a node of development that functions as a center for Rye Brook
(see Figure 2).
In 2006, the Westchester County Planning Board began a review of the County’s planning
policies in the context of regional challenges. While the board found that Patterns continues to
provide a solid foundation for the county’s development, it identified the need to address new
critical issues. As a result, the County created Westchester 2025, a web-based, interactive
framework for a planning partnership between Westchester and its 45 municipalities. Westchester
2025 is meant to help create a single regional vision, and to assist the County’s planning board
in long-range planning, advising on capital spending and incorporating the County’s perspective
in municipal planning and zoning referrals. For Rye Brook, one key tool of Westchester 2025 is
the zoning build-out analysis developed by the Westchester County Department of Planning,
which provides an important understanding of local zoning for both the Village and County.
VILLAGE OF RYE BROOK, NY
PLAN RYE BROOK FIGURE 2: PATTERNS FOR WESTCHESTER MAP
SOURCE: WESTCHESTER COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING, 1996
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Westchester 2025 supports sustainable development that balances economic and environmental
concerns and serves the needs of the county’s changing population. To respond to major events
of the early 21st century including flooding, terrorism and infrastructure failure, the plan lays out
the following general policies:
1. Channel development to centers
2. Enhance transportation corridors
3. Assure interconnected open space
4. Nurture economic climate
5. Preserve natural resources
6. Support development and preservation of permanently affordable housing
7. Support transportation alternatives
8. Provide recreational opportunities to serve residents
9. Protect historical and cultural resources
10. Maintain utility infrastructure
11. Support vital facilities
12. Engage in regional initiatives
13. Define and protect community character
14. Promote sustainable technology
15. Track and respond to trends
While Westchester 2025 has not developed specific recommendations for the Village of Rye
Brook, its policies are generally in line with the Village’s land-use and development goals.
2.3.3 Surrounding Communities and Their Plans
Planning and development in neighboring municipalities forms an important element of the local
context. Most Rye Brook residents visit these communities regularly – for work, shopping,
recreation, etc. – and development near the village’s borders may directly affect properties,
infrastructure, traffic and views within the village.
Village of Port Chester
Rye Brook and Port Chester are closely linked; a portion of Rye Brook shares its schools with Port
Chester, and the two villages share some or contract for municipal services such as fire, library
and EMS services. The border between the villages is relatively invisible, running through
moderately dense neighborhoods of single-, two- and multifamily homes and businesses. Many
Rye Brook residents patronize the shops and restaurants in Port Chester and use its Metro-North
train station.
In 2013, Port Chester adopted an update to its 1968 Master Plan, to capitalize on its assets of a
diverse cultural population, quality homes at relatively affordable prices, a vibrant downtown and
proximity to regional employment centers, while addressing challenges including changing
socioeconomic conditions, unpredictable growth and development patterns, physical constraints
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limiting waterfront access and underutilized non-residential properties. Port Chester followed up
completion of its Comprehensive Plan with a number of zoning code revisions intended to
implement the plan’s recommendations and to address specific areas, such as the Route 1
commercial corridor, the downtown and waterfront and the former United Hospital site. Port
Chester is also working to update its Local Waterfront Revitalization Plan (LWRP), a policy
guidance document for its waterfront area along the Byram River.
Town/Village of Harrison
Rye Brook’s western boundary, running along Blind
Brook, is entirely shared with the Town/Village of
Harrison. Along the northern half of this boundary
are several large, low-density uses: the Westchester
County Airport, the SUNY Purchase college campus
and the Pepsico corporate headquarters office
campus. Along the southern half of the municipal
border are primarily neighborhoods of much lower
density than in Rye Brook, including the Purchase
area. Harrison contains a number of large office
campus developments along the I-287 corridor that
generate employment and traffic for the region, including Rye Brook. However, some of these
sites have suffered from long-term vacancies and are experiencing shifts to other uses, such as
medical/research and educational facilities, hotels and recreational uses. The Blind Brook, which
separates Rye Brook and Harrison, also presents flooding challenges for both municipalities.
In December 2013, Harrison adopted an update to its comprehensive plan. Major elements of
the plan include a focus on the downtown central business district and the office parks along I-
287, known as the “Platinum Mile.” For Harrison’s downtown area, the plan supports transit-
Port Chester’s downtown commercial development (left) and Metro-North train station.
BFJ Planning
SUNY Purchase in Harrison.
BFJ Planning
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Chapter 2: History and Regional Context 14
oriented development (TOD), streetscape and infrastructure improvements, implementation of
strong design principles to create a sense of place and enhancements to parks and key
intersections. For the Platinum Mile area, a new mixed-use zoning district is proposed to allow for
potential development of assisted-care and senior housing, as well as complementary retail uses
and improved vehicular and pedestrian circulation. Recent development proposals in Harrison
near Rye Brook have included a new church on Anderson Hill Road and a soccer training facility
associated with Manhattanville College.
City of Rye
The City of Rye, which shares a small boundary at the southern tip of Rye Brook, serves as a
nearby downtown for residents of Rye Brook for shopping and dining. Its Metro-North train
station, also in downtown Rye, is also well-used by Rye Brook residents. The City last adopted a
comprehensive plan in 1985, and a Master Plan Task Force is charged with updating that
document. Other planning efforts have included flood mitigation studies near Bowman Avenue
(conducted jointly with the Village of Rye Brook); a 2003 study regarding the size and bulk of new
homes; a 2005 study on neighborhood business districts; and 2007-2008 studies on Boston Post
Road, in the southern section of the city. The City of Rye and the Village of Rye Brook share EMS
services (together with the Village of Port Chester).
Town of Rye
As discussed above, the Village of Rye Brook is located within the Town of Rye, providing Rye
Brook residents with excellent access to the Town’s two parks, Crawford Park (located within Rye
Brook) and Rye Town Park in Rye City along Long Island Sound, where residents of the village
may purchase seasonal permits for discounted fees. The Town also assesses and collects taxes on
behalf of Rye Brook and its two school districts, Blind Brook and Port Chester; runs a Town Court
system; and has a clerk’s office.
Images of Boston Post Road in Rye before (left) and after (right) implementation of a “road diet.”
BFJ Planning
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In November 2012, the Town – together with the Villages of Rye Brook, Mamaroneck and Port
Chester – completed a report, Review of Governance and Service Alternatives, analyzing options
for a potential Town dissolution, assessing the financial implications and outlining other shared-
service alternatives for the three municipalities within the Town. No action has been taken on
dissolution, but the Town has recently sold off some assets, including its town hall building in Port
Chester and the town garage to the Village of Rye Brook.
In 2013, the Rye Town Park Commission retained a planning consultant to assist in its efforts to
create a public-private partnership for management, operation and capital improvements to Rye
Town Park. The Commission issued a Request for Proposals in January 2014 to public or private
organizations to enter into a license agreement for development, operations and management of
the park.
Town of North Castle
The Town of North Castle shares a small border with Rye Brook, along Blind Brook, north of the
main terminal of the Westchester County Airport. Residents of the northern portion of Rye Brook
may travel to the shops and restaurants around Armonk, or may be employed in one of the office
developments near that hamlet. The Town last updated its comprehensive plan in 1996. The
Town has recently received two major land-use proposals: a 1,450-space parking facility at the
airport and a senior residential development at the Brynwood Golf and Country Club.
Town of Greenwich, Connecticut
Rye Brook is bounded to the east by the Town of Greenwich in Connecticut. This area of
Greenwich is primarily single-family neighborhoods. To the east of the Westchester County
Airport on King Street is the private Brunswick School, which has been substantially expanded in
recent years with new residences, ballfields and school buildings. The Glenville area of
Greenwich, east of King Street near Rye Brook Village Hall, has a small commercial area that
attracts village residents. Other areas of interest for Rye Brook include shopping along Greenwich
Avenue and use of the Greenwich library. Higher-density commercial areas are south and east of
Port Chester. The Town last updated its Plan of Conservation and Development in 2009, and is
presently completing a neighborhood plan for the Cos Cob area along Long Island Sound.
Representatives from the Town of Greenwich and the Village of Rye Brook meet periodically as
part of a Westchester-Greenwich task force, to discuss issues along the King Street corridor.
2.3.4 Other Regional Planning Initiatives
Regional Transportation Planning
The New York Metropolitan Transportation Council (NYMTC) is the Metropolitan Planning
Organization (MPO) for New York City, Long Island and the lower Hudson Valley. NYMTC
undertakes studies for transportation improvements in the region, forecasts future conditions and
needs and makes decisions on the use of federal transportation funds.
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NYMTC’s 2014-2040 Regional Transportation Plan, A Shared Vision for a Sustainable Region,
adopted in September 2013, includes several projects relevant to Rye Brook. The most significant
of these relates to the replacement of the Tappan Zee Bridge over the Hudson River. Construction
of the new bridge, which is underway, could include transit improvements throughout the 30-mile
I-287 corridor between Port Chester and Suffern, in Rockland County.
New York-Connecticut Sustainable Communities
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently funded this bi-state
collaboration of municipalities, counties and regional planning organizations with a $3.5 million
grant to link planning for housing, economic development, transportation and the environment.
The program’s focus is to leverage the region’s robust transit system by creating livable
communities with mixed-income housing and employment at nodes along rail lines.
In Westchester, three planning efforts have begun through the efforts of the New York-
Connecticut Sustainable Communities program:
I-287/Tappan Zee Bridge Corridor Action Plan: The City of White Plains, in collaboration
with NYMTC and in consultation with other affected communities, will identify planning
needs in the corridor, including connections to existing and planned transit hubs.
New Rochelle Smart Growth Initiative – New Rochelle will implement a comprehensive
strategy to promote commercial and residential development near its Transit Center.
Cross County Parkway Corridor Action Plan – The cities of Yonkers, Mount Vernon and
New Rochelle, in collaboration with NYMTC, will define planning needs in the east-west
Cross County Parkway corridor.
Replacement of the Tappan Zee Bridge is underway and could include transit
improvements along I-287.
BFJ Planning
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Hudson River Valley Greenway/National Heritage Area
The Hudson River Valley Greenway was created to advance the State’s commitment to the
preservation, enhancement and development of the scenic, natural, historic, cultural and
recreational resources of the Hudson River Valley, while continuing to emphasize economic
development activities and remaining consistent with New York’s tradition of home rule. The
Greenway covers most municipalities of Westchester County, including Rye Brook.
The Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area includes 250 communities in 10 counties
bordering the river, encompassing approximately 3 million acres of land extending from the
confluence of the Mohawk and Hudson Rivers, south to the northern border of New York City.
By Local Law No. 18 of 2006, the Village of Rye Brook adopted the Westchester County
Greenway Compact Plan. This document includes a statement of policies, principles and guides
to supplement other established land-use policies in the village.
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