01 - Part 1 - IntroductionPlanning Base Studies
Village of Rye Brook, New York
Chapter 1 Introduction
1-1
May 2012
Prepared by the Westchester County Department of Planning
The Village of Rye Brook, New York is located in the southeast
section of Westchester County and is 3.47 square miles in area,
see Map 1.1. To the south of Rye Brook are the Village of Port
Chester and the City of Rye and to the west is the Town/Village of
Harrison. Greenwich, Connecticut lies to its east.
1.1 Rye Brook Today
The Village can be characterized as primarily residential
neighborhoods. Driving along the Village’s main roads, several of
which are protected as ―Scenic Roads,‖ still provides a cohesive
image of a safe and orderly community with a variety of home
sizes and types. The Village’s commercial center, while not a tra-
ditional downtown, is based around the upper and lower Rye
Ridge Shopping Center and the Washington Park Shopping Center
in the southern portion of the Village. Several corporate office de-
velopments and two large hotels are also developed in a suburban
setting, protecting the character of nearby residences. Two golf
courses and several local parks help add to the open spaces and
buffers around the Village. A portion of the Westchester County
Airport is located at the Village’s northern tip and development
activity is restricted in certain airport overlay zones.
1.2 Village History
Adapted from Rye Brook’s website and New York Times Article,
“If You’re Thinking of Living in Rye Brook”
The Village of Rye Brook is Westchester’s newest municipality,
incorporated on July 7, 1982. It had been the last remaining unin-
corporated area in the Town of Rye. The entire landmass of the
Town of Rye was purchased in 1620 by colonists, some of whom
migrated from Rye, in Sussex, England, through a treaty with Mo-
hican Native American Chief, Shenarockwell. Over time, this land
along the Long Island Sound between the Mamaroneck and
Byram Rivers segmented into the following municipalities: the
Village of Port Chester (1868), the eastern section of Mamaroneck
Village (1895), and Rye Village (1904) which seceded from the
town and became a city in 1942.
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION
Map 1-1. Location Map
Source: Westchester County Department of Planning
Planning Base Studies
Village of Rye Brook, New York
1-2
May 2012
Prepared by the Westchester County Department of Planning
Chapter 1 Introduction
A group of Rye Brook residents spearheaded a petition and referen-
dum processes that resulted in the 1982 incorporation of the Village
of Rye Brook. This group, known as the Independent Civic Asso-
ciation, concluded that the only certain way of achieving independ-
ence, self-determination, and protection of the residents’ tax base
would be to form an independent Village separate from the Town of
Rye.
1.3 Government
Adapted from Rye Brook’s website:
The candidates for public office in Rye Brook seek elected office
on a non-partisan basis without the label or support of any major
political party and serve without compensation or benefits. The Vil-
lage is governed by a Mayor, who is the chief executive officer of
the Village, and a four member Board of Trustees who comprise the
Village Board. The Board appoints the Village Administrator, who
serves as the chief administrative officer and who implements
Board policy and supervises the department heads. The Village pro-
vides most local government services to its residents, except for tax
collection, assessment services, court system and some clerk func-
tions provided by the Town of Rye.
The Board of Trustees regularly meets the second and fourth Tues-
day of every month and operates under the Village Law, General
Municipal Law, Local Finance Law, the Municipal Home Rule and
the Statute of Local Governments. The Village also has many active
volunteer committees.
The Village of Rye Brook is located in the 18th United Stated Con-
gressional, the 36th New York State Senatorial, the 85th New York
State Assembly and the 6th Westchester County Legislative dis-
tricts.
1.4 Planning In Rye Brook
Throughout the years, the Village of Rye Brook has developed and
adopted plans and studies. Listed below is a brief historic timeline
of these efforts and links to the applicable documents.
A Park & Recreation Study, Town of Rye – December 1966
(prior to the Village’s incorporation). A 65-page study that as-
sesses the communities’ need, the available resources, and the
potential for parks in the Town of Rye. It provides guidelines for
the growth and development of an effective park and recreation
system for the town.
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HARRISON
Westchester CountyDepartment of PlanniningApril 2012
Legend
Other Villages in Town of Rye
Parkways and Interstates
Major Roads
Westchester
County Airport
Rye Town Park
(Oakland Beach)
Village of Rye Brook, NY
Rye Brook and Environs
Planning Base Studies
Regional LocationNORTHCASTLE
WHITEPLAINS
CITY OFRYE
Rye
Brook
Mamaroneck
RYE TOWN
RYE TOWN
GREENWICH
Map 1-2Rye Brook and EnvironsPage 1-3
L O N G I S L A N D S O U N D
Playland
Amusement Park
Edith G Read
Sanctuary
Planning Base Studies
Village of Rye Brook, New York
1-4
May 2012
Prepared by the Westchester County Department of Planning
Chapter 1 Introduction
Hawthorne Avenue Study Land Use and Zoning Analysis -
March 22,1994. This 44-page report contains a comprehensive
analysis and recommendations for the development patterns and
land use regulations of the Hawthorne Avenue area of Rye
Brook.
Byram Ridge Zoning Study - July, 8 1994. A zoning analysis of
the Byram Ridge area to assess existing and potential zoning
densities.
Rye Brook Vision Plan - December 2000. Prepared by the Rye
Brook Vision Plan Task Force, this 41-page document addresses
the need for a comprehensive ―road map‖ to manage growth in
the community. The goal was to initiate dialogue among the
community stakeholders, build foundations for productive rela-
tionships, establish priorities regarding the most important issues
affecting the community and identify future strategies to address
these issues.
Residential Bulk Regulations Study - August 2003. As a reac-
tion to concerns over demand to develop larger and bulkier resi-
dences in many neighborhoods of the Village, this study made
recommendations to add new definitions and maximum floor
area and height/setback requirements to zoning districts
throughout the Village.
Conservation Easement - February 2004. This study recom-
mended two roads be protected by new restrictions of the Scenic
Roads Overlay Districts. The study also recommended that the
Village Board or property owners be enabled to place conserva-
tion easement on specific parcels of land to help protect the resi-
dential and open space character of the Village.
Large Lot Subdivision Study – March 2004. This study devel-
oped a strategy to protect scenic resources and guide subdivi-
sions in two areas of the Village – Byram Ridge and Lincoln
Avenue Corridor neighborhoods. Recommendations included
changes to front yard setback calculations in the R-20 zoning
district.
Vision Plan Implementation Task Force Report of Findings
August 2004. In this 73-page report from the Rye Brook Vision
Plan Implementation Task Force, the group explores whether or
not final approval should be delegated to the Rye Brook Plan-
ning Board which would enable the Planning Board to examine
projects within their realm of expertise and free up the time of
the Board of Trustees.
Planning Base Studies
Village of Rye Brook, New York
Chapter 1 Introduction
1-5
May 2012
Prepared by the Westchester County Department of Planning
Lincoln Avenue Property Analysis and Report - January 2005.
This 37-page study provides an existing conditions survey and
environmental analysis to address the development opportunities
and constraints of two contiguous parcels of undeveloped prop-
erty located on the south side of Lincoln Avenue between King
Street and the municipal boundary of the Town of Harrison. The
two parcels were dedicated to the Village as part of the develop-
ment of the BelleFair Community. The presence of wetlands,
watercourses, steep slopes and proximity to the runways of
Westchester County Airport are factors that might limit the de-
velopment potential of the site.
Scenic Roads Overlay District Study - April 2005; In 2004. the
Village of Rye Brook amended the Village zoning code to add
an overlay district to preserve and protect the scenic character of
roads that contribute to the visual character of the community.
This study analyzed the addition of two more roads to be in-
cluded in the Scenic Roads Overlay District.
King Street Traffic Study - April 25, 2005. Due to concerns
about the safety of the interchange of King Street and the Mer-
ritt/Hutchinson River Parkways, the Village of Rye Brook and
Greenwich, Connecticut jointly funded a public process to de-
velop a plan to improve operations at the interchange. An Advi-
sory Committee was formed with members from local neighbor-
hood groups and both staff and elected officials from each of the
communities. Public meetings were held to encourage the citi-
zens of each community to participate in the process. The ulti-
mate goal was to develop a locally preferred alternative. The rec-
ommendation to build roundabouts on King Street was not ulti-
mately supported by New York State who owns this street.
Byram Ridge Task Force Report of Findings - June 2006. This
study analyzed the potential impacts of development in the
Byram Ridge area of the Village. The report recommended in-
creases in setbacks and coverage requirements to limit the im-
pacts of larger homes on the area and recommended the develop-
ment of architectural guidelines for the neighborhood or the en-
tire Village.
Request For Proposals (RFP) & Qualifications - Comprehen-
sive Plan - February 2008. Rye Brook’s eight-page request for
proposals (RFP) for the Village’s first Comprehensive Plan was
distributed to professionals and consultants. The applicants were
asked to provide outreach to community groups and residents,
review existing zoning regulations, evaluate identified study
documents previously completed and develop an implementation
Planning Base Studies
Village of Rye Brook, New York
1-6
May 2012
Prepared by the Westchester County Department of Planning
Chapter 1 Introduction
strategy. The deadline for submission was February 2008. After
interviewing consultants that responded to the RFP, this project
was placed on hold due to changing economic conditions in the
region.
Hazard Mitigation Plan - June 2007. This 43-page plan evalu-
ates a broad range of natural and man-made hazards and evalu-
ates cost-effective methods of minimizing risk to life and prop-
erty. The strategies are realistic in their implementation and
were developed with an understanding of the existing physical
and financial limitations of the community. The plan was pre-
pared in response to the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 which
requires that local governments have an approved Hazard Miti-
gation Plan to be eligible to participate in the Hazard Mitigation
Grant Program.
Open Space Zone Study — October 2010. This 20-page report
provided a review and analysis of open space and recreation fa-
cilities and provided elements of a study to consider the creation
of an open space zoning district.
Figure 1-1. Historical
Aerial Photographs
The images to the right show
Westchester Avenue in the
Village of Rye Brook.
Westchester County’s
historical aerial photo
collection of the years 1947,
1960, 1976, 2004, 2007 and
2009 can be viewed online at
the Mapping Westchester
County webpage. Use the
slider at top right of map to
select year to display.
Aerial photos for the years
2000, 1995, 1990, 1986,
1980, 1976, 1970, 1965,
1960, 1954, 1947, 1940,
1926 and 1925 can be
viewed at a computer kiosk
in the County Planning
Department. Call (914) 995-
4400 for an appointment.
1947 1960
1976 2009
Planning Base Studies
Village of Rye Brook, New York
Chapter 1 Introduction
1-7
May 2012
Prepared by the Westchester County Department of Planning
1.5 Base Studies Overview
The Village of Rye Brook Planning Base Studies provides detail
and background to assist the Village in identifying key issues, data
and tasks towards the completion of a Village-wide Comprehensive
Plan. Data, maps, tables and background information has been as-
sembled on a variety of topics from local, county, regional, state
and federal sources. Much information was gathered from previous
Village plans, studies and reports. Significant data and mapping re-
sources were provided through Westchester County as part of West-
chester 2025: Plan Together, the County’s web-based, long-range
planning policies update. These Rye Brook base studies should be
updated, added to and amended as the Village pursues its compre-
hensive plan.
The following topic areas are included in the Planning Base Stud-
ies:
1. External Influences: Regional Context
2. The Use of Land
3. Community Character
4. Population Characteristics
5. Transportation
6. Natural Resources
7. Recreation, Open Space and Cultural Resources
8. Public Facilities
9. Infrastructure and Utilities
10.Commercial Development– Major Employers
11.Residential Development
12.Current Zoning
13.‘Build Out’ Under Current Zoning
Planning Base Studies
Village of Rye Brook, New York
1-8
May 2012
Prepared by the Westchester County Department of Planning
Chapter 1 Introduction