At the May 15, 2008 Town-Wide Comprehensive Plan Workshop, participants were asked to review the comments received during the Kick-Off Meeting and Hamlet Area Workshops to ensure that no ideas were missed or recorded improperly. Participants at this workshop, and those held previously, were asked to provide ideas regarding seven focus topics, each dealing with a different aspect of the Comprehensive Plan:
Verbal comments were recorded on large notepads as each topic was discussed and during a final “wrap-up” session at the end of the evening. The public also submitted written comments at the workshop.
The following is a list of verbatim comments:
Issue # |
Focus Session |
Verbatim Comment |
1 |
Economic Dev. |
Pro-active & strategic approach compared to other successful communities. |
2 |
Economic Dev. |
Use automatic referenda as needed. |
3 |
Economic Dev. |
Seek out business that add character & uniqueness. |
4 |
Economic Dev. |
Have goods desired by local people closer to home. |
5 |
Economic Dev. |
Need mechanism for maintenance of revitalized area. |
6 |
Economic Dev. |
Need method of protecting local businesses. |
7 |
Economic Dev. |
Attract an art movie house to town. |
8 |
Economic Dev. |
Coordinate business with infrastructure. |
9 |
Economic Dev. |
Community gardens. |
10 |
Env. Resources |
500 year design storm for West Nyack. |
11 |
Env. Resources |
Regulate utility tree trimming. |
12 |
Env. Resources |
Pre-approval tree removal. |
13 |
Env. Resources |
Sub-station at So. Mountain/Little Tor Rd. |
14 |
Env. Resources |
Establish riparian set back. |
15 |
Env. Resources |
Riparian restoration on exist properties. |
16 |
Env. Resources |
Landscapers noise and equipment. |
17 |
Env. Resources |
Restrict/Review gas stations installations. |
18 |
Env. Resources |
Property rights vs development of wetlands/water sensitive areas. |
19 |
Env. Resources |
Compost facility - dust/odor. |
20 |
Env. Resources |
Rockland Center for Arts - if sold County should purchase. |
21 |
Health S & W |
Traffic, safety control of major railroad crossings. |
22 |
Health S & W |
Vehicle speed control. |
23 |
Health S & W |
Pedestrian safety - sidewalks. |
24 |
Health S & W |
Egress/Exit - Spring Valley Market Place. |
25 |
Health S & W |
Handicapped access - sidewalks |
26 |
Health S & W |
Handicapped access - sidewalks |
27 |
Health S & W |
Clarkstown South emergency Access. |
28 |
Hist. Cult. Res. |
Designation of historic roads and byways - South Mountain Road |
29 |
Hist. Cult. Res. |
Strategic approach/lessons learned around culture. |
30 |
Hist. Cult. Res. |
Historical marker design/size for readability. |
31 |
Housing |
Code enforcement or reform to allow development in character of the neighborhood. |
32 |
Housing |
Out of scale housing avoided. |
33 |
Housing |
Proper signage/numbers on houses to be visible from the road. |
34 |
Housing |
Balance new housing vs over development/density. |
35 |
Housing |
Balance housing and impacts on environment. |
36 |
Parks & Rec. |
Access to Hackensack River. |
37 |
Parks & Rec. |
Grandparent pass for grandchildren. |
38 |
Transportation |
FAA re-routing flights. |
39 |
Transportation |
Public Transportation to Stewart & all airports. |
40 |
Transportation |
Mini Trans - expand hours. |
41 |
Transportation |
Ensure emergency routes are flood free. |
42 |
Transportation |
Enforcement of traffic signs. |
43 |
Transportation |
Review of traffic patterns & current signage. |
44 |
comment page |
Is there a way to prohibit landowners of business properties from leaving their property vacant? 1- 2 years etc. If longer either fine them or confiscate the property. Examples - Bradlees shopping center, gas station on Old Rt. 304, Old Friendly's building, Old gas station site on Main St. & 2nd Ave., Rt. 304 gas station and the old house near Rt. 59 and 304 with gas station on east side. |
45 |
comment page |
Can the Main St./Congers Rd. intersection be rerouted through the Court House property? It would mean losing an old tree (which could also be hit by lightening anyway). It would also help to remove the female genitals that grossly adorns that courthouse area. If this could be done, a small mall could be made from current Chase Bank. This mall would have tables, benches etc. Landau Park could be relocated there in and current random park could be used for parking. |
46 |
comment page |
Perhaps have diagonal parking on Main Street instead of parallel parking. |
47 |
comment page |
Regulation (Town-wide) for people who live on corner properties. This regulation would specify that shrubs should no longer be higher than 3 feet so people who are driving can see what is approaching from the other street. Time for non-compliance. |
48 |
comment page |
All shrubs/trees should not obstruct street signs. |
49 |
comment page |
Uniform sings in hamlets - New City, no more lighted signs. |
50 |
comment page |
Attract Wal-Mart to Bradlees property to conserve gas from driving to malls etc. |
51 |
comment page |
Main Street in New City should be more family friendly. A method of parking your car and being able to walk with your family to shop in boutiques, have the feel of a town like for example, Palmer Ave. in Larchmont, where you could sit outside to eat weather permitting. Walk and shop with your children around you. Stop for ice cream or get a cup of coffee. Sidewalks with benches. Have that small town friendly feeling (Mom & Pop so to speak). Main Street now has no appeal to it. It should invite you to get out and enjoy local shops, not only big box stores - not strip malls. Local old charm buildings that make you proud to be living here to raise your family. |
52 |
comment page |
Identify what might work given what has worked elsewhere and what has not worked here. Identify our workforce/buying profile. Identify our infrastructure -spaces & roads (Things to consider - Bradlees, Nanuet Mall and Rt. 303 Corridor. Determine needs of what I stated. Develop a plan to address those needs. Consider the impact of this development - consider the negatives. |
53 |
comment page |
Coordinate with other Towns & County. |
54 |
comment page |
Consider some way to practice evacuation plans and practice assembling then disbursing. |
55 |
comment page |
Have a special team work with Nanuet Mall's owners on plans for the future. |
56 |
comment page |
Promote the availability of peak (mid-day) hour service on Pascack Valley Line to attract seniors and youth. |
57 |
comment page |
Attract businesses with high paying jobs that appeal to and draw from our own workforce. Need corporate jobs so people can live and work here. |
58 |
comment page |
Rt. 59 - New Clarkstown Road & NYS Thruway Exit 14 |
59 |
comment page |
Need the Town to take the lead voice for protecting our interests with the Palisades, Thruway and rail development. |
60 |
comment page |
Regarding recent death of teen on railroad tracks - we need to educate our children to not walk or play near train tracks (increased awareness of all ages). |
61 |
comment page |
Regarding Rt. 59 and New Clarkstown Road area - people are trying to walk from Old Forman Drive to Spring Valley Marketplace and are close to being hit by cars. |
62 |
comment page |
Preserving open space, specifically Cropsey's fields on Little Tor Rd. Keep as green/open space. Local residents should be directly informed and consulted before any changes are made to that open space. |
63 |
comment page |
Adopt a wetland designation that is more realistic than the state on 2.4 acre size (i.e. Much smaller). |
64 |
comment page |
Protection of headwaters of streams to help with flooding and recharging the aquifer. |
65 |
comment page |
Continue to work to reduce the amount of salt, used on roads to deal with ice and snow - brine is an improvement but still salt is an issue. |
66 |
comment page |
Implement a specific riparian corridor, dimension for all new development (at least 100 feet) and encourage replanting of riparian corridors that have all been cleared. This is essential to water protection and eco-system services. |
67 |
comment page |
Concerned about drainage/flood control on the Demarest Mill Stream along Germonds Road in West Nyack. Flooding at Demarest Mill Rd. (Clarkstown H.S.) and Jeffrey Court has already been addressed. The next step should be north between Demarest Mill Rd. and Bardonia Rd. Any work north of this location would greatly increase flooding to the homes of this area, which has historically undergone extensive flooding losses to our homes. |
68 |
comment page |
Something for parents with small children to do. Agrees with having an art cinema. A bulletin board for yard sales. Community garden. |
69 |
comment page |
Regulate noise from power mowers and equipment. Consider light pollution reductions (cost savings also). Use of permeable surfaces for parking lots. |
70 |
comment page |
Enforcement of codes and not granting zone variances. Zoning Board of Appeals is too lax. |
71 |
comment page |
Consider not increasing housing in Clarkstown to avoid congestion and cost of additional services. |
72 |
comment page |
Clarkstown South H.S. evacuation - need another route in and out all of the time. |
73 |
comment page |
Two parking lots were built on undeveloped land for commuters just east of Rt. 303 next to the Hub Shopping Center. They were then abandoned and the commuters moved to parking lot J west of the Palisades Mall. They should be un-paved and returned to wetlands. It would help the flooding in that 59 area. |
74 |
comment page |
Stop erecting macadam barriers on edge of properties. This prevents water from flowing off the road and when the macadam starts to break down it's very unsightly. |
