April 23, 2024

The Village of Ossining

Downtown, Waterfront Revitalization –

Planning for Collective Impact

History

The Village of Ossining is a historic and historically significant community. Originally purchased from the Sint Sinck tribe in 1685, the area quickly developed as a port along the Hudson River. On April 2, 1813, the Village of Ossining (then called Sing Sing) became the first incorporated Village in Westchester County to be state-chartered, and the area continued to develop and thrive through much of the 20^th century. However, Ossining was not immune to the rapid changes and ill-informed urban policy decisions seen throughout the northeastern United States (and specifically in New York State) during the 60s and 70s, during which large swaths of Ossining’s lively and productive downtown were demolished during Urban Renewal under the banner of "blight." Also, like other communities nationwide, this destruction not only displaced families and businesses housing and employing persons of color, it also never resulted in new development as promised. At the same time, NYS Route 9, which had formerly been a sleepy road spanning the Rivertowns from North to South, was widened in the Village of Ossining, creating not only more displacement of families and businesses but creating what is effectively a four-lane highway directly through the center of the community, bifurcating the Village not just physically, but also practically. For decades, the very center of the Village of Ossining has been left incomplete, with the northern block of Main Street standing and everything south of it being used as surface parking. Route 9 (locally North/South Highland Avenue) continues to be used as a bypass for NYS Route 9A, with high speeds endangering vehicle and pedestrian traffic alike.

For over two decades, the Village has been considering a number of inter-related, downtown, waterfront revitalization projects designed, in large part, to address the negative consequences of Urban Renewal. Each of these projects alone has the potential to unquestionably improve the social, economic, and health outcomes for Ossining's residents and businesses. However, collectively, these projects are truly transformative for Ossining and will enable this historically rich, geographically stunning, and socially progressive community to re-establish a vital and vibrant downtown waterfront community – one that is transit-oriented, walkable, and bikeable. Not surprisingly, funding had been a primary challenge to moving these projects forward, and engaging broad-based community support had also proved challenging. As is typical of most communities, residents expressed valid concerns about what any one of these projects could mean if realized. In Ossining, these concerns included negatively impacting the Village's charm and character, more traffic and parking issues, additional housing placing too much burden on the school district, and higher taxes leading to potential displacement of long-term residents, to name the most prevalent.

Grant Funding – The Catalyst for Progress

Things changed in 2021 when Ossining was awarded New York State’s highly competitive $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) grant, which provided the impetus to make these projects a reality. Not only was the seed money now available to make these projects viable financially, but the DRI application process and subsequent approval called for significant community input, which allowed the Village Board to engage with the public and key stakeholders, such as the Ossining Union Free School District, Ossining’s network of non-profits and the local business community, via public workshops, webinars, public events, and social media, over the course of nearly two years. As the Board worked with New York State and its planning consultants to refine and hone its slate of DRI projects, they were able to address, as fully as possible, the many concerns of Ossining's diverse community.

Political Will and Public Support

Perhaps the most critical component is how these projects have been crafted in partnership with the public. Though many of the preliminary discussions on these projects took place during the darkest days of COVID, the Village was able to pivot to online engagement, done in a way that resulted in just as meaningful (and imminently more accessible) dialogue than in-person events may generate, and which can live online in perpetuity. The Village's virtual engagement around the 30 Water Street development was bested only by 2023's Transformational Thursdays series, which included in-person pop-ups at local hot spots throughout the Village, meeting people where they are, and offering Spanish language translation for every engagement.

This level of community engagement has given residents and key stakeholders greater pride and ownership and sparked interest in a younger generation eager to build for Ossining's (and, by extension, their own) future.  

Each project is designed to improve the community for all people. Collectively, these projects improve quality of life, economic viability, and environmental sustainability while prioritizing equity. These efforts underscore Ossining's unrelenting commitment to preserving and nurturing socio-economic diversity, positioning this diversity as Ossining’s greatest and most aspirational asset.



While government funding has made Ossining’s Downtown Revitalization Initiatives financially feasible, community input and buy-in have made them viable. In totality, these projects will not only revitalize Ossining's Downtown; they will do so in a way that is equitable and inclusive. They will preserve the quaint and charming aspects of a Village while bringing state-of-the-art innovation to support housing needs, environmental sustainability, and local business development. Further, they will provide a new and improved model of suburban living that will support local businesses along Main Street, providing a highly desirable, small-town atmosphere within an hour's train ride to Manhattan while benefitting regional economic development for Westchester's growing technology and healthcare industries.

It was then that Ossining’s vision for the redevelopment of two surface parking lots on Main Street, which includes the enhancement and expansion of Market Square (Ossining’s beloved open-air gathering space) on one lot, and "Spring on Main," a mixed-use development reflective of what existed prior to Urban Renewal, on the other, became a reality. With the influx of grant funding, the Village now had the ability to address its biggest physical challenge: the displacement of surface lot parking that will result from this development, which will now be absorbed by a multi-modal parking and e-bike rental facility located behind the existing Main Street shops and residences on the north side of the street. The Board’s public engagement efforts were able to ensure that other important community concerns regarding this redevelopment were addressed as well. These initiatives will preserve green space, will reflect and complement Ossining's historic landmarked Main Street architecture, and will balance the need for transit-oriented housing with the needs of the school district.

A short walk from Main Street, DRI funding will give Ossining’s well-utilized Joseph G. Caputo Community Center the long-deserved renovations needed to facilitate the creation of state-of-the-art spaces for programming that appeal to residents of all ages, from swimming to pickle-ball, watercolors to computer gaming, and a wide range of classes to satisfy mind, body, and spirit. Renovations will also create dedicated space for Ossining’s new Youth Bureau, the first to be established in Westchester County in over 30 years. Community engagement with regard to this vital Recreation Center will continue during the design phase, set for Summer 2024.

Public Private Partnerships

Public/private partnerships play a critical role in these projects' viability and ultimate collective success. Ossining's partnership with Wilder Balter Partners has enabled the construction of 109 units of affordable housing with retail and community space and a public park that incorporates the extension of the Sing Sing Kill Greenway. This project not only provides much-needed affordable and transit-oriented housing directly adjacent to the train station and the Haverstraw Ferry, it will, along with DRI-funded street scaping, catalyze further revitalization of the Station Plaza neighborhood at the base of Main Street.

Wilder Balter Partners also responded to an RFQ for the mixed-use development of the Main Street surface parking lot. They were also selected for this DRI-driven initiative and are working closely with the Village on community engagement to inform the community about this project and ensure its integration with all other DRI efforts. This project will allow for more retail experiences on the first floor of the building and approximately 100 residential rental units, 90% of which will be priced at market rate and 10%, which will be priced at 80% Westchester AMI as per the Village's affordable housing policy. Once complete, a block-long segment of Ossining's Main Street will be reactivated, representing a significant reversal of Urban Renewal's negative impact.



Project MOVER, funded by NYSERDA, brings the expertise of transportation planning talent from Nelson\Nygaard and micro-mobility operators from Shared Mobility Inc. together to work with the Village of Ossining and its community non-profit partners to create the first-of-its-kind pilot program designed to facilitate equitable, affordable and easy access to e-bikes as an alternative to gas-powered vehicles at a scale that would not be possible without this innovative public/private partnership.

From the Community Center, one can walk along the Sing Sing Kill Greenway. This engineering wonder combines the best of form and function. Through a forested ravine along the Kill, the Village has constructed a scenic walkway that serves the dual function of protecting a sanitary sewer line. The walkway will ultimately be extended to connect to the historic Station Plaza Neighborhood, aptly named for its proximity to the Ossining Train Station, with the development of “30 Water Street”, an all-affordable mixed-income, mixed-use development on what is now a Village-owned organic waste yard. DRI funding, paired with this new development by Wilder Balter Partners, will enhance Station Plaza with improved, ADA-accessible streetscaping. 

Each of these projects is now funded and on track to showcase Ossining's innate architectural and natural assets. Collectively, they will create over 200 units of new housing at various price points to support a well-integrated socio-economic mix of residents along with new shops and restaurants, outdoor greenspace, and enhanced recreational programming, all within easy, walkable access to MetroNorth and breathtakingly beautiful waterfront parkland. Housing is perhaps the most sensitive and challenging issue facing communities today, and in Westchester, the housing crisis is hitting residents hard. Suburban communities were initially designed to provide respite from the stresses of city dwellings while still providing easy commutes to good-paying city jobs. In Westchester, While the need for housing grows, particularly affordable housing, residents fear that their quiet village neighborhoods will no longer provide the quality of life they’ve come to enjoy and expect. Ossining has found that residents and families express this concern in one way or another, regardless of ethnicity, race, or income. Therefore, any significant development initiative, from housing development to street-scaping, requires a commitment to community dialogue and the ability to absorb disparate concerns in a way that galvanizes unity to be successful. Great care has been taken to ensure that as Ossining works on its slate of projects, quality of life-issues and shared community values are prioritized.

Further amplifying the social and economic benefits of Ossining's slate of projects while addressing resident concerns regarding traffic is the Route 9 Road Diet, funded by $4M in Congressionally Directed Spending, awarded in 2022. This project will address the bifurcation of the Village of Ossining, created when a portion of NYS Route 9, crossing over Main Street, was widened during Urban Renewal. This project, now on the DOT's Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP), will calm traffic in the interest of pedestrian and vehicular safety and will re-connect Ossining with vastly improved walkability and bike-ability. This project, combined with DRI-driven downtown revitalization projects, will work to further extend the impact of these efforts to the rest of the community. The Road Diet will also re-establish economic viability along a mile-long stretch of Route 9 by facilitating mixed-use development and making now vacant properties, such as the former Ossining Bank for Savings at the top of Main Street (200 Main Street), far more viable for adaptive reuse. The implementation of the Road Diet, in conjunction with Ossining’s housing development and revitalization projects, is one example of preserving the quality of life that maintains the desirable aspects of Village charm and character.

Complimenting Ossining’s return to a pedestrian-friendly, walkable, transit-oriented community is Project MOVER. In 2022, Ossining was selected as a pilot community under NYSERDA’s Clean Transportation Prize; Project MOVER is dedicated to expanding mobility options for the community and bringing e-bikes to Ossining in 2024. The project was designed specifically for and with the Village government along with several community-based non-profits, including Open Door Family Medical Centers, Neighbors Link, IFCA Housing Network, and Hudson Link. The selection of these non-profit community partners is designed to facilitate access to e-bikes for lower-income residents, who might not otherwise have the opportunity to take advantage of this affordable local transportation option. Project MOVER is yet another way that Ossining's revitalization and development are balanced with programs designed to provide greater quality of life benefits for this socio-economically diverse community. While the first component, a bike-share program, is planned to launch in late Spring 2024 in the Village of Ossining, the full slate of programming (which also includes a lease-to-own component, a bike library system, and a network of “bike boulevards”) will eventually expand to neighboring communities through the Electric Micro-mobility Incubator (EMI) network, including the Town of Ossining and the villages of Croton-on-Hudson, Dobbs Ferry, and Tarrytown. The evolution of micro-mobility will further galvanize the strategic alignment of community development and revitalization projects that the Village of Ossining is taking on to establish a model community that can be replicated throughout the State and the country.



Between the various components named above, a conservative estimate of the total cost of these projects is upwards of $50M, is comprised of private developer funding, local tax revenue, and over $23M in state and federal grant dollars that have made it possible for the Village to finance these projects and for that investment to be augmented by private investment.

Long-term and Regional Impact

Though too soon to predict in scale or magnitude, there is no doubt that these projects will combine to result in major economic benefits for residents and business owners alike. Projects like the mixed-use development at 30 Water Street and “Spring on Main” will bring new residents into the downtown, creating jobs. Creating centralized, accessible, and convenient parking will help drive patrons to downtown businesses while also making the purchase of 200 Main Street a more attractive proposition.

While these assumptions are based on historical outcomes of effective investment in community revitalization, the Village is hopeful for long-term impacts that will foster greater well-being in a future with many unknowns. 

Ossining was fortunate to have a slate of long-standing community priorities that align closely with the economic, environmental, and transportation goals of New York State. Thanks to progressive leadership and unwavering community support, a strategic vision emerged that led to the concurrent undertaking of these major projects. However, there is no shortage of similarly situated communities; Urban Renewal had detrimental impacts on villages and cities throughout the State, and a strategic approach like what is encouraged by the DRI can help other communities think about their projects from a grouping or critical mass perspective. Ossining's strategic integration of capital improvement projects that optimize walkability, sustainability, local business development, and regional economic development in a way that allows for greater socio-economic diversity establishes a model for replication that is in lock-step alignment with NYS development goals and objectives.

This week's meeting will be held at 16 Croton and will begin at 7:30PM on Wednesday, April 24th, 2024.

The Work Session agenda will be as follows:

• We begin with the Placemaking Committee making the first of what we hope will be many annual presentations! 
• Next, we have some exciting grant updates: Lieutenant Maiorana will join us to discuss his successful application for two OPD grants: one is for an FY21 Tactical Team Targeted Grant for $75K, and the other is for an FY21 Critical Infrastructure Key Resource Grant. The Board will also discuss the Village's pending application to the NYS Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services for up to $500,000 to offset the cost of a second set of turnout gear for the OFD to ensure everyone always has a clean set.
• Trustee Fritsche and Village Engineer Paul Fraioli, PE, will lead a discussion on the LED signage for either 16 Croton or Market Square. 
• Finally, Corporation Counsel Stuart Kahan will discuss with us a proposed Local Law amending the definitions for "Alcoholic Beverage," "Liquor," "Refreshment Business," and "Spirits" in Chapter 147 (Food Establishments) of the Village Code.

Village of Ossining | www.villageofossining.org