Final Design and Development Plan

We hope you will take time to review the Final Design and Development Plan that was created for us by Project for Public Spaces (PPS). To view the plan, click on the title of this post.

Print copies of this plan are available for view at the Town Hall and at the Hillsdale Public Library. This final plan will be used as a road map to the future development of Hillsdale's downtown. As such, we will be soliciting more input from residents as each element of the plan is considered for implementation by our town's elected officials.

Since the file size is rather large, these documents have been posted on a separate web site. Here are a couple of tips to help you navigate your way around that site:

1. When you click the title of this post, a new web page will appear in your browser where you can read the article in its entirety. You can make the article bigger by clicking the icon that says "full screen" -- this icon is located above the article. To scroll through the report, use the scroll bar found immediately to the right of the article.
2. This report is quite large, so you may choose to print it and read it at your own leisure. To do so, click the "print" icon immediately above the article.
3. You can also download the article to your own computer if you want. To download, click the appropriate icon above the article. Note: you will need to create your own account on this web site in order to download articles. However, creating an account is free.

As always, we welcome your comments and feedback to this plan.

Again -- you can read the report by clicking on the title of this post or by typing the following URL into your browser:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/37454760

A Vision for the Hamlet

On Saturday March 6, nearly 100 residents showed up to attend a public meeting at Mt. Washington House to hear Project for Public Spaces present their draft plan for the future of the Hamlet.

Meg Walker, VP at PPS and the leader of the Hillsdale Planning Team, presented the major concepts of the draft plan, including:
I. Development of Key Destinations within the Hamlet:
a. Hamlet Park
b. Rail Trail Village
c. Cullen Park
d. Historic Row on 23
e. Anthony Street development
f. The Route 22 route 23 intersection
II. Traffic Calming proposals for routes 22 and 23
III. Sidewalk plan for Rts. 22 and 23

Norman Mintz, a PPS Main Street Consultant, discussed ways that current merchants could renovate their storefronts. He also reviewed business signage and made suggestions and stressed the importance of the town’s entry signs and the development of signs to lead motorists and pedestrians to our businesses.

Sarah Crowell, a PPS business development consultant, reviewed the demographics of the town as they relate to local business that already exist within the town and gave suggestions on the kinds of businesses we might attract.

The last 30 minutes of the presentation were devoted to questions from the audience. Now that the draft has been presented, PPS and the Hamlet Committee will set to work exploring the ideas further with this new feedback in mind.

Check back to this Blog soon as the entire draft plan will be posted here for your comment and review. It will also be available at town hall, along with a box to leave comments.

As always, your thoughts and suggestions are encouraged. Should you have any difficulty leaving comments here, check the link in the top right-corner of this page for a quick tutorial.

Click here to be Inspired!

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Check out this article if you'd like to see how it's possible for towns like ours to change over time. From the article: "Digital artist Steve Price builds Flash animations that show what blighted urban landscapes would look like if they became healthier, safer, and more sustainable places. This article includes a rendering of Columbia Pike in Arlington, Va., in five steps."

To read the whole story, click on the title of this post or type this address into your web browser -- http://www.grist.org/article/2010-03-05-urban-advantage-steve-price-envisioning-future-urbanism

Summary of last week's town meetings

During the week of February 1st, three meetings were held at Town Hall to give residents a chance to review the preliminary concepts that Project for Public Spaces are working on in preparation for their upcoming DRAFT presentation of a Hamlet Design and Development Plan on March 6 at 2 PM at Mount Washington House.
A total of 21 residents came to the meetings.

In general, all participants saw the need to upgrade the look and feel of the Hamlet and the need for economic development. All favored the installation of sidewalks, lighting, seating, bike racks, trash receptacles and new “way finding” and merchant signage. They encouraged the possible development of walking pathways between shops or any areas where it would be possible to walk instead of drive.

All were also in favor of traffic calming strategies, including a reduction in speed limits entering the Hamlet and some physical changes to the roadway and its edges that would give visual cues for traffic to slow. It was clear to all that the intersection of 22 and 23 was a critical problem. Of the two solutions proposed by PPS—a roundabout or a tightening of the intersection with crosswalks—more were in favor of the "tightening" approach. There was general agreement that the top end of Maple Street next to Cobble Pond should be closed and that a solution (off of 22 south) to allow emergency vehicles to access the lower end of Maple Street needs to be found.

All felt that convenient parking within the Hamlet is sorely lacking, though where it should be located was also recognized as an issue that needs to be overcome.
Concerning public gathering places, many felt that somewhere around the new Town Hall would be a good place and that the Hamlet Park should be developed to include attractive seating and other features that would make it welcoming.

All felt that new development should be encouraged, including a possible Arts area on Anthony Street and moderate income housing for seniors and working Town residents. All expressed strong support for the development of the Rail Trail.
There was general agreement that all new development should maintain the rural character of the Hamlet, and that new development design should be in keeping with the current character of the houses that already exist in the Hamlet.

Following are some additional ideas that attendees presented:

* There should be no big building or big scale development;
* Sidewalks on 22 are needed for safety of residents and visitors -- it is too much of a high speed roadway;
* If there is room for on street parking, the parking spaces should be clearly outlined;
* Hamlet Park should have smaller, more intimate game locations for horse shoes and bocce;
* A water feature in the park would be very welcoming;
* An exit from the supermarket on Anthony Street would be very convenient.

Learn more about the revitalization project

All town residents are invited to stop by Town Hall this week to learn more about the Hillsdale Revitalization Project. The purpose of these meetings is to invite town residents and business owners to to hear, discuss and contribute ideas for the revitalization of downtown Hillsdale -- including traffic flow, crosswalks, new sidewalks, parking, landscaping, housing and business development. Both property owners and renters are encouraged to attend any of the following sessions:

Tuesday, February 2 — 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, February 4 — 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, February 6 —10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

All meetings will take place at Town Hall, on Route 23.

Members of the Hillsdale Hamlet Committee will be on hand to answer questions and take suggestions. Also available for review will be the first draft proposals of Project for Public Spaces, the not-for-profit organization that the Town has hired to prepare a Design and Development Plan for the Hamlet.

Have you completed the survey yet?

An important step in the hamlet planner process is to make sure as many Hillsdale residents have had a chance to provide input as possible. To that end, PPS has created a survey we need people to complete.

There are three ways you can access the Hamlet Survey:
1. Click the link in the title to this post. You will be able to complete the survey instantly, and your responses will be sent directly to PPS.
2. Paper copies and drop boxes for completed surveys are available at Town Hall, the IGA supermarket and the B and G Gourmet and Wine store.
3. Finally, you can also access the digital survey by either clicking on the title of this post or visiting our Planner Document Library. Go here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=Wc24kpc9jEqC9O421StyUw_3d_3d

Your help is also needed to make sure all of your friends and neighbors are aware of this project. Please take a moment now to forward this blog to all the Hillsdale folks you know!

Feedback from last month's workshop

The Hillsdale Hamlet Workshop on November 7 was attended by more than 75 area residents. Click here to read highlights from the day: http://plannerdocs.blogspot.com/2009/12/hillsdale-hamlet-workshop-results.html

Interviews with Hillsdale residents and business owners

As part of the process for creating our town plan, PPS has been interviewing various Hillsdale residents and business owners. Click here to see the feedback to date: http://plannerdocs.blogspot.com/2009/12/hillsdale-hamlet-stakeholder-intervie.html

Photos from the Town Meeting

Here are a few photos from Saturday's meeting. To see more, click on the the title to this posting.

Resident Have a Say in Hamlet Planner Work

More than 75 Hillsdale residents turned out Saturday, Nov. 7, for a workshop to envision how Hillsdale's downtown could be made a more attractive, useful and interesting place for residents, businesses and visitors.

The gathering, held at Mt. Washington House under the auspices of the Hillsdale Hamlet Committee, was led by Project for Public Spaces (PPS), a nonprofit planning group hired by the town. PPS will devise a detailed design for improving the hamlet, including such things as new parking, sidewalks, lighting and plantings. It also will work with local businesses on economic development ideas and ways to bring more shoppers into the town center.

As part of its planning process, PPS asked residents at the workshop what they like about the hamlet and what they might like to see changed. Residents broke off into five groups, each of which examined in detail one of five areas of the town center. The areas were the central Cullen Park outside Hillsdale House, the Route 22 corridor near the Hillsdale Country Diner, the Hamlet Park and Maple Street area, the Anthony Street area, and the area near Herrington's hardware store, where the Harlem Valley Rail Trail may one day be extended.

The groups envisioned how these sections of the hamlet could be improved and what types of amenities and new uses they might have. Among the ideas from the residents: create more gathering places and seating areas; encourage the creation of new businesses, such as a coffee shop, drug store and restaurants; find ways to showcase the work of local artists and craftspeople; and, upgrade the roads and walkways to slow traffic, make streets safer and encourage people to walk around.

More detail on the actual responses of the residents will be made available on this blog as soon as the data is reviewed and distributed by Project for Public Spaces.