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.
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.
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