Planning
Finding the right balance of development, economic growth, maintaining and improving essential services, protecting the environment, and preserving community character is the primary role of the Nyack’s Village Planner.
The Village Planner works closely with the Building Department and Village Engineer in reviewing all new project applications submitted for approval to the Architectural Review Board, Planning Board, and Zoning Board of Appeals. The Village Planner is also responsible for ensuring that State and Federal requirements are followed during the review process and that the Boards have all of the information they need to be able to make an informed decision. Additionally, the Village Planner works on supporting economic development activities, grant making, drafting of zoning text changes and other planning studies and initiatives that will help improve the quality of life in the Village.
Robert Galvin, AICP
Bob has an AICP certification as a professional planner (AICP) and a Master’s degree in Urban Planning from Hunter College of CUNY. He was formerly the Village Consulting Planner for the Village of Mamaroneck and currently the Village Planner for the Village of Nyack and the Consulting Planner for the Village of Tarrytown. He also serves as the 1st Vice President of the Westchester Municipal Planning Federation, and is a Director of the New York Planning Federation, the Chairman of the Housing Action Council, and a vice chairman of the Washingtonville Housing Alliance, a NYS neighborhood preservation company based in Mamaroneck.
Bob’s professional experience has included market feasibility studies for housing and retail developments, retail site selection and sales forecasting, affordable housing, zoning/land use studies and demographics. He has held senior level management positions with Fortune 500 companies such as Dun & Bradstreet, Donnelley Marketing Information Services, Claritas, Market Statistics, National Research Bureau and VNU/Nielsen.
Introduction
The Nyack Village Board of Trustees has focused on developing a comprehensive planning strategy for our Village’s future. These planning concepts and visions in our comprehensive plans have developed a policy guided direction and focus to seek out funding to make the needed changes in several areas of our infrastructure. As you will see in the Village Board’s project list below, these projects have a broad effect on the community’s quality of life.
The Board of Trustees has aggressively applied for grant funding to offset the costs of infrastructure projects to complete many deferred maintenance projects within the Village. They include a major emphasis on pedestrian and bicycling safety and accessways to different parts of the community – to school, the business districts for both our citizens and for our visitors, and to the waterfront from our residential neighborhoods and business districts. A significant project will be the replacement of our water distribution system. Overviews of the projects in various states of progress are listed below. These projects are being funded with over $20,000,000 in grant and Village funding.
Village Planning Studies
I. Village of Nyack Comprehensive Plan - On October 13, 2016, the Village of Nyack adopted a new Comprehensive Plan, Plan Nyack: Blueprint for the Future. The Village’s previous comprehensive plan was prepared beginning in 2002 and adopted in 2007 after several amendments. In updating that plan, the Village sought to build on its planning efforts with current demographic and economic data, and to integrate plans for new multi-modal transportation options, waterfront development activity and environmental sustainability. Nyack received a grant award of $206,000 in 2015 from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), to cover both Village staff support and a multi-disciplinary consultant team led by New York City-based BFJ Planning.
The overarching goals of the adopted Nyack Comprehensive Plan is to protect and enhance the Village’s historic and residential neighborhoods; facilitate revitalization of the downtown, waterfront and gateway areas; and chart a path toward a more sustainable and resilient future. Key Comprehensive Plan recommendations include zoning amendments to the Downtown Mixed Use district to facilitate a pedestrian oriented environment consistent with Nyack’s historic downtown development; improving bicycle circulation; creating a pedestrian master plan for constructing and renovating sidewalks and pathways; exploring the potential for seasonal and commuter 2 ferry service; enhancing Nyack Marina through a public-private partnership; and pursuing a study of shared services with Nyack, South Nyack and Upper Nyack.
II. Local Waterfront Revitalization Program - An update of the Village’s Local Waterfront Revitalization Plan was identified as a priority in the Village Comprehensive Plan and envisioned as a complement to the Comprehensive Plan update. In the Fall of 2016, the Village was awarded a grant from the Department of State to update its 1992 Local Waterfront Revitalization Program to guide waterfront development. The LWRP update reflects current conditions and priorities since the 1992 LWRP was adopted. The LWRP is funded by a $75,000 grant from the NYS Department of State. The LWRP Update focuses on identifying new resiliency measures to protect natural and built resources in the post-Sandy era of climate change and sea level rise. It revises the LWRP inventory and analysis, modifies certain existing policies and recommends the implementation of specific projects. It includes sustainability planning resulting in recommendations for smart growth and the future viability of the Village. The LWRP provides a set of site-specific and programmatic projects to be undertaken in order to implement the LWRP. The projects are organized by project type as follows: Harbor Management Projects, Infrastructure Projects, Waterfront Connections and Marina Site, Memorial Park, and Ferry Projects. Project examples include: exploring resilient infrastructure to protect the Nyack marina and shoreline; create a public waterfront walkway with streetscape improvements and wayfinding to increase access to the river and connections to downtown; complete the Memorial Park Master Plan and construct a pedestrian bridge to connect to Nyack Marina; create a Trolley Service Pilot Project; and increase parking capacity of the Nyack Marina to support marina-area uses and to account for parking lost due to Memorial Park Master Plan. The LWRP Update was authorized by the Village Board in October 2017 to be transmitted to the Department of State for review. Comments were received back from Department of State in June 2019. The Consultant and staff addressed these comments and provided a revised LWRP including the integration of a more extensive Harbor Management Plan in August 2019. This is now under internal review by the Department of State. It is anticipated that the formal 60-day review at the state and federal level will begin in the Fall with approval before the end of 2019.
III. Greater Nyack Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan - The GNBPMP provides a road map for safety and mobility improvements for the Nyack river villages and the entire Nyack school district. Administered by the Village of Nyack and its stakeholder partners in the Nyack School District and the river villages of South Nyack and Upper Nyack, a comprehensive package of recommendations have been created to encourage the community to bicycle and walk more for 3 transportation, recreation, exercise, and overall quality of life. The Master Plan highlights the value and importance of quick-build approaches to addressing the community’s infrastructure needs sooner rather than later. A quick build toolbox provides guidance on proven design considerations for commonly applicable street elements and the use of short- term demonstration and pilot projects. A key achievement is the cooperative participation by the municipalities and School District in the development and ongoing implementation of the Master Plan. The Master Plan was funded a grant of $120,000 from the New NYBridge Community Benefits Program. The Plan was adopted by the Village of Nyack in August 2018.