September 5, 2008
by Christine Yeres
The Town Board wants six months to think over use of first floor spaces in downtown Chappaqua. In its regular, televised meeting next Tuesday, September 9th, the town board will hold a public hearing to decide whether to declare a six-month moratorium that would put a freeze on certain first floor uses in downtown Chappaqua.
“During the six months,” says Town Administrator Jerry Faiella, “a retail business such as a jewelry store, an ice cream parlor, a restaurant can come in. Retail uses are what we do want.” The purpose of the freeze, he continued, ”is to study the impacts of the uses we presently have and also to study some uses we haven’t included at the moment. The goal is to develop more of a vibrant downtown and to encourage those uses people have said are important to them.” Even uses that have been ruled out of first floors, such as financial instituions, will be looked at anew.
There is already a “mini-moratorium” in effect, freezing uses where they are, preventing businesses from slipping into place before a “real” moratorium begins. To read a draft of the proposed moratorium law click here. Although there is a mechanism for individuals to appeal for exceptions to moratorium conditions, generally during a moratorium the town would approve none of the following uses for first-floor space:
“telephone exchange building,
hospital or clinic for small animals,
barber, hair dresser, tailor, dressmaker, shoe repair or other personal services,
financial institutions,
fast food restaurant,
multi-family dwellings,
hand laundry, dry cleaning and dyeing,
gasoline filling station,
shops for repair and upholstering of furniture,
shops for electricians, plumbers, silversmiths,
bowling alley, billiard and pool room, and
wholesale trade.
The town board meeting begins at 7:45 p.m. For some idea of the timing, see the board’s agenda in “Schedules and Agendas.”
What uses do you think should be encouraged in the downtown’s first-floor spaces? Which discouraged? Write to tell us: .
At the same time, moving to make physical changes to the downtown
Since the last election, the town board has been focused on improvement of the downtown hamlet, mainly through the work of the Downtown Steering Committee, which has set engineers to work surveying the town’s infrastructure and hired landscape design architect Nick Pouder to develop a broad improvement plan for the downtown. Pouder is currently charged with the Citibank parking lot makeover, a separate project (see our webcam, trained on the lot between Citibank and the bridge). The Downtown Steering Committee means to implement some of the suggestions conceived of by Project for Public Spaces two years ago (see PPS’s maps of the town, below), including bump outs to calm traffic, added crosswalks and benches, improved lighting and plantings, perhaps some burying of utility wires. The Committee is on the point of hiring a lighting expert to execute its plans. Pouder will present his vision to the town board on September 22, and the plans will be unveiled – some in 3-D models—to the greater community on September 27, Community Day, at the train station.
Below are some renderings of downtown Chappaqua areas by Project for Public Spaces. The Downtown Steering Committee is trying to implement some of PPS’s suggested improvements. Any ideas to share? Perhaps you saw something on vacation that would work here in New Castle? Write to tell us about it. We’d like to hear from you.
Woodburn/Pizza Station intersection (PPS map)
Train station Memorial Plaza (PPS map)
Triangle at hamlet’s center (PPS map)
Starbucks corner King and Greeley (PPS map)
Library and town hall area (PPS map)
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