Chapter 7 Recreation, Open Space and Cultural Resources Planning Base Studies Village of Rye Brook, New York CHAPTER 7 RECREATION, OPEN SPACE AND CULTURAL RESOURCES 7.1 Overview The Village of Rye Brook has close to 3,000 acres of open space, which may be found in public parks and schools, along parkways and natural waterways, at privately-owned country clubs, and within housing developments and corporate parks. These areas are variably designated for both active and passive recreation, open or limited access, or for natural resource conservation. Rye Brook’s parks and open spaces serve as places of recreation and respite, as community gathering places, centers of learning, and as reflections of its culture and history. Municipal parks and open space account for approximately 34.7% of total land area in the Village of Rye Brook, approximately 0.25 acres per resident. Residents also benefit from nearby regional parks and facilities owned and operated by neighboring municipalities. The Village is located in a region that is rich in recreational re- sources. Its neighbors within Westchester include the City of Rye, the Village of Port Chester, the Town of North Castle and the Town of Harrison, which provide a variety of both public and private rec- reational opportunities. The Village’s location on the Connecticut state border affords Rye Brook residents access to a significant num- ber of out-of-state parks, historic sites and nature preserves. A. Recreational Resources Public parks provide a large portion of the outdoor recreational re- sources within the Village of Rye Brook; however, other opportuni- ties for outdoor recreation include: Country clubs Walking paths Trailway routes Community centers Schools B. Open Space The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation defines open space as, ―An area of land or water that either remains in its natural state or is used for agriculture, free from intensive de- velopment for residential, commercial, industrial or institutional use. 7-1 May 2012 Prepared by the Westchester County Department of Planning Village of Rye Brook, NY Planning Base Studies Open Space and Recreation Westchester Open Space, Parks & Recreation County Airport Legend LINCOLN AVE TOWN OF GREENWICH MILESTONE RD Village Parks and Open Space BELLEFAIR RD KING ST State Parkway Lands REUNION RD BELLE FAIR BLVD Private Golf Courses and Recreation PARADE LN Common Land Homeowners Association Lands. Vacant Properties and Vacant Land with Improvements INTERNATIONAL DR Cemeteries Institutional and Public Assembly Water Supply Lands Doral DORAL GREENS DR W Arrowwood Westchester County Airport ¹ Public Schools PINE TREE DR Community Center ANDERSON HILL RD Other Village Parks and Open Spaces Blind Brook Miles Country Club 0 0.25 0.5 1 ANDERSON HILL RD COUNTRY RIDGE DR FAIRLAWN PKY LINCOLN AVE WHIPPOORWILL RD HOLLY LN 30S 27S LAWRIDGE DR MAP NOTE: Open Space parcels derived from BOXWOOD PL parcel-based land use data originally compiled from PARKWOOD PL Harkness from 2009 town assessment data containing ORPS SLEEPY HOLLOW RD (Office of Real Property Services) codes which ROCKINGHORSE TRL Park PURCHASE ST Blind Brook define specific land use as assigned by local DORCHESTER DR Ridge Street ARBOR DR ¹ School assessors. For this map, the data was extracted and IVY HILL LN COUNTRY RIDGE CIR School PARKWAYHUTCHINSON RIVER PKY S Rye Brook condensed into nine open space categories. TREE TOP LN Athletic FieldsBISHOP DR N HARRISON ¹ BAYBERRY LN 29 BISHOP DR S GREENWAY LN RIVER HILLANDALE RD 29 LITTLE KINGS LN PADDOCK RD MEADOWLARK RD WINDINGWOOD RD N ORIOLE PL MAGNOLIA DR CHURCHILL RD EAGLESBLF Magnolia CONNECTICUT Meadowlark Park KINGST ParkBOLTON PL EDGEWOOD DR 28 CROSSWAY HUTCHINSON LOCH LN HUTCHINSON RIVER PKY N COMLY AVE W RIDGE DR 28 Rich BEECHWOOD BLVD 27 WINDINGWOOD RD S MARK DR Manor JACQUELINE LN WOODLAND DR OLDORCHARD RD BOBBIE LN Park BERKLEY DR LATONIA RD BERKLEY LN HUTCHINSON27 RIVER PKY S CHARLES LN PineWINTHROP DR ROCK RIDGE DR ACKER DR HUNTER DR BROOKSIDE WAY Ridge JAMES WAY MOHEGAN LN Park BIRCH LN PINE RIDGE RD ARLINGTON PL KNOLLWOOD DR CARLTON LN RED ROOF DR CANDY LN BETSY BROWN RD BONWIT RD ARGYLE RD OLDOAK RD TALCOTT RD W GLEN AVE ELM HILL DR Elm Hill Park INDIAN RD HALSTEAD AVE Crawford Park TAMARACKRD RIDGE BLVD WESTCHESTER AVE CRAWFORD ST PUTNAM AVE DEER RUN WESTCHESTER AVE Rye Hills RIDGE BLVD WINDSOR RD JENNIFER LN TERRACE CT LEE LN Park WILTON RD WILTON COLLEGE AVE RT-120 BELL PL KENDOLIN LN LONGLEDGE DR BEACON LN Port Chester US-1 VALLEY TER MAPLE CT LINCOLNAVE WILTON CIR ¹ High School KENILWORTH RD PHYLLIS PL BROOKLN NEUTON AVE KING ST JEAN LN MAYWOOD AVE 10 SUNSET RD N RIDGE ST IRENHYL AVE HIDDEN POND DR WOODLAND AVE N REGENT ST CROSS WESTCHESTER EXPY AVON CIR RT-120A HAWTHORNE AVE HILLCRESTAVE WEBB AVE WESTCHESTER AVE Port Port Chester DIVISION ST Chester WESTCHESTER AVE S RIDGE ST Middle OSBORNE PL Bowman Ave ¹ MILL ST School BARBERPL POLLY PARK RD BOWMAN AVE Park RYE RIDGE PLZ 10 FRANKLIN ST N MAIN ST CROSS WESTCHESTER EXPY ELLENDALE AVE WESTVIEWAVE ADEE ST ROANOKEAVE RT-120A CRESCENT PL W WILLIAM ST DIXON ST BYRAM RIVER PURCHASE ST Roanoke Ave Park Garibaldi Park S PEARL ST µ CROSS WESTCHESTER EXPY WYMAN ST Anthony J. Posillipo S RIDGE ST BROOKRIDGE CT Community Center S MAIN ST St. S REGENT ST Map 7 - 1 Mary's RIDGECemetery ST BOSTON POST RD Westchester County Open Space, Parks & Recreation RIDGE ST Department of Plannining HIGH ST MIDLAND AVE Page 7 - 2 April 2012 Chapter 7 Recreation, Open Space and Cultural Resources Planning Base Studies Village of Rye Brook, New York Open space can be publicly or privately owned. It includes agricultural and forest land, undeveloped coastal and estuarine lands, undeveloped scenic lands, public parks and preserves. It also includes water bodies such as lakes and bays. The definition of open space depends on the context. In a big city, a vacant lot or a small marsh can be open space. A small park or a narrow corridor for walking or bicycling is open space, though it may be surrounded by developed areas. Cultural and historic resources are part of the heritage of New York State and are often pro- tected along with open space.‖ (source: http://www.dec.ny.gov/ lands/317.html). For the purposes of this report, open space will include lands associated with: Parkways Airports Corporate sites Public schools Cemeteries Churches Historic properties Figure 7-1. Crawford Park Streams, wetlands, waterways, lakes, ponds Undeveloped/vacant land 7.2 Public Parks The Village of Rye Brook has five main municipal parks within its borders. They are: Crawford Park (36 acres) is a Town- owned large multi-purpose park located between North Ridge Street and Lincoln Avenue. It includes gardens, lawns, woods, a walking/jogging path, playing fields, and school facilities, as well as the historic Crawford mansion, an early 20th century structure used for wed- dings and special events. The park con- tains hundreds of mature trees, an ex- pansive lawn, a playground, a large pic- nic pavilion and a sunken garden. Pine Ridge Park (9 acres) is located on the corner of Latonia Drive and Mohe- gan Lane. This facility has minor and major little league baseball fields, two and a half basketball courts, four tennis Source: Westchester County Department of Planning 7-3 May 2012 Prepared by the Westchester County Department of Planning Chapter 7 Recreation, Open Space and Cultural Resources Planning Base Studies Village of Rye Brook, New York courts, a playground, a tennis wall, sand box, a walking path, two bathrooms, three water fountains, a storage shed, parking area, and two bathrooms. In Spring 2012, a new scoreboard is planned to be installed at the Old Field at Pine Ridge Park for use by the Rye Brook Little League. Rye Hills Park (7 acres) is located adjacent to Crawford Park, off Parkridge Court in the Hidden Falls development. It has a walking path, a basketball court, two game tables, a circle ring for storytelling, two water fountains and a belvedere, which overlooks Long Island Sound. (Parking is limited to handi- capped vehicles--other patrons must park in the circle next to Crawford Mansion and walk through the path into the park). Rich Manor Park (10 acres) is a passive park adjacent to Rock Ridge and Acker Drive. It consists of an open field and has wet- Figure 7-2. Rich Manor Park, lands, flood plains, steep slopes, views of Blind Brook and a Rye Brook, New York path to Woodland Drive. Photo Source: Westchester County Department of Planning 7-4 May 2012 Prepared by the Westchester County Department of Planning Chapter 7 Recreation, Open Space and Cultural Resources Planning Base Studies Village of Rye Brook, New York Figure 7-3. Rye Brook Athletic Fields Photo Source: Westchester County Department of Planning Rye Brook Athletic Fields (6 acres) is the Village’s newest rec- reational facility, located at 830 King Street, adjacent to Blind Brook High School. This complex includes artificial turf foot- ball and soccer fields, a baseball/softball field for youth, a full- size soccer field, a walking path, a concession stand, a storage garage, and bathrooms. Parking for this facility is in the Blind Brook High School campus. This facility is available for rent on a permit basis, and reservations for field use can be made by the public online. Smaller Rye Brook public parks include: Harkness Park (4 acres) is located on King Street adjacent to the Blind Brook High School campus. Harkness Park has four tennis courts, water fountains and an open field. Garibaldi Park (2 acres) is located on Garibaldi Place opposite the Anthony J.