Ashburton Avenue Urban Renewal Plan
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ASHBURTON AVENUE URBAN RENEWAL PLAN SUBMITTED BY: BFJ PLANNING APPLESEED, INC. REAL ESTATE SOLUTIONS FEBRUARY, 2006 ASHBURTON AVENUE URBAN RENEWAL PLAN Yonkers, New York Prepared for: The City of Yonkers Department of Planning and Development and Community Development Agency Yonkers City Hall 40 South Broadway Yonkers, NY 10701-3700 Prepared by: BFJ Planning 115 Fifth Avenue, 2nd Floor New York NY 10003-1004 In association with: Appleseed, Inc. Real Estate Solutions February 2006 This urban renewal plan is dedicated to the memory of J. Stephen Whetstone, Commissioner of Planning and Development for the City of Yonkers. BFJ Planning TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Statement of Public Purpose 1 1.2 Public Planning Process 4 2.0 URBAN RENEWAL GOALS AND OBJECTIVES 6 2.1 Vision 6 2.2 Goals and Objectives 6 3.0 DESCRIPTION OF THE URBAN RENEWAL AREA 8 3.1 Boundaries 8 3.2 General Character 8 3.3 Summary of Blight Study Findings 9 4.0 PROPOSED PLAN AND PROJECTS 10 4.1 Strategy Plans for URP Action Area 10 4.2 Urban Renewal Proposals and Planning Standards 26 A. Ashburton Avenue Circulation Plan 26 B. Parking Plan 28 C. Public, Semi-Public and Community Facilities Plan 29 D. Neighborhood Housing Development Plan 30 E. Retail Plan 31 5.0 PROPOSED METHODS OF URBAN RENEWAL AND OTHER URBAN NECESSARY RENEWAL PROVISIONS 33 5.1 Land Acquisition, Relocation, Demolition and Removal or Structures, and Rehabilitation of Structures 33 5.2 Redevelopment 34 5.3 Improvement of Traffic, Parking and Circulation 35 5.4 Code Enforcement 36 5.5 Other Necessary Provisions 36 ASHBURTON AVENUE URBAN RENEWAL PLAN BFJ Planning EXHIBIT A BLIGHT STUDY 38 EXHIBIT B RELOCATION PLAN 53 EXHIBIT C ACQUISITIONS AND DEMOLITIONS 58 FIGURES FIGURE 1 URBAN RENEWAL AREA 2 FIGURE 2 ILLUSTRATIVE PLAN 3 FIGURE 3 URBAN RENEWAL ACTION AREAS 11 FIGURE 4 ACTION AREA 1 STRATEGY MAP 13 FIGURE 5 ACTION AREA 2 STRATEGY MAP 15 FIGURE 6 ACTION AREA 3 STRATEGY MAP 18 FIGURE 7 ACTION AREA 4 STRATEGY MAP 20 FIGURE 8 ACTION AREA 5 STRATEGY MAP 22 FIGURE 9 ACTION AREA 6 STRATEGY MAP 24 FIGURE 10 ASHBURTON AVENUE CONCEPT PLAN – CROSS-SECTION 27 ASHBURTON AVENUE URBAN RENEWAL PLAN BFJ Planning 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Statement of Public Purpose The Ashburton Avenue Master Plan recommends actions that will improve the physical environment of the study area (see Figures 1 and 2), so that the area becomes a more functional and attractive neighborhood for its residents. By its actions, the city will remove blighted conditions, relocate affected households and businesses, encourage private investment, redevelop cleared sites, and create new opportunities for residents. These types of actions are controlled by New York State law, under Article 15, Urban Renewal. State law lays out requirements that any municipality must meet for a legally acceptable urban renewal plan. Such a plan will allow Yonkers to apply for funding unique to urban renewal actions and enable the city to implement the Ashburton Avenue Master Plan. This document is the Ashburton Avenue Urban Renewal Plan. As with the Master Plan, the Urban Renewal Plan and its recommendations are guided by goals and objectives that conform to the Master Plan and to the city’s overall adopted municipal plan. The Urban Renewal Plan also conforms to Article 15 by containing certain minimum necessary components: a description of the urban renewal area, a proposed land use plan, specific project proposals, proposed methods of urban renewal, proposed amendments to city regulations, and an implementation program. Consistent with Article 15, Urban Renewal of NYS General Municipal Law, the City of Yonkers finds that this Urban Renewal Plan conforms to the city’s comprehensive plan and is consistent with the local objectives stated in the Master Plan for Ashburton Avenue. ASHBURTON AVENUE URBAN RENEWAL PLAN 1 URBAN RENEWAL AREA R E V I R N O S D U H SAW MILL RIVER AVE NORTH BROADWAY 0 1200 2400 ft Figure 1: URBAN RENEWAL AREA Source: Hagstrom Map A S H B U R T O N A V E N U E U R B A N R E N E W A L P L A N D&E H VINEYARD AVENUE New Garage P.S. 6: Possible Retail Anchor I Possible Retail 8 units B G Anchor PS 12 F west A F east J C LEGEND A-J Hope VI Development Sites A 60 units B 26 units NEW CONSTRUCTION C 50 units D&E 284 units REHABILITATION F east 30 units F west 24 units REHABILITATION/ G 108 units NEW CONSTRUCTION H 15-20 units I 50 units J 90 units 0 400 800 ft Figure 2: ILLUSTRATIVE PLAN A S H B U R T O N A V E N U E U R B A N R E N E W A L P L A N BFJ Planning 1.2 Public Planning Process To begin the planning process, BFJ Planning met with City of Yonkers officials and staff. The planning team visited the study area to observe, to tour, to photograph and inventory, to talk with residents, and to compile data on the neighborhood’s physical attributes. At strategic points during the planning process, the consultant team and city staff conducted meetings with the public. The first public workshop was held on March 31, 2005 at the Yonkers Community Action Program (YCAP) building on Ashburton Avenue. The workshop provided an opportunity for the consultants and city staff to discuss the study with people living or operating businesses in the study area and to discuss the preliminary information on the area’s physical characteristics. With approximately 40 people in attendance, including city officials, religious leaders, residents of the area and local business owners, the workshop provided a useful opportunity to hear various public responses to the project team’s initial work. The city and its consultant team conducted a second public workshop, organized with assistance from St. Joseph’s Church and Neighborhood Association. In addition, at their monthly meetings, the Neighborhood Association continued the public dialogue on the study with local residents. A third workshop was held in response to a request from Councilwoman McDow. Councilwomen McDow has been active in the planning process for both the Master Plan and Urban Renewal Plan; she supported the creation of an advisory committee comprised of local residents, business owners and other interested parties. The committee’s mandate would be to develop an on-going organization which would act as a voice for Ashburton Avenue residents, businesses, and property owners and which would work with the city during the redevelopment of the Ashburton Avenue Area. A scoping session, mandated by the National Environmental Quality Act and the State Environmental Quality Review Act (NEPA/SEQR), served as the fourth public workshop. Under NEPA/SEQR, an environmental impact statement (EIS) is required for this project. The EIS is comprised of two volumes: the first is the draft EIS, followed by a public hearing that is the basis for the second volume, the final EIS. The Draft EIS (DEIS) has 1) a discussion of potential impacts of the proposed Master Plan, 2) mitigation measures that may be necessary, and 3) alternatives to the proposed action. Before the DEIS can be prepared, its scope must be ASHBURTON AVENUE URBAN RENEWAL PLAN 4 BFJ Planning determined. On May 12, 2005, the Community Development Agency held a public scoping session at St. Joseph’s Church. The scoping session enabled the consultant team to discuss the proposed contents of DEIS with the attendees, and to learn of specific environmental issues in the study area that should be analyzed in the DEIS. A stenographic transcript was made, to ensure that all comments were recorded. Public comments on the draft Scoping Document were accepted until June 3, 2005. The Scoping Document was revised to reflect public comments received, as appropriate. This scoping session was extremely important to the development of this document. It emphasized that the planning effort should maximize opportunities for existing residents, minimize demolition and relocation wherever possible and create new housing opportunities. One concern was shared by all who participated: through the Master Plan, Yonkers must ultimately create a better place for people. The plan had to focus first and foremost on the existing residents and business owners. Certainly the plan provides for physical improvements – more housing, a wider and safer Ashburton Avenue, attractive streets, parks – but these are intended to provide residents with a better place to live, shop, walk, and work. ASHBURTON AVENUE URBAN RENEWAL PLAN 5 BFJ Planning 2.0 URBAN RENEWAL GOALS AND OBJECTIVES 2.1 Vision Ashburton Avenue should have “storefront retail space for small businesses with upper level apartments that have spectacular views, the widening of Ashburton Avenue to improve traffic flow and parking, and the addition of green space to form an attractive pedestrian walkway.” (Mayor Amicone). This vision describes a neighborhood stabilization program, founded on the best features of the present neighborhood. There should be a decent housing stock, serving a range of incomes and household types and built to be compatible with the best of the established residential pattern and design. Ashburton Avenue should be improved to better serve local residents and businesses, creating a visually attractive street that encourages local residents and through motorists to stop, walk, and shop. 2.2 Goals and Objectives The Urban Renewal Plan’s primary goal is to implement the Ashburton Avenue Master Plan. This Urban Renewal Plan has been designed to achieve the development goals outlined in the Master Plan. Specifically, the goals of the Urban Renewal Plan are: 1.