Village of Margaretville Revitalization & Recreational Use Plan Prepared By: The M-ARK Project, Inc. In Cooperation With: The Catskill Center Birgitta Brophy, RLA Lamont Engineers November 2001 Village of Margaretville INTRODUCTION Revitalization & Recreational Use Plan INTRODUCTION The Village of Margaretville is a quaint historic village nestled in the heart of the Catskill Mountains. Incorporated in 1875, Margaretville is located in the eastern corner of rural Delaware County, situated at the intersection of New York State Routes 28 and 30. The East Branch of the Delaware River flows through the heart of the Village, and is one of its most prominent natural features. The river is subject to periodic flooding, and the Village has experienced at least three catastrophic floods in the past 100 years. Most recently, in January of 1996, a massive flood swept through the valley causing extensive damage to several homes and businesses along the river. A year later, Delaware County, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP) entered into an arrangement to purchase 22 properties in the Village, and demolish the existing buildings located in either the floodway or floodplain. This “buy-out” program was completed in 2000, resulting in a large swath of very visible vacant properties along Margaretville’s Main Street. Through an education grant provided by the Catskill Watershed Corporation, students from the Margaretville Central School (located on Main Street directly across from some of the affected properties) worked in partnership with the Frost Valley YMCA, the M-ARK Project (a local community development organization), Village officials, the Delaware County Planning Department, and the NYCDEP to recommend potential public uses for these properties. In the Spring of 2001, the M-ARK Project, Inc., on behalf of the Village of Margaretville, applied for and received a grant through the New York State Department of State’s Quality Communities Demonstration Program to expand on that previous work and prepare a local revitalization and recreational use plan for the Village. PURPOSE OF THIS PLAN The purpose of this plan is to develop an overall development concept for the Village that takes into consideration potential public recreational uses for the buy-out properties, and explores possibilities for linking those parcels to other existing under-utilized recreational sites in the Village. In addition, this plan examines the overall strengths and weaknesses of Margaretville’s Main Street commercial district, and provides some general suggestions for revitalizing the Village. In addition to presenting a design concept, this plan also details estimated construction costs and maintenance issues, and outlines the regulatory requirements associated with development in a floodplain and in the New York City Watershed. Finally, this plan lists possible funding sources to assist in phasing implementation of individual project components as funding becomes available. November 2001 Page 2 Village of Margaretville INTRODUCTION Revitalization & Recreational Use Plan STUDY AREA The study area for this plan is limited to a half-mile stretch of Main Street from just beyond Academy Street at the western end to just beyond Cemetery Street at the eastern end (see map on the following page). The study area also includes all of Bridge Street, the primary gateway into Margaretville from NYS Route 28, a major east/west travel corridor through the central Catskills. Included in the study area are 12 of the 22 properties acquired by the NYCDEP as part of the flood buy-out program. Also included in the study area are three large parcels of land currently owned by the Village of Margaretville: The westernmost parcel is approximately 3 acres in size and was acquired by the Village in 1938. This parcel is located between Main Street and the East Branch of the Delaware River, and until the flood buy-out program, was land-locked with no direct access from Main Street. To the east of this undeveloped land is a 2.9 acre parcel located between the Binnekill Creek and the East Branch. This parcel was donated to the Village for $1 by Thomas Smith in 1978. A few years later, the Village constructed the existing municipal parking lot, and also installed the pedestrian bridge over the Binnekill, connecting the lot to Main Street. At the eastern end of the study area, directly behind the A&P, lies an 8.5 acre parcel of land also owned by the Village. It was purchased in 1932 from the Davis family, and houses an existing softball field, a pavilion, rest rooms, and a pump house. It is heavily used by the community, and is an extraordinary recreational asset. Like the other parcels, it too is located along the bank of the East Branch of the Delaware River. While this plan primarily focuses on possible enhancements to publicly-owned properties such as the Village-owned lands and the buy-out properties, some recommendations are included for potential improvements to private properties where such improvements are integral components of the overall design concept. November 2001 Page 3 Village of Margaretville DOWNTOWN REVITALIZATION ISSUES Revitalization & Recreational Use Plan RECREATION CONCEPT PLAN APPROACH &METHODOLOGY One of the key components of this plan was the development of an overall design concept for the Village that explored opportunities for linking existing recreational sites, creating new passive and active recreational opportunities utilizing both existing sites and the “buy-out” properties, and improving the streetscape along Bridge Street and Main Street. Critical to this task was actively involving the public in the planning process – because the resulting concept should be one that is not only embraced by local residents, but one that they themselves had a key role in shaping. To accomplish this, the public was invited to participate in a “community design charrette” held on the evening of June 7, 2001 and facilitated by Helen Budrock, a certified planner with The Catskill Center for Conservation & Development, and a member of the consultant team. A term borrowed from architects and design professionals and applied to community planning, charrettes are intensive, interactive community workshops designed to develop a project or plan. The concept is to invite a full and active range of community interests to participate in a compact session – yielding a plan in a short time period with solid public support. Upwards of 60 people, representing various interests in the Village, participated in the charrette. Upon arrival, participants were split into six groups, and each group was provided with a 5-foot long laminated base map of the study area, dry erase markers, peel and stick landscape design symbols (trees, vegetation, benches, paving materials, etc), and other materials. After a brief introduction, and some instructions covering restrictions on the buy-out properties, each group was given 2 hours to create their own “concept plan” for the Village. At the end of the evening, each group gave a 5-minute verbal presentation of their concept and submitted their material to the landscape architect for review. At the design charrette, residents worked together to create their own design concepts for the Village. Participants were also given a brief questionnaire to fill out designed to assist each group in creating a “concept statement.” The questionnaire prompted participants to think about what makes Margaretville special, to list its special features and the qualities that make it unique. It also asked them to describe how the community could be improved in its landscape features, recreational opportunities and infrastructure. Finally, each participant was asked to describe his/her vision for the future of Margaretville. (See Appendix for a summary of the results of the charrette). November 2001 Page 4 Village of Margaretville RECREATION CONCEPT PLAN Revitalization & Recreational Use Plan Birgitta Brophy, a certified landscape architect and member of the consultant team, then reviewed the results of the questionnaire, as well as the six rough concept plans, with the goal of identifying common elements and themes. Using the rough concepts as a starting point, three draft concept plans were developed representing the combined thoughts and ideas of the participants. The first concept plan contains design ideas that were proposed by four or more of the six groups. These design ideas included: Looping pedestrian/bike trails through the Village-owned property with access from Main Street A bridge crossing the Binnekill to connect this property to the Village parking lot A new loop trail along the perimeter of the parking lot Screening the back of the A&P parking lot from the Village park and ballfield A new entry to the park and ballfield from the buyout lot on Main Street Gardens on empty buyout properties along Main Street Enhancements to the Bridge Street entrance including lighting, landscaping and improved commercial signage. The second concept plan builds upon the first, and includes additional design ideas that were proposed by two or three of the groups. These additional design ideas included: Lighting, trash receptacles, benches and street trees along Main Street Improvements to the rear of Main Street buildings as viewed from Bridge Street A second pedestrian bridge across the Binnekill opposite Maple Street to link Village park A looping trail along the perimeter of