Res. No. 994
Resolution calling upon the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and all other appropriate entities to support a Hudson River Greenway between Spuyten Duyvil and Yonkers to provide riverfront access in a continuous stretch concurrent with the Metro-North line extending from Manhattan to Westchester.
By Council Members Cohen, Levine, Rodriguez, Palma and Menchaca
Whereas, In 1991, the Hudson River Valley Greenway Act (the Act) was signed by then Governor Mario Cuomo to initiate the design and construction of multi-use trails along the Hudson River from Manhattan to Saratoga County; and
Whereas, An important mission of the Act is to promote increased public access to the Hudson River by creating riverside parks and develop the Hudson River Valley Greenway Trail System; and
Whereas, The Hudson River Valley Greenway, established by the Act is a state sponsored program created to assist in the development and preservation of natural, historic and recreational resources while encouraging economic development among the 13 counties bordering the Hudson River; and
Whereas, Currently, residents of Riverdale and the public have access to Riverdale Station Park, a 300 foot promenade with entrances through the Riverdale’s Metro North Station at 254th Street; and
Whereas, Residents, advocacy groups and local elected officials have expressed that expanding access to the Hudson River waterfront would be beneficial to residents and local businesses surrounding the area to take advantage of the City’s waterfront; and
Whereas, The New York Metropolitan Transportation Council (NYMTC), a regional council of governments and transportation providers which serves as the metropolitan planning organization for New York City, Long Island and the lower Hudson Valley, conducted the Greenway Link Study (the Study) in 2013 which consisted of evaluating designs for a pathway connecting the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway in northern Manhattan with the Old Croton Aqueduct Trail in Yonkers; and
Whereas; The Study was conducted to map a route for the trail and identify specific physical improvements and ensure a safe route for pedestrians and cyclists as close to the river as possible; and
Whereas; The Study also outlined planning and design issues that affect topography when having to construct an off-road multi-use trail for recreational purposes, specifically code compliance, regulatory compliance and property ownership issues; and
Whereas, When released to the public, residents raised concerns regarding certain aspects of the Study, specifically sidewalk construction that would require altering the wooded nature of the area, cost estimates and also safety concerns for cyclists crossing the Broadway Bridge which requires them to ride on a steel-grate roadway with two lanes of traffic in each direction; and
Whereas, There is community support for additional engineering and other relevant studies to be performed by the appropriate agencies to achieve easier access to the Hudson River waterfront for the Bronx community and the public; and
Whereas, Residents, advocacy groups, elected officials and all agencies involved with the Hudson River Valley Greenway share a common goal to initiate new studies and evaluate plans and designs that will grant the public access to the waterfront safely and will benefit the community, both recreationally and economically; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and all other appropriate entities to support a Hudson River Greenway between Spuyten Duyvil and Yonkers to provide riverfront access in a continuous stretch concurrent with the Metro-North line extending from Manhattan to Westchester.
PM
LS# 6935
2/10/2016