Village of South Nyack Comprehensive Plan

The Village recently started a process to draft a new Comprehensive Plan.

What is a Comprehensive Plan?

A Comprehensive Plan (also known as a "Master Plan") encompasses the Village's "vision" for its future. It provides the basis for many of the policies, regulations, and budget decisions that the Village will make in the future. Comprehensive plans identify where and how growth needs will be met and provides the framework and policy direction for land use decisions.

While the Comprehensive Plan deals primarily with land use it can also address issues such as transportation, housing, economic development, parks and recreation, utilities, environmental conservation, etc.

How is a Comprehensive Plan different from the Zoning Code?

The Village's Zoning Code is a set of laws that specifically regulate how land in the Village may be developed and used. The Comprehensive Plan articulates the principles on which the zoning laws are based. If the Comprehensive Plan identifies certain goals, then the Village Trustees will pass zoning and other laws that further the achievement of those goals, either by restricting certain activities or encouraging and perhaps incentivizing other activities.

Why do we need a new Comprehensive Plan?

A Comprehensive Plan is a "living" document that needs to grow along with our community. It should be updated periodically to remain current and reflective of the desires of the community. Our last plan dates from 1969. We are well overdue for a revision.

New York State law encourages municipalities to have a Comprehensive Plan. Our Planning Board and Zoning Board use the Comprehensive Plan to help in interpreting our land use laws when making judgments on development applications presented to the Village.

What are some of the issues that might be addressed in the Comprehensive Plan?

A lot has been going on around us in recent years. A new Comprehensive Plan can help us determine how we want to deal with these issues and coordinate with our neighbors. Some of the important issues that will affect South Nyack include:

• The plan to replace the Tappan Zee Bridge will have a tremendous impact on South Nyack. How can we plan to incorporate our needs with the new bridge plan? For example, the new bridge is proposed to have pedestrian and bike paths. These will start at our end of the bridge. How would we like the paths to interface into our community?


• The Village of Nyack (which has recently adopted its own Comprehensive Plan) is considering several projects, such as the redevelopment of the Riverspace property, the redevelopment of the former Pavion factory, and improvements to Memorial Park. How do these projects affect South Nyack? What plans should we have to anticipate and coordinate with our neighbor's projects?


• How does the recent downturn in the housing market affect South Nyack? In recent years the trend has been to developing large luxury housing. This may change significantly as the economy changes. What do we want to see in the future? Should we encourage the development of more affordable housing?

How can I help?

Public participation is critical to create a successful Comprehensive Plan. To truly encompass the collective vision of our Village, it needs the benefit of all of our visions, ideas, and opinions. The Trustees have appointed a Comprehensive Planning Board (CPB) to draft the new Comprehensive Plan. There will be several public meetings to gather ideas and views from our residents. The CPB will also be seeking volunteers to assist them. We encourage you to become engaged in the process. If you are interested in participating, please contact Village Hall at 358-0287.

How can I get more information?

Our Village officials would be pleased to answer any of your questions. Please contact Village Hall at 358-0287.