Downtown Ardsley Revitalization Implementation Strategy Report

DARIS Report
Drone Image of Downtown Ardsley
Drone Image of Downtown Ardsley

 

Status: In Progress

The Village's adopted comprehensive plan includes policy statements and preliminary actions focused on revitalization of the Village’s downtown. Recognizing the critical importance of Ardsley’s historic center to realizing the Village’s long-term goals,
in August 2021, the Village’s Board of Trustees engaged the Pace Land Use Law Center and Kevin Dwarka LLC to prepare the Downtown Ardsley Revitalization Implementation Strategy (DARIS).

Access the DARIS report here

Representatives from the Pace LULC and Kevin Dwarka presented a draft version of the report to the Village Board of Trustees at the March 7, 2022 Legislative Meeting via Zoom. Members of the public were invited to join this meeting and a great number of residents participated in the discussion.  A recording of their presentation can be found here. 

 

Background

Through the Downtown Ardsley Revitalization Implementation Strategy (“DARIS”), the Village of Ardsley will be well-positioned to create a vibrant, accessible, and economically productive Village center. The Village’s historic downtown features a fine-grain street network and a concentration of commercial and retail uses. However, residents of the Village have long observed that the current mix of land uses and prevailing infrastructure conditions do not underperform as spaces for community gathering.

The consultants found that presently the downtown district suffers from a lack of housing, sidewalks, landscaping, parking, and urban design standards. This makes downtown Ardsley a difficult place to access and an undesirable place for gathering. By
updating the downtown’s land use and design regulations in tandem with strategic infrastructure improvements in accordance with the recently adopted Comprehensive Plan, the Village can catalyze a new development pattern which will make it easier for residents to reach downtown Ardsley, walk between destinations, patronize local businesses, access natural resources, and better enjoy recreational opportunities.

More broadly, a new development pattern will help the Village strengthen its fiscal position while also improving quality of life and environmental quality. The project team focused revitalization efforts within the Village’s historic core defined as the area between the Saw Mill River on the west, American Legion Road on the east, the entrance to Macy Park on the north, and the intersection of NYS Route 9A with the Thruway on the south. It is expected, however, that revitalization efforts will be even further spatially concentrated to create a focused hub of commercial activity with seamless transitions to less intense and more residential land uses on its edges.

The DARIS Working Document provides a detailed set of implementation steps that are required to further each proposed action. It is inevitable, however, that these implementation steps as well as the prioritization of actions will evolve in response to changes in community needs, market trends, economic shifts, state and federal funding programs, and the development aspirations of both property owners and the broader real estate development community. The Village of Ardsley is advised to periodically update this document to reflect new opportunities or unforeseen constraints affecting the proposed actions. In addition, the Village of Ardsley is advised to annually update the broader implementation plan for the Village’s recently adopted Comprehensive Plan to ensure that it is in alignment with DARIS.


Comprehensive Plan Theme: Build

"4a. ADOPT ZONING CHANGES, DESIGN REGULATIONS, AND PHYSICAL IMPROVEMENTS THAT HELP TRANSFORM THE CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT INTO A WALKABLE MIXED-USE NEIGHBORHOOD SUPPORTING A WIDE RANGE OF RETAIL EXPERIENCES, AN ATTRACTIVE COMMERCIAL ENVIRONMENT, AMPLE SPACE FOR COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES, AND STRONG CONNECTIONS TO THE RIVERFRONT AND SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOODS"

Implementation Action: Evaluate all permitted uses in the B-1, B-2, R-1, and RO districts to determine their suitability in light of
existing and future market conditions and trends as well as community needs and desires.

Presentation of the DARIS Report to the Village Board of Trustees on March 7, 2022