Newburgh Waterfront Planning Charrette Closes with Powerful Presentation of Proposed Development Master Plan
Celebrated New Urbanist Planner Unveils Concepts to Reestablish Newburgh as Gateway to Hudson Valley
Approximately 600 people attended the weeklong architectural planning charrette for the City of Newburgh waterfront development project. The charrette came to an exciting conclusionon Tuesday, February 6, as noted architect and town planner Andres Duany, of Duany Plater Zyberk & Company, presented a preliminary vision of how the 30-acre site near the waterfront could look as it is constructed over a period of time. Leyland Alliance LLC of Tuxedo, New York is the master developer for the Newburgh Waterfront site.
During the weeklong charrette,the planning team conducted 12 formal meetings with various representatives of the City of Newburgh as well as civic groups and the general public. All were invited to visit the former Yellow Bird Gallery, where the team operated in an open studio setting, to voice their opinions about how the site should be developed and express their own personal goals for the project.
The closing presentation ended with Duany making an impassioned plea to move the project forward in a timely fashion. Due to the fact that the project is in an early planning stage, no definitive schedule or construction start date has been confirmed. It is expected that the project will be phased in over a period of several years. Completion of the permitting process, part of which will include public hearings, is key to moving the project forward.
Duany shared bold concepts created by a 50-member team during the intensive planning process that included ongoing open studios and discussions with Newburgh city officials and agencies, community groups and the general public. In developing their master plan recommendations, the planners, architects and consultants debated fundamental issues that will shape the project: economic viability; walkability; mixofhousing, retail and commercial buildings; public amenities, including playing fields, parks and openspace; transportation; parking; building elevations and waterfront view sheds.
The charrette team offered a number of alternative solutions that explored how to maximize the potential of the site. Of the entire mixed-use community, it is anticipated that approximately 500-600 residential units will be built.
Extensive analysis was given to establishing a new street grid on the vacant land and how to effectively connect the City of Newburgh and the Hudson River. For example, Duany introduced a tree-lined median in the center of Broadway to create a more pedestrian-friendly street and replicate the scale of traditional 18th- and 19th-century European boulevards.
The presentation included extensive site plans, traffic studies, photographs and drawings of the historic legacy of 18th- and 19th-century Newburgh and conceptual renderings depicting how the development could look upon completion. The site plan will honor the integrity of the great historic buildings of the city but not replicate them. Open space and recreational areas were also part of the plan. Furthermore, a number of the design concepts called for loft-style buildings with large windows to maximize the effect of exterior light.
DVDs of the presentation are available at the Newburgh Free Library for checkout.
Public comment is still being accepted. Please email your comments to Robert McKenna, Director of Planning & Development, at rmckenna@cityofnewburghny.gov and Monica Quigleyat info@newburghwaterfront.com. For more information, please visit www.cityofnewburghny. gov, or www.newburghwaterfront.com.
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