Parklands and Recreational Resources

Transcription

1 Chapter 7: Parklans an Recreational Resources 7-1 INTRODUCTION This chapter evaluates the potential impacts of project alternatives on the recreation, parklans, an open space resources in the stuy area. The Replacement Brige Alternative has been refine since the issuance of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), an the propose project woul no er require the taking of public parklan or green space. As such, the Replacement Brige Alternative woul not result in any averse impacts to parklans an recreational resources. 7-2 REGULATORY CONTEXT Parklans are protecte uner Section 4(f) of the Department of Transportation Act of 166 (4 U.S.C. 303, as amene) an the Feeral Highway Aministration (FHWA) regulations for implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA; 23 CFR 774). A Section 4(f) evaluation is provie in Chapter 23, Section 4(f) Evaluation. There are similar requirements for lan acquire or evelope uner Section 6(f) of the U.S. Lan an Water Conservation Fun Act of 165 (16 U.S.C. 460 L-8f) an Section 0 of the Urban Parks an Recovery Act of 178 (16 U.S.C ). However, there are no Section 6(f) properties within the project s stuy area. 7-3 METHODOLOGY Recreational resources that coul potentially be affecte by the Tappan Zee Huson River Crossing Project inclue parks, recreation areas, state an local trails, an National Natural Lanmarks. There are no willife or waterfowl refuge areas within the stuy area. Any parklan or other protecte recreational resources ientifie within or borering the stuy area are presente in this chapter. Parks locate a the Huson River within close viewing proximity of the Tappan Zee Brige are also inclue ue to the potential for visual impacts in the stuy area. The information for parklans was compile through internet research, conversations with the parks an recreation epartments of the relevant jurisictions, site surveys, an use of maps an/or geographic information systems (GIS) atabases provie by Rocklan an Westchester Counties. 7-4 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT Table 7-1 lists the parklans an trails ientifie in the stuy area, together with information on each resource s location, type, size, an escription. They are also shown on Figure 7-1, with a corresponing map coe provie in the table. The stuy area contains parks, trails, recreational resources, or National Natural Lanmarks in Rocklan County an 7 in Westchester County. 7-1

2 Parks, Trails, an Recreational Resources within Stuy Area Upper Nyack W Clarkstown 2 Long Path Trail Pierson Park 3 Clauslan Mountain Park Losee Park 4 Franklin Street Park 12 5 Huson River Greenway Trail System 13 Gracemere Park 6 Elizabeth Place Park 14 Ol Croton Aqueuct Trailway State Park 7 Green Space 15 Loh Park 8 NYS Bike Route 16 Lagana Fiel 6 1 R or 448 Sleepy Hollow 7 2 n Mount Pleasant f wa y S Broa Gesner Ave. Park 4 Huson River Memorial Park South Nyack i ta Gesner Avenue Park Nyack 5 Blauvelt State Park 1 Blauvelt State Park Be Nyack Beach State Park 8 3 Horans Laning 5 Existing Tappan Zee Brige 87 Ben eic 287 R t Ave 15 n ou M 14 l us 12 la Gran View-on -Huson West Shore Line (Freight Only) Orangetown Parelli Park Metro-North Huson Line Clauslan Mountain Park unty ter Co Westches y Count Rocklan C 287 S Broaway an Greenburgh 87 Irvington W Scenic Huson Park 0 Stuy Area Bounary Local Parks Huson River Channel Marker County Parks Huson River Shipping Channel State Parks State Bike Route Huson River Greenway 1/2 1 MILE SCALE Huson River Greenway Trail System Other Marke Trails TAPPAN ZEE HUDSON RIVER CROSSING Water Trail s Fixe Sailboat Racer Markers Figure 7-1 Parklans an Recreational Resources

3 Tappan Zee Huson River Crossing Project Table 7-1 Stuy Area Parklans an Trails Jurisiction Location Park or Trail Name Type of Resource Size (acres) 1 Description/Notes Map Coe Rocklan County State Orangetown Blauvelt State Park Passive Hiking trails, picnicking areas 1 Interstate Countywie Long Path Trail Passive miles Runs from Fort Lee, NJ to Thatcher State Park 2 near Albany County Orangetown Clauslan Mountain Park Passive Wooe mountain natural area with scenic 3 overlooks, hiking trails Village Orangetown - Franklin Street Park Passive 2.20 Running/walking trail 4 State Countywie Huson River Greenway Trail System Passive 5 State Countywie Huson River Greenway Water Trail Active 488 miles (noncontiguous) 256 miles Collection of local, county, an state trails an connector trails throughout the Huson Valley, linking open space resources, historic sites, communities, an the Huson River waterfront. Inclues 35 miles of trails within Rocklan County, incluing the Raymon G. Esposito Trail, which traverses Interstate 87/287 near Interchange (Route W). Runs the length of the Huson River, from Haley in the Aironack Park an Whitehall on the Champlain Canal to Battery Park City in Manhattan, with kayak an canoe launch points every miles, an campsites every 15 miles. Village Orangetown - Elizabeth Place Park Active 0.81 Play area, picnic tables, fiel, basketball hoop 6 Village Orangetown - Green Space Passive 0.05 Benches 7 State Statewie New York State Bike Active 33 miles Long istance on-roa bicycle route 8 Route Village Orangetown - Gesner Avenue Park Passive 0.05 Mini-riverfront park State/Private Countywie Palisaes of the Huson National Natural Lanmark -- 1,00 acres National Natural Lanmark rock formations a the western shore of the Huson River from Fort Lee, NJ to Haverstraw, NY. -- Westchester County Village Greenburgh - Town Greenburgh - Pierson Park Active Picnic area, pavilion, tennis courts, platform tennis courts, basketball, playgroun, bocce court, gazebo Losee Park Active 7.40 Village park on Huson River with lighte ball fiels, picnic area, playgroun. County Countywie Trail Passive miles Mixe-use recreation trail for biking, jogging, 12 walking Town Gracemere Park Passive 4. Neighborhoo park 13 (see laning sites on Figure 7-1) State Countywie Ol Croton Aqueuct Passive 26.2 miles Unpave trail running a Huson River 14 Trailway State Park Village Greenburgh - Loh Park Passive 1.40 Picnic area, open space 15 Town Greenburgh - Lagana Fiel Active 1.00 Small park with ball fiel, playgroun, tennis courts 16 Notes: 1 This column inicates the full acreage or length of the parklan or trail resource. Figure 7-1 shows the portion of the resource that falls within the stuy area. Sources: Rocklan County GIS Portal, accesse November 3, 20. Huson River Valley Greenway, accesse November 3, 20 an May 24, Rocklan Tomorrow: Rocklan County Comprehensive Plan, March 1,

4 Chapter 7: Parklans an Recreational Resources Parks are ivie into two categories: active an passive. Active parks often inclue trails, playgrouns, ball fiels, pools, tennis courts, etc. Passive parks emphasize open space an involve low levels of evelopment, incluing picnic areas an trails. Of the total stuy area parks, recreational resources, or trails within Rocklan County, three are active, an seven are passive. In Westchester County, three parks or trails are active, an four are passive. In aition to the esignate parks an trails, the Huson River is use as a recreational resource for boating. There are several private marinas an municipal boat ramps in close proximity to the stuy area. Recreational boaters use these marinas an launches to access the Huson River an can be expecte to navigate through the stuy area to reach a estination point. None of the parklan or recreational resources within the stuy area was fune through Section 6(f) of the Lan an Water Conservation Act (LWCA). The following escribes the parklans an recreational resources in close proximity to the Interstate 87/287 right-of-way ELIZABETH PLACE PARK AND ADJACENT GREEN SPACE AREA Elizabeth Place Park is a public park in the Village of. The park is situate on an approximately 0.81-acre triangular parcel. It is locate on the southwest sie of Interstate 87/287, north of Elizabeth Place, an east of the Raymon G. Esposito Memorial Trail an Route W. The park features active recreation opportunities, incluing a basketball court, play area, open space, picnic areas, an a og park. Southeast of Elizabeth Place Park is a small, triangular, green space area locate on the opposite sie of South Broaway. It comprises approximately 0.05 acres an is boune by Interstate 87/287 to the east, South Broaway to the west, an a resiential property to the south. This small green space area contains three benches an serves as passive open space PALISADES OF THE HUDSON NATIONAL NATURAL LANDMARK The Palisaes of the Huson (the Palisaes) comprise approximately 1,00 acres of lan in Bergen County, New Jersey an Rocklan County, New York. The Palisaes exten through the stuy area in a north-south irection. The eastern bounary of the Palisaes generally follows the west shore of the Huson River from just south of the George Washington Brige in Fort Lee, New Jersey, north approximately 22 miles to Haverstraw, New York. The western bounary of the Palisaes parallels the Huson River. The Palisaes ranges from approximately 0.6 to 1.5 miles in with. 1 Accoring to the National Park Service, the Palisaes is the best example of a thick iabase sill formation known in the Unite States. The rock formations of the Palisaes comprise columnar jointing, with olivine zone an thermal metamorphic effects, an glaciate crest. 2 1 US Fish an Willife Service, access November, National Park Service, accesse November,

5 Tappan Zee Huson River Crossing Project HUDSON RIVER GREENWAY WATER TRAIL The Huson River Greenway Water Trail is a 256-mile stretch of the Huson River an its tributaries. There are two starting points in the north: the Town of Haley in the Aironack Park, an the Town of Whitehall on the Champlain Canal. The Water Trail ens at Battery Park City in Manhattan. The Water Trail features kayak an canoe launch points every miles, an campsites every 15 miles. There are six launch points within or in close proximity to the stuy area, the Nyack Beach State Park (Upper Nyack), Memorial Park (Nyack), Gesner Avenue Park (), Parelli Park (Piermont), Horan s Laning (Sleepy Hollow), an Scenic Huson Park (Irvington). Canoeists an kayakers using the Huson River Greenway Water Trail traverse beneath the existing Tappan Zee Brige to access these laning sites HUDSON RIVER RECREATIONAL BOATING The Huson River is also use by sail boaters, power boaters, an other personal water craft users for recreational purposes RIVERWALK is a share-use path that represents a substantial segment of the Huson River Valley Greenway system in Westchester County. Once complete, will span 51.5 miles an fourteen municipalities in Westchester County. It is currently being evelope through a series of iscrete projects that are being constructe by the county, local municipalities, an private evelopers, among others. As currently propose, will traverse beneath the Tappan Zee Brige. However, this section has not yet been constructe. 7-5 ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS NO BUILD ALTERNATIVE At this time, there are no known or planne improvements to parks or trails within the stuy area in Rocklan County. In Westchester County, it is anticipate that sections of the partially complete, which traverses an extens beyon the stuy area, woul continue to be constructe. is a planne, 51.5-mile pathway a the Huson River that woul link village centers, historic sites, parks, an river access points via a connection of trails, esplanaes, an boarwalks. Portions of this trail have been constructe to the north an south of the Tappan Zee Brige. In aition, the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council s (NYMTC s) Transportation Improvement Program inclues a project to establish one mile of trail to link Lynhurst an Sunnysie historic sites in the Town of Greenburgh. The No Buil Alternative woul not change horizontal or vertical clearances of the navigable channel through the Huson River. Therefore, it woul have no effect on recreational boating in the stuy area. 7-4

6 Chapter 7: Parklans an Recreational Resources The No Buil Alternative woul not aversely impact any existing or planne parklans or recreational areas within the stuy area. However, the No Buil Alternative woul not provie for a share-use path across the Huson River, an peestrians an bicycles woul continue to be prohibite on the Tappan Zee Brige. Thus, the No Buil Alternative woul not enhance or improve recreational opportunities in Rocklan or Westchester Counties REPLACEMENT BRIDGE ALTERNATIVE The Replacement Brige Alternative woul inclue a share-use (bicycle an peestrian) path across its north structure between the Esposito Trail in Rocklan County an Route in Westchester County. This share-use path, an the preservation of the future ability to connect beneath the new brige, is consistent with the Village of s 2007 Comprehensive Plan. The share-use path is also consistent with the state public policy goals of Rocklan an Westchester Counties, as it woul increase public access to a network of bike an peestrian pathways an the Huson River. Therefore, the Replacement Brige Alternative s share-use path woul be a benefit to parklans an recreational resources. While the propose share-use path woul a new peestrian an bicycle users to the brige, these users are not anticipate to substantially increase the number of peestrians an bicyclists in the stuy area. As further iscusse in Chapter 4, Transportation, it is anticipate that users woul access the share-use path via surface connections from existing streets. As such, no parking for the share-use path is propose. The share-use path woul be esigne to offer a safe means of crossing the Huson River that is separate from the highway lanes by barriers an safety buffers. Lighting, wayfining, pavement markings, life-line phones, an surveillance cameras woul be provie for safe passage an security across the brige. Design consierations for the share-use path are ientifie in the Design-Buil Contract Documents, an the safety of share-use path users woul be thoroughly aresse through project esign, signage, an access. In Rocklan County, the Replacement Brige Alternative woul not irectly affect any parks or open space resources. In Westchester County, the Replacement Brige Alternative woul require that the existing Interstate 87/287 right-of-way be expane to the north (see Figure 7-2) by a permanent aerial easement of approximately 0.03 acres above the propose. This propose easement woul still allow to pass beneath the replacement brige. Therefore, the Replacement Brige Alternative woul not aversely impact. The Replacement Brige Alternative woul maintain the navigable channel of the Huson River at the Tappan Zee crossing an woul not aversely impact the Huson River Greenway Water Trail an recreational boating. 7-6 MITIGATION The Replacement Brige Alternative woul not result in averse impacts to parklans an recreational resources. Therefore, mitigation is not require. 7-5

7 Permanent Easement Huson River Trailway Bounary Propose Right-of-Way Existing Right-of-Way Acreage of Impact Park Name Impact Type Permanent Easement Acres Total Park Length (Miles) Note: No ifference between Short an Long Span Options FEET SCALE TAPPAN ZEE HUDSON RIVER CROSSING Figure 7-2