South Nyack Group Calls Neighbors To Meeting Over Trail, Bus Stop Plans

SOUTH NYACK, NY — Neighbors on Clinton Avenue have organized to protest the plans to develop the Esposito Trail and create a commercial and commuter bus stop in their South Nyack neighborhood.

The Clinton Avenue Crew Advocacy Group will attend the South Nyack board of trustees meeting at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday to voice their concerns.

"What we have learned is that many plans have already been finalized without our knowledge nor input," said Jessica Hans-Smolin, who will be living next door to the big new regional bus stop. She said she and her neighbors went to info sessions with the Transit Link and Esposito Trail designers and were not able to express concerns and provide input as other neighborhoods had been able to do on related issues. "We instead were directed to send emails and go to websites to file our concerns with very little feedback from representatives. And, we feel ignored."

According to the Rails to Trails Conservancy, the Esposito Trail is a 1-mile-long, gravel trail through several neighborhoods running parallel to South Franklin Street crossing Brookside and Clinton avenues. The trail crosses over the New York State Thruway on the original railroad bridge. Three contiguous trails—the Raymond G. Esposito Memorial Trail, Old Erie Path and Joseph B. Clark Trail—occupy the former right-of-way of the Erie Railroad's Nyack and Piermont Branch. Each is fairly short.

The first phase of the Lower Hudson Transit Link is being developed from Suffern to White Plains. Forums were held in May and October in Nyack. State officials described the first phase of the LHTL as being developed along the I-287 corridor between Suffern to the west and White Plains to the east and including infrastructure and service enhancements along Route 59 in Rockland.

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• Hate Your Commute From Nyack? Check out the Lower Hudson Transit Link
• Improving Transit Along I-287: Nyack Forum Thursday

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