South Nyack Neighbors List Concerns about Paved Trail, Commuter Bus Stops

NYACK, NY — South Nyack residents who were shocked and dismayed to learn about plans to develop the Esposito Trail; run a bus route down Franklin Street with large commuter shelters; and widen Franklin Street with a bike lane for cyclists coming off the planned-paved trail attended the Village Trustee Meeting on Nov. 22 at Village Hall.

"It seems as though the board was open to hearing us; however, they indicated they will not come back with an answer until mid December," said resident Jessica Hans-Smolin afterward. "The general feeling in the room was cordial but intense and all of the folks present felt very strongly about keeping Esposito Trail and rerouting the bus to 9W and the Franklin Street bridge."

She said the group believes they were not properly informed when they supported village officials' choice for Plan F for the state's shared-use path terminus; and, many now feel that the concerns that the Village had about Cornelison Avenue were mitigated while other problems were dumped on residents in the Franklin Street and Clinton Avenue neighborhood.

Concerns that were brought up at the meeting by residents, employees of the Village and Trustees were:

1. Safety – safety concerns include pedestrians on the trail, children boarding school buses on Franklin, the Village’s lack of ability to patrol the Trail through the proposed late hours, emergency vehicles' ability to access the trail if there is a criminal or health-related emergency, possibility of increased crime, danger to bikers that will be riding alongside buses on Franklin

2. Environmental Impact – residents were truly upset to hear that a nature trail would be sacrificed and industrialized as there is little “green space” in South Nyack, there are serious concerns about the impact of this construction on drainage, there will be an increase in traffic, buses and cars idling directly outside of residents’ homes

3. Traffic and parking – residents pointed out that there will be traffic at the corner of Clinton and Franklin with drivers trying to get on and off the New Bridge as well as groups of cyclists and pedestrians all attempting to negotiate the same corners. Local side streets such as Clinton and Brookside will be flooded with parked cars since there is no parking on Franklin

4. Aesthetic Impact on community – the design of the Esposito Trail in renderings is completely overdeveloped and out of character with the Victorian/Arts and Crafts style of local homes

5. Communication – Residents feel that there has been a serious lack of communication regarding the planning for the LINK Bus Routes/Stops and the development of the Esposito Trail

Residents urged the mayor and trustees to:

• Revisit these current plans and consider the possibility of “Plan F Plus” which could potentially allow for cyclists to get from the SUP directly to Broadway via the old exit 10 entrance
• Preserve the Esposito Trail
• Advocate for and with residents to have the LINK buses and stops moved out of residential areas
• Communicate more openly and regularly with residents
• Keep the TZ Task Force (the mayor indicated it is “winding down”) and allow one to two residents from the Clinton/Franklin vicinity to be a part of it
• Come up with a plan to include residents in making decisions that directly affect their quality of life

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.

Learn more about the residents' issues on the Preserve South Nyack Facebook page.

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