Don't Miss: Workshop on Downtown Ossining, Roundabout Included

OSSINING, NY — The Village Board will host a public conversation about downtown Ossining, focused not exclusively on the intersection of Spring and Main streets, on Thursday.

The meeting is an outgrowth of the outcry against the roundabout proposed this winter for that intersection.

The outcry, led by the Greater Ossining Chamber of Commerce, culminated in a failed attempt to force the village trustees to hold a referendum on their plan.

Officials decided that everyone needs to take a breath, move forward together instead of as adversaries to talk about the future of downtown, and elevate the conversation to be in everyone's interests, Mayor Victoria Gearity said at the village board's March 8 meeting.

The intersection has been largely unchanged since Ossining's failed attempt to join the urban renewal movement 50 years ago. Changes have included making Spring Street one-way; the Ossining Farmers Market; (which was looked on suspiciously by business and village officials when proposed 25 years ago); the construction of the post office; and making Spring Street two-way again.

The meeting agenda for Thursday includes a Q&A on the roundabout, as well as a proposal of how to move forward with tangible steps for transforming the downtown, Gearity said in an email to residents. A next step will include establishing a working group of community members to guide the process.

Not enough, said the Chamber's president.

"While the GOCC appreciates that the Village Board has called for a 'town meeting on April 6, 2017 at the Ossining Public Library' we view this as the beginning of a conversation and a baby step," Gayle Marchica said in a letter to Patch. "What is needed is a series of roundtable meetings comprised of representatives of the Village Board and of such organizations as the GOCC, the Historic Preservation Commission, Architectural Review Board, Environmental Advisory Board, other “land use” boards, and factions of the community that might wish to participate and so should be properly included. Such meetings should be held at neutral locations such as the General Electric, Maryknoll, or Mariandale complexes, and under the guidance of a competent external facilitator and recorder."

If you have questions and ideas for Thursday's meeting, you can make them known ahead of time by emailing Downtown@villageofossining.org.

SEE ALSO:

• Letter to the Editor: Ossining Chamber Seeks Stronger Roundabout Review
  
• Support for Ossining Roundabout Project: Letter to the Editor
  
• Letter to the Editor: Roundabout Makes Sense for Downtown Ossining
  
• Shifting Vision for Main-Spring Street Intersection in Ossining
• Ossining Roundabout: FAQ Posted, Opposition Grows
• Ossining Chamber of Commerce Holds Press Conference on Roundabout
• Support for Ossining Roundabout Project: Letter to the Editor
• Ossining Village Clerk Rejects Chamber of Commerce Petitions Against Roundabout
• Roundabout Referendum Petitions Filed