The State program is viewed as the cornerstone of local waterfront planning efforts. Through financial and technical assistance to local municipalities, the NYS Department of State's Division of Coastal Resources LWRP program extends the opportunity to local waterfront communities to enhance and control the use of their waterfront resources. Hastings-on-Hudson, Yonkers and Tarrytown are all currently developing waterfront plans under the LWRP program.

In the Spring of 2000, Dobbs Ferry received a $25,000 grant from the NYS Department of State to prepare an LWRP for its waterfront areas. " This grant will give us the opportunity to roll up our sleeves and look at all our waterfront and downtown areas and see how to enhance our connection to the Hudson River so that our whole community will benefit," said Dobbs Ferry Mayor Brian Monahan. Monahan recently appointed an LWRP Steering Committee to coordinate LWRP activities and to facilitate public participation in the process.

A resource inventory workshop on November 21, facilitated by Jim Martin of the LA Group, marks the beginning of the planning process as activities get underway for a full accounting of existing conditions in Dobbs Ferry's waterfront-related areas. Workshop participants -- members of the Steering Committee, Village Trustees and other interested residents -- are learning the basics of resource inventory and developing strategies for each study categories including land use and zoning, natural resources, scenic viewsheds, infrastructure, public access, and educational, recreational, historical and cultural resources.

"With the help of local residents, the resource inventories will help us to identify the issues and areas of concern that we need to focus on during the waterfront planning process," said Charlene Paden, Chair of the LWRP Steering Committee.

Over the next 12 to 18 months, there will be additional opportunities for Dobbs Ferry residents to participate in the LWRP planning process. These include a public meeting in the Spring 2001 to solicit public comment on the Steering Committee's recommendations regarding the waterfront issues to be addressed in the LWRP. At a later time, residents will be asked to comment on the Committee's recommended techniques and projects to address those issues, e.g. zoning changes, waterfront management policies, recreational facilities, etc.

"Dobbs Ferry 's vitality as a Hudson River community will be greatly enhanced as we execute the LWRP planning process," commented Monahan, " and it's our responsibility to establish sound planning policies that will ensure ongoing protection of our precious resources."

FEATURE ON LWRP PHOTO PROJECT

Village Shutterbugs Focus on Local Waterfront Issues: Dobbs Ferry's LWRP Inventory Begins with Photography Project
For the past two weeks, local residents and public officials have been snapping photos up and down the streets of Dobbs Ferry. As the first step in the Village's Local Waterfront Revitalization Program planning process, members of the LWRP Steering Committee and the Village Board of Trustees participated in a local photo inventory project. By collectively framing concerns and highlighting unique resources, this visual inventory is aimed to identify waterfront-related issues in the Village. The photos are being used in a "photo essay" of Dobbs Ferry that will draw attention to waterfront issues and resources that are either threatened or need enhancement.

Over the next three months, the LWRP Steering Committee and other interested residents will perform a waterfront resource inventory - a description of the Village's natural and man-made resources within the waterfront and surrounding area. The inventory will identify all resources that require special management efforts under the LWRP, e.g. land use and zoning, environmental, scenic, educational, recreational, historical, cultural, infrastructure, public access, etc.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

What is an LWRP? What will it mean for Dobbs Ferry?
The LWRP grant provides Dobbs Ferry with the means to prepare a comprehensive waterfront plan that focuses on current and future land and water uses and other important coastal resources in our shoreline areas.

An LWRP will provide Dobbs Ferry with a decision-making tool to express local circumstances, needs, and objectives; to set environmental standards for coastal development; and finally, to describe local implementation techniques -- such as local laws and capitol projects -- that will strengthen our identity as a waterfront community.

Once Dobbs Ferry's LWRP is approved by the Village and the State, all review and decision-making responsibilities relating to the waterfront will be passed to the local government level. In addition, by working in conjunction with the NYS Department of State and having an adopted LWRP program, Dobbs Ferry's opportunities to obtain grant monies to implement waterfront-related projects and other actions outlined in the LWRP will be greatly enhanced.

How and when will Dobbs Ferry's LWRP be prepared?
Dobbs Ferry's LWRP will be prepared through the collaborative efforts of the village-appointed LWRP Steering Committee with the assistance of the LA Group. To ensure that all important issues and opportunities relating to this waterfront community are addressed, Dobbs Ferry residents are being invited to participate in the process.

Dobbs Ferry's LWRP Steering Committee

Village Board of Trustee Liaisons to LWRP Committee
Joseph Bova     Frank Farrington

LWRP Consultant
Tracy Clothier, AICP, Community Planning For the LA Group, PC