On June 7, 2018, WMPF held the 45th Annual Planning Awards Program and Dinner, an event that celebrates outstanding contributions to planning in Westchester County. The City of Rye was host to the awards at the Whitby Castle Golf Club.
Congratulations to the 2018 Winners
Planning Achievement Awards
City of Yonkers | Untermyer Park & Garden Restoration
The Untermyer Gardens Conservancy is operating under a public-private partnership with the City of Yonkers to restore this historic City-owned park, originally built in 1917 as the private garden of Samuel Untermyer. The Conservancy was established in 2011 and has restored many of the gardens back to life, and has gained national notoriety.
Village of Ossining | Downtown Redevelopment Working Committee Report
In 2017, the Village of Ossining Board of Trustees engaged a group of 20 community volunteers to examine Ossining’s downtown. An intensive process consisting of weekly meetings over a 3-month period evaluated factors such as placemaking, open space, and the built environment, culminating in a 78-page report representing over 2,000 volunteer hours.
Link to: Downtown Redevelopment Working Committee Report
Village of Irvington | Historic District Design Guide
Beginning as early as 2003, preservation minded Irvington residents fostered an effort to capture and preserve the Village’s historic qualities. The Historic District Guidelines is an illustrated manual to celebrate Irvington’s well-preserved past and to guide residents of Irvington’s National Register Historic District on appropriate architectural interventions in their properties.
Link to: Irvington Historic District Design Guide
City of New Rochelle | Bike Share Program
As an integral part of New Rochelle’s downtown revitalization efforts, the City of New Rochelle launched the Bike Share Program in March of 2018. The first such program of its kind in Westchester County, the program provides alternatives to those seeking to by-pass traffic and lower their carbon footprint and also accommodated those who do not own personal vehicles.
Link to: Bike Share Program Flyer
Planning Commendations
Town of Bedford | Antioch Homes
Antioch Homes, which was completed in 2017, is an example of a creative adaptive reuse, as well as a coordinated effort on the part of community leaders to provide 12 new affordable housing units in Bedford Hills. The project included re-purposing the former Antioch Baptist Church into four apartments and construction of two new buildings with four units each.
Village of Scarsdale | Freightway Site Redevelopment Study
The Freightway Site is a village-owned parking lot/garage adjacent to the Scarsdale Metro-North Railroad Station which has long been seen as an opportunity for transit oriented development. This study follows up on many previous planning efforts and provides community-based guidance for future development which will enhance Scarsdale’s Village Center, meet local needs, and is economically viable.
Link to: Freightway Site Redevelopment Study
Town of New Castle | 2017 New Castle Comprehensive Plan
New Castle’s 2017 Comprehensive Plan was based on a public outreach process that began roughly three years before it was written. The New Castle Plan utilizes the American Planning Association (APA) Comprehensive Planning Standards to establish updated goals to address the needs of the community.
Link to: 2017 New Castle Comprehensive Plan
Westhab, Inc. | Ludlow Commons
Ludlow Commons is an eight-story, 70 rental unit, affordable senior housing project located in the City of Yonkers. The building was completed in 2017 and is fully occupied. Built on a vacant infill brownfield site, the project is a transit-oriented development that has obtained LEED Gold certification.
Special Regional Commendation
Plan4Health Taskforce | Plan4Health Healthy Communities Toolkit
The Plan4Health Task Force examined the connections between planning and public health throughout the NY metro area. The Task Force partnered with the Pace Land Use Law Center to create a Healthy Communities Land Use Toolkit for municipal officials, based on the APA metrics for Planning Healthy Communities.
Link to: Plan4Health NY Metro Website
David Douglas is a committed and tireless volunteer for the Town of Cortlandt and has served in several capacities over the past 15 years. David was appointed to the Zoning Board of Appeals in 2004 and Chairman in 2010. In 2003, David was appointed to the Town’s Open Space Committee and was instrumental in the adoption of the Open Space Plan adopted in 2004. David was appointed Chairman of the Conservation Advisory Committee in 2012. In 2016 David was appointed to serve on the Town’s 2016 Sustainable Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee, culminating in the adoption of Envision Cortlandt, which won WMPF and NYS Planning Federation awards.
Larry Salley played a profound role in shaping the future of Westchester as well as the larger metropolitan region. Over the course of his long professional career, Larry served as a planner for the NYC Planning Commission, the Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, and the Tri-State Regional Planning Commission. Larry served as the Deputy Commissioner of the Westchester County Department of Planning and as the Commissioner of the Westchester County Department of Transportation. As a dedicated citizen, Larry served as the Chairman of the White Plains Housing Authority, Chairman of the White Plains Housing Company, Inc., Secretary to the Board of Directors of the African American Men of Westchester, and a member of the Arts Westchester Board of Directors.
The winner of the 2018 Scholarship is Alexa Sikoryak, a resident of Yonkers who just finished her junior year at Binghamton University. Born and raised in Westchester, Alexa will finish her 5 years with a BA in Environmental Planning, a BA in Geography Computer Applications, and an MA in Geography. She has an excellent academic record and has planning experience through an internship with the Broome County Planning Department. Alexa has an interest in using drones for planning research and used this unique research method to evaluate spatial and temporal trends of parking on campus, and to study gentrification in Johnson City, NY. She is interested in sustainability, environmental planning, urban planning, downtown development, and using her education to improve public welfare.