Westchester County Greenway Compact Plan

Westchester County is one of 13 counties that make up the Hudson River Valley Greenway (Greenway).  The Greenway was established by the State of New York by the Hudson River Valley Greenway Act of 1991.  The Greenway is a voluntary regional cooperation among 242 communities within 13 counties bordering the Hudson River. 
The Greenway was created to facilitate the development of a voluntary regional strategy for preserving scenic, natural, historic, cultural and recreational resources while encouraging compatible economic development and maintaining the tradition of home rule for land use decision-making.  The 1991 Act established the Greenway Council, a New York State Agency to:

  • Work with local government to enhance local land use planning

  • Create a voluntary regional planning compact for the Hudson River Valley\

  • Provide community planning grants, compact grants and technical assistance to help communities develop a vision for their future

The Hudson River Valley Greenway Act describes the “Greenway criteria” as “the basis for attaining the goal of a Hudson River Valley Greenway”.

The Greenway Criteria is:

  • Regional Planning

  • Natural & Cultural Resource Protection

  • Economic Development

  • Public Access

  • Heritage & Environmental Education

The Greenway planning approach is to think regionally ~ plan locally.  The Greenway Compact program takes community planning one step further by providing a process for voluntary regional cooperation to further the Greenway criteria of natural and cultural resource protection, regional planning, economic development, public access, and heritage and environmental education. The Greenway has designated the counties as the basic planning areas for the development of the Greenway Compact.  Westchester County is preparing to produce a Compact Plan that will be presented to municipalities for adoption consideration

The Greenprint for a Sustainable Future

In June 2005, the Hudson River Valley Greenway approved the Westchester County Greenway Compact Plan, The Greenprint for a Sustainable Future. The plan was prepared by the Westchester County Department of Planning as part of the Hudson River Valley Greenway initiatives and was adopted by the Westchester County Planning Board on June 2, 2004. Click here to view a PDF of the document (10.6 megs). In addition, the plan may be viewed at the Westchester County Department of Planning, 432 Michaelian Office Building, White Plains, New York.

Westchester County is one of only two counties in the 13-county Greenway region that has an approved Compact Plan. As of March 17, 2005, seven Westchester municipalities - Village of Tarrytown, Village of Croton-on-Hudson, Town of Ossining, Town of Cortlandt, City of Peekskill, Village of Buchanan and Village of Briarcliff Manor - have taken action to become a Compact Community. Participation is important. The County Planning Department encourages all Westchester communities to participate in this voluntary program. Participation will qualify them and assist other communities for a number of important compact benefits including technical and funding assistance from Greenway and possible scoring preference over non-compact communities in the evaluation of applications for other State Grants. The Greenway grant application process is simple and can result in the awarding of significant funds to assist your community with projects such as updating a comprehensive plan and zoning ordinance or the undertaking of special land use studies.

Becoming a Compact Community requires that a municipality adopt a local law amending the local zoning ordinance to state that consideration will be given to Greenprint policies when certain land use decisions are made. The adoption of such a local law does not limit home rule nor does it enable Westchester County or the State to impose any regulations upon the municipality.

Planning Department staff is available to come to local meetings to present Greenprint and discuss the potential benefits of becoming a Greenway Compact Community. Please contact Elizabeth Cavorti, Planner at (914)-995-6252
The benefits of becoming a Greenway Compact Community are:
  • State agencies must, "to the fullest extent practicable", coordinate their activities with Compact communities and conduct their activities in a manner consistent with the Greenway Compact
  • The provisions of the Greenway Compact must be made part of State Environmental Quality Review Act and Historic Preservation Act reviews.
  • Compact communities may regulate the location and construction of boathouses, moorings and docks within fifteen hundred feet of their shorelines.
  • Compact communities receive technical and financial assistance for community planning efforts. This includes up to 50% matching grants for basic community planning and for any changes to local planning and zoning needed to enter the Compact.
  • Compact communities have a potential 5% rating advantage over non-compact communities for receiving competitive state funding for Greenway projects.
  • Compact communities have the opportunity to offer a streamlined environmental review process for activities, which are consistent with regional Greenway plans.
  • Compact communities are provided protection from lawsuits brought against communities because of the acquisition of land or the adoption of local land use regulations consistent with a regional Greenway Plan.
For further information, contact:

Elizabeth Cavorti, Planner
148 Martine Avenue, Room 432
White Plains, NY 10601
(914) 995-6252
ekc2@weschestergov.com

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