RiverWalk Set to Restore Access to Half-Mile of Shoreline for First Time in Over a Century
The Hudson is having a moment. Pedestrians and bicyclists flock to the recently opened shared-use path of the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge. In nearby Sleepy Hollow, construction has commenced on the first phase of a new waterfront park at Edge-on-Hudson, designed by internationally renowned landscape architectural firm Nelson Byrd Woltz. The Sleepy Hollow RiverWalk at Edge-on-Hudson will stretch in an undulating half-mile curve along the waterfront, restoring access to a section of the Hudson that has been inaccessible for more than a century. Phase One of the new park is expected to be completed by spring of 2022, although temporary access to the waterfront has been made available immediately. Intermittent closures may occur during construction.
The first phase of the park, estimated to cost more than $2 million, will link trails and parkland to the south, including the Scenic Hudson RiverWalk in Tarrytown, all the way to the historic 1883 Lighthouse at Sleepy Hollow. The park will become a lynchpin connecting additional trails and parks, including the adjacent Kingsland Point Park along the Hudson River waterfront, the “Horseman’s Trail” along the Pocantico River, as well as the Rockefeller State Park Preserve. The Sleepy Hollow RiverWalk will also join the Hudson River Valley Greenway, a system of designated parks, trails, kayak and canoe routes on the east and west shores of the river, from the Battery in Lower Manhattan to the state capital in Albany.
The majority of design and construction costs of the project will be borne by the developers of Edge-on-Hudson, a mixed-use, transit-oriented community rising along the waterfront in Sleepy Hollow on the site of the former General Motors Assembly Plant. Edge-on-Hudson is set to include 1,177 units of housing; a 140-room boutique hotel; 135,000 square feet of retail space and 35,000 square feet of office space, in addition to more than 16 acres of parkland. The Sleepy Hollow RiverWalk, envisioned as a new gateway to exploration of the Hudson River Valley, is also supported with a $500,000 grant from New York State’s Empire State Development Market New York (ESD MNY) program.
Sleepy Hollow Mayor Ken Wray commented, “Edge-on Hudson and New York State must be commended for pursuing this superlative public space that is like no other in our region. That the construction is beginning ahead of the original schedule is a testament to the clear public benefit the Sleepy Hollow RiverWalk will provide. We look forward to inviting everyone to Sleepy Hollow to enjoy this new parkland with us.”
Edge-on-Hudson is led by master developers Biddle Real Estate Ventures (BREV) and PCD Development, LLC (PCD). The development team turned to Nelson Byrd Woltz for design of the RiverWalk, which worked in conjunction with the Village of Sleepy Hollow Open Space Council for more than 2 years. Additional planning and engineering services were provided by Divney Tung Schwalbe, with legal services from DelBello Donnellan Weingarten Wise & Wiederkehr LLP.
Nelson Byrd Woltz’ design for the first phase of the Sleepy Hollow RiverWalk will feature two distinct sections of “Promenade” and “Overlook.” The Promenade features a path network, as well as a series of plazas and lawns. The Overlook offers a rise with amphitheater-style seating and expansive views of the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge and Manhattan skyline to the south, and to Hook Mountain and the scenic cliffs of the Palisades to the north.
More information is available at: www.edgeonhudson.com.
