Village Residents Ask Planning Board to Redirect Downtown Traffic

Not everyone is happy about easing parking restrictions in the village to accommodate more restaurants. Residents of the Old Scarsdale Neighborhood Association who live in the village are concerned that increased traffic downtown will pose safety concerns for pedestrians who live in the area. Here is a letter from the association to the Scarsdale Planning Board proposing a solution to potential traffic issues:

Dear Madam Chairperson and Members of the Planning Board,

The Old Scarsdale Neighborhood Association (“OSNA”) has significant concerns about the current proposal to relax the off-street parking regulations for restaurants in the Village Center. Before inviting more restaurants to Scarsdale, the Planning Board must address protecting the safety of our families from the increasing number of cars using our neighborhood as a thoroughfare.

The proposal concerns Village Code Article X, Section 310-70 (4), and creates an exception for restaurants specifically in the Village Center area. The current requirement for the entire Village is “one space for each three seats, plus one space for each employee, but no less than one space for each 75 square feet or a major fraction thereof of gross leasable floor area.” The proposal would change the requirement for restaurants in the Village Center to “one space for each 150 square feet or a major fraction thereof of gross leasable floor area.” (11/5/2010 Memo to Planning Board from Village Planner)

Ours is the only residential neighborhood onto whose streets traffic directly flows as cars are exiting the Village Center. The appropriate route is for them to drive out of the Village on Woodland Place or Chase Road, where they can access major roads and highways. Unfortunately, many cars leaving the Post Office/ Chat intersection drive north on Woodland Place and veer up towards the right, heading up into the Oakwood Place and Woodland Place triangle. This traffic triangle creates a dangerous and confusing confluence of cars and pedestrians. This is a blind curve where the road changes from one-way to two-way. Some drivers speed up as they think they are leaving town, unwittingly finding themselves in a residential block with 15 young children. In addition, many drivers use this route as a short-cut to avoid the traffic light at Popham and Chase Roads.

The recent 2010 Update to the Village Center Component of the Comprehensive Plan indicates that many residents would like to enliven the Village Center with more restaurants. We have no objection to restaurants but ask you to also recognize the Update’s Goal 2: Attend to traffic congestion, and enhance walk-ability and pedestrian safety and amenities…”

The Executive Summary of the Update specifies: “In the future, improved green space and park connections will reinforce the village-in-a park character and bring residents and workers closer to the charm and natural beauty of the Village Center. These connections will also reinforce the possibility and the desirability of walking and bicycling, reducing the reliance on automobiles for daily needs and trips within the Village Center area, and will provide a pleasant buffer between surrounding neighborhoods and the Village Center.”

It is this buffer that we would like to see maintained as the Village becomes more active. As a solution to these challenges, we propose enlarging the current green space at the Oakwood/Woodland triangle to create a pedestrian-only green space. (Please see Study Area 1 on the attached photographic map exhibit.) This proposal maintains the Woodland Place exit from the Village, but would prevent cars exiting the village from using Oakwood Place and Autenreith Road as a thoroughfare. This would greatly facilitate stormwater control, encourage walking and biking into the Village, and keep our neighborhood from bearing the burden of increased non-local traffic leaving the Village Center that additional restaurants will create. We also propose examining the Autenreith/Oakwood traffic triangle in order to clarify traffic flow. (Please see Study Area 2 on the attached photographic map.)

Several neighbors have noticed an increase in traffic on our residential streets since the lovely Chat Bistro opened. Many patrons are unfamiliar with Scarsdale roads and find themselves in our neighborhood. It is even more important to direct this traffic away from the confusing traffic triangle and our residential streets because it has a bar and serves alcohol.

As a community we are striving towards more sustainable lifestyles. Parents and Grandparents walk strollers around the curve on Oakwood heading to the Montesorri school, St. James the Less’s nursery school and Hoff Barthelson Music School. The Middle School bus stops here. Train commuters walk and bike down to the train station through this triangle.

We applaud your efforts to improve the Village Center and the vital role it plays in the life of our community. We request further study of our recommendations and look forward to working with you to facilitate improvements while maintaining our village in a park.

We appreciate your concern and thank you for your attention.

Respectfully Submitted,
Old Scarsdale Neighborhood Association (OSNA)
By OSNA Secretary, Emily Kronenberg