No traffic calming and lack of transit oriented design. 7000 parking spaces proposed for Alexandar street waterfront .

There is no long term plans to add additional public transportation to serve this new community of over 10,000 people within a square mile. Metro north serves the waterfront only. Many of the east west streets near Alexander Master plan are correctly named terraces, they are narrow and very windy and hilly. A full size bus could not navigate them in their current configuration. The traffic generated by these plans will gridlock the neighborhoods. The DGEIS plan calls for the building of an additional 7000 private parking spaces next to the waterfront and train stations. This is 150% larger than Yonkers Raceway . Contrary to the political talking heads, spin that Westchester has great bus service and will change their lines to accommodate the residents, the bus service and public transit in Yonkers is severely lacking. The Yonkers train station is the Main transit hub and only a few buses go by there. Majority of the Yonkers buses used to stop there, it was deemed unsightly to have buses waiting near the train station. Now the train patrons have to walk blocks to get their proper bus. I noticed at the Riverdale station there is always a bus waiting at the station to ferry the commuters from each train. There should be an in place shuttle system between all these Yonkers developments from the Yonkers City Pier, Gateway(chicken island), Alexander street and Ridge Hill to reduce the need for cars and the vehicle impacts on the neighborhoods.

The shuttle should be in place now for the Larkin library patrons and other waterfront users, including the Xavier and Pierview restaurant users. The current practice of using public esplanade park space for these restaurants private parking and valet service is wrong on all accounts. Start a shuttle now to the waterfront, the cars should not be proceeding west of the railroad bridge. The current design of the scrimshaw houses that allows a driveway to go through public parkland is very wrong. Every year at Yonkers Riverfest this design error is magnified, people are enjoying themselves in what is supposed to be a pedestrian plaza/public space on the waterfront and the scrimshaw residents are driving though the festival, this is perilous to pedestrians and poor design.

Can metro-north accommodate more than 4000 commuters in three Yonkers stations?

The DGEIS for Alexander street states Metro-North can accommodate the new rider ship. Have they actually checked with Metro-North and asked how many new trains and new runs it would take to accommodate 4000 new commuters at two adjacent Yonkers stations on the Hudson line.

Metro-North addresses congestion pricing  today and how 3000 commuters will be easily absorbed over the large  area,  i am all for metro north, 3000 riders spread out over a large area i hope can be accommodated.

However, the current commuters that are standing the whole trip have their doubts.

what concern me is the large scale projects going up in Yonkers, Alexander street that will place 3750 residences next to the Glenwood and Yonkers train station, can metro north absorb the minimum 3500 extra commuters at two adjacent stations . The Glenwood and Yonkers train stations have just been updated. Many congestion-pricing articles state that metro-north is already overcrowded at rush hour. Within one mile of Alexander street urban renewal area are three buildings in construction near the Greystone station.  On the south east side near Larkin Plaza, chicken island, another large complex with a baseball stadium condo complex is planned. The one project that is going to be competed shortly, the Collins project,  which is adjacent to the Yonkers train station  will also add 300 commuters within the year. So more than 4000 extra metro north commuters within three adjacent stations in a 3 miles stretch on the Hudson line

Robert Moses archaic designs alive in Yonkers Alexander street masterplan

One of the lesser-known items that Robert Moses is associated with is the eviction of the popular canoe and rowing clubs in Manhattan.  The Alexander street master plan calls for the removal and relocation to undisclosed location one of the oldest continuously active canoe clubs in the USA and world . Its history goes back to 1886,  Contrary to the DGEIS attempt to paint it as a vagabond clubhouse, it is the only continuous used cultural structure on the waterfront in this urban renewal plan. It  has been in this location since the early 1930’s  and to add irony to it all, the sewage pump house with its twin  51 inch pipes that pump CSO sewage into the Hudson that  it sits adjacent to is deemed a NYS historically significant structure.  The club has been very active in the local community and has offered many public programs that have put many community children and adults on the water.  I am sure many Yonkers Riverfest goers recall the members of the yonkers clubhouse promoting its use and putting over 300 people a day on the waters at this location.

Canoe clubs belong in the downtown area, they have been the longest active users of the waterfront and they serve the community. NYC has realized that canoe clubs belong on the waterfront,  they now have built two brand  new  canoe /kayak  boathouses  and have public kayak  launch  facilities at there or four more locations on the Hudson shoreline.

Canoe clubs belong in Yonkers downtown waterfront.