This study was a collaboration between Team Sound View (a team of NYU Wagner Master of Urban Planning students) and the Town of Rye from October 2016 until May 2017. While currently neither a vision nor a master plan exists for Rye Town Park, the Town of Rye recognized that increased use of Rye Town Park and Oakland Beach may greatly impact the social good provided in the long term. The Town of Rye solicited the efforts of Team Sound View to help answer the question of how to steward and maximize access to this social good, while also working to protect it. This report documents the process Team Sound View undertook to formulate recommendations as well as an Implementation and Action Plan for these recommendations. This process required a study of the Park’s existing conditions, as well as research of best practices and case studies. A large portion of data for this report was collected through extensive stakeholder and community outreach, which then directly led to an analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to the park. This comprehensive review further informed the recommendations laid out in this report that will assist in prioritizing park improvements and enhance visitor satisfaction, ensuring continued and future success of the Park.
Gary Zuckerman, Supervisor, Town of Rye
Deborah Reisner, Confidential Secretary/Chief of Staff to the Supervisor
Theresa Fanelli, Director, Rye Town Park
William Lawyer, Assistant Director – Park Development, Rye Town Park
Sara Summa, Assistant Clerk
Julia Killian, Commissioner
Dennis Pilla, Former Mayor, Village of Port Chester
Paul Rosenberg, Mayor, Village of Rye Brook
Joseph Sack, Mayor, City of Rye
Benedict Salanitro, Commissioner
Gary Zuckerman, President
Judie Eisenberg, GPC, Founder, ProposalPro
Michael Keane, AICP, Capstone Advisor, Senior Environmental Planner, Langan Engineering
Clifford Frasier, Course Assistant, Capstone Program, NYU Wagner
Ellen Ryan, Senior Director of Strategy & Planning, Fairmount Park Conservancy
María Mónica Salazar Tamayo, Translation Assistance, Wagner ’17
Jimena Llopis Abella, Translation Assistance, Wagner ’17
Rye Town Office
222 Grace Church Street, 3rd Floor
Port Chester, NY 10573
