On Earth Day, New Rochelle released “GreeNR,” a citywide sustainability plan that addresses everything from decreasing energy use to increasing public participation — and puts plenty of emphasis on green transportation. The plan’s recommendations are intended “to help guide municipal action for the next twenty years,” according to an accompanying press release.  Next Tuesday, the City Council will hold a hearing to gather public comments before voting on the plan.

As Mayor Noam Bramson notes in the release, GreeNR is “more than a philosophical document. It is a practical strategy for improving the quality of life in New Rochelle.” The plan has ten major goals for 2030, two of which are transportation related; it calls for 95% of new growth to be concentrated near transit, as well as the creation of a “comprehensive walking and cycling network” that increases the number of residents who walk or cycle to work by 50%.

GreeNR is full of specific 3-year, 10-year, and 20-year recommendations that will result in concerted changes to walking, biking and transit in New Rochelle. They include:

• Promoting walking by making the walking experience safer and more pleasurable. Specific recommendations include siting at least one designated walking route in or close to all neighborhoods and adopting a Complete Streets policy;
• Encouraging biking by creating a “Bike Master Plan” and increasing bike infrastructure throughout New Rochelle;
• Considering the establishment of jitney service that links residential areas to the city’s transit center, downtown New Rochelle and the city’s parks;.
• Implementing innovative parking policies. Under the plan, the city would charge fees for public employees’ parking permits while offering a stipend to employees who give them up (i.e. those who carpool, walk or take public transit to work), and encourage private employers to adopt a similar policy, often referred to as “parking cash-out.”  The city would also consider opening the parking lot at New Rochelle’s train station to residents during off-hours.

With its broad scope and use of specific targets, the plan may remind some of PlaNYC, New York City’s environmental sustainability blueprint that was released in 2007 and laid out 127 initiatives which the city continues to make progress on today.  That’s no coincidence.  In building its plan, New Rochelle relied on a “Sustainability Planning Toolkit” developed by the NYC Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability and ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, an association of local governments.

For some time now, New Rochelle has shown its interest in pioneering smart transportation policies like increasing bike parking. With GreeNR, New Rochelle can continue to lead the way among Westchester municipalities.

Hearing Information

The hearing will take place at 7:30pm on Tuesday, May 11 at New Rochelle City Hall (515 North Avenue) in the Council chambers. Written testimony can be e-mailed to City Clerk Benny Giles at bgiles@newrochelleny.com. According to the release, City Council adoption of the plan would “signal support for the plan’s principal objectives,” but additional legislative and administrative action will be required to realize many of the plan’s specific initiatives.