Description
Scenic Hudson hosts riverfront revitalization forum Almost a hundred government officials, professional consultants, and environmentalists attended an all-day forum in downtown Kingston on Thursday afternoon, organized by Scenic Hudson. Rising temperatures and water levels -- in relation to Hudson Valley planning and infrastructure -- was the focus of "Revitalizing Hudson Riverfronts: Opportunities in an Era of Global Climate Change," held at the Steel House restaurant on East Strand. The greatest asset communities have, is their relationship with the Hudson River," said Steve Rosenberg, senior vice president of Scenic Hudson. "We have a lot of infrastructure along the river that can provide economic opportunities for growth," Rosendberg observed. "But with sea level rise happening already, and climate change, we're seeing a different set of factors and influences that are impacting what happens on the riverfront." The event provided local leaders, planning board officials and citizens with tools, strategies and data to help plan for the future. Rosenberg explained the goal is to create an opportunity for future growth, "instead of being victimized by these [climate] changes." Kingston mayor Shayne Gallo announced, in his introduction, that bids have been opened for the city's new comprehensive plan. "It's been almost 30 years that we haven't had an update, which is unacceptable," Gallo remarked, noting how it will foster a blueprint for future zoning and economic development. Hard data on sea level rise was provided by Sasha Spector, director of conservation science for Scenic Hudson. "Every way we know how to measure climate change, it's happening," Spector declared. "The ratio of record highs to record lows used to be a 1-to-1 ratio," Spector indicated. "We see a pattern that is shifting and accelerating over the last few decades, where now we are twice as likely to see a record high, and we expect that to go somewhere to 20-1, in the coming decades," he warned. "Our waterfronts are really important to us economically, and we want to make the best of those for our communities' sake," said Kristin Marcell of the NYS DEC Hudson River Estuary Program. "We're seeing more and more development along our shorelines, and very destructive events that are causing our state and nation a lot of money. We have to think about whether we can do this in a more sensible long-term strategy," she said. Marcell challenged planners with new questions they should consider. "Where are the areas of vulnerability now? Where are those places going to be 20, 30, 50, 80 years from now -- as we consider building infrastructure?" Marcell continued with a litany of concerns, including technical abilities and long-term costs; term limits and political will. "What is the lifespan of infrastructure we have in place? Is it something that we need to think about engineering to adapt to flooding? Or is it something that's approaching the end of its useful life, and perhaps can be moved to another location where it won't be as vulnerable?" For worst-case catastrophic scenarios, a strategic retreat inland was suggested. She showed numerous examples of recent municipal design adaptations. Ulster County planning director Dennis Doyle noted that half of the population lives near the waterfront, roughly 90,000 people. Five thousand citizens moved here last decade -- into 3,000 newly built homes. He said higher population density, with cluster-style development, is the only solution. "Density," Doyle insisted, is considered a dirty word in planning and zoning -- but fulfills the legislative intent of all currently enacted codes. After several hours of presentations, the audience broke up into smaller groups, to practice planning strategy using area maps. Participants were entitled to course credit through the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP).
