ENVISION MOUNT VERNON
Process and Plan
What is a Comprehensive Plan?
A Comprehensive Plan is a framework that guides the City’s future by providing policy and actions related to future growth, and development. The Mount Vernon NY Comprehensive Plan will be a living document that will outline a shared vision developed through a community-driven process, for the City’s future. It will guide the City and community in decision making about land use, zoning, transportation, housing, parks and open spaces, City services, and other important aspects of the community in the years to come. Typically, a comprehensive plan addresses the following topics. The Mount Vernon NY comprehensive plan will also address Downtown Revitalization, and Economy and Businesses.
Vision and Goals
Given that the Mount Vernon NY Comprehensive Plan will be developed through a community-driven process, this chapter will outline the community’s shared vision, accompanying goals, and objectives. These goals and objectives will guide the development and the recommendations for each of comprehensive planning topic.
The land use chapter is the cornerstone of a comprehensive plan and will establish policies to guide the physical form of the city. It will also provide direction on the type and range of development, density distribution, conservation, preservation, and land use compatibility issues.
Housing
The housing section will provide an overview of the housing stock, types of housing offerings and their condition, home prices, building permit data, vacancy rates and owner-occupied housing versus renter-occupied. Based on the demographic projections, this section will assess future housing needs.
Socio-economic
Characteristics
Parks and Open
Space
This section will provide information about the Mount Vernon NY community’s population by age, gender, racial characteristics, household size, number of households, income levels etc. It will also provide population projections for the next 10 to 20 years based on the current demographics trends.
The Parks and Open Spaces chapter will include an overview of the City’s parks and open spaces including both soft- (parks) and hard-scape (plazas). The section will guide the future planning and design of active and passive recreation, as well as discuss where there are opportunities to reclaim/repurpose land as new open space.
Mobility and
Transportation
Mobility and transportation will map and provide an overview of existing roadways, streets, transit services, and popular modes of transportation. A primary consideration will be the interconnectedness of key places, last-mile options to better integrate Mount Vernon NY’s community with Metro North stations, and streetscapes for a more equitable distribution of the roadway for all modes of travel including bikes and pedestrians.
Project Phasing
Envision Mount Vernon will create a shared identity and vision around what the community feels about growth, design, development, and equitable opportunities over the next ten years. Everything from housing to transportation to open space to retail and jobs will be covered. Often external interests have an outsized influence over the decisions made in Mount Vernon. This process and subsequent document will lay the foundation and be a guide for all those participating in the future of Mount Vernon. It will be by Mount Vernon, for Mount Vernon. The comprehensive plan will be completed in two phases. The first phase was focused on the city’s downtown, which impacts and unites all Mount Vernon stakeholders. The Vision Report was developed with extensive input from Mount Vernon’s communities over a year-long planning process, starting in December 2022. The report was adopted on January 24, 2024. It reflects guiding principles for consideration in the preparation and adoption of the final Comprehensive Plan. It examines existing trends and opportunities within Downtown and provides a list of recommendations intended to guide future development. The second phase will focus on the rest of the city and will allow us to do a deep dive into neighborhoods to discuss design and development issues that influence us day-to-day, and opportunities to improve them. We will continue to engage residents across the city to hear about your specific priorities in your communities. The second phase will focus on the rest of the city and will allow us to do a deep dive into neighborhoods to discuss design and development issues that influence us day-to-day, and opportunities to improve them. We will continue to engage residents across the city to hear about your specific priorities in your communities. Throughout the next 12 months, we will be hosting smaller Community Conversations and larger Public Workshops. These events are time for neighbors and other stakeholders to engage one another to collaboratively develop the city’s identity and vision. There will be additional chances to share your ideas and thoughts, both virtually and in-person. The planning process is iterative, so all learnings about our approach in the first phase will help inform the second. We will also incorporate any initial concerns, challenges, and ideas that are broader than our discussions around.
Consultant Team
Our consultant team is bringing a wealth of skills that work together in a complimentary fashion to shape Mount Vernon’s comprehensive vision for the future. The team, led by Pat Cleary Consulting, combines technical expertise with the key ability to understand and elevate community voices. In addition to Pat Cleary Consulting, Brownfield Redevelopment Services and Creative Urban Alchemy connect to the community, while Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress and AKRF are analyzing and synthesizing data on current conditions.
Cleary Consulting
Cleary Consulting is a professional planning firm offering a full range of planning and environmental services for government and the private sector. Established in 1990 by Partrick Cleary, AICP, CEP, PP, LEED AP, CNU-A, a professional planner with over 40 years of experience in the field. Cleary Consulting has served over 75 communities throughout the region, as well as scores of private sector clients. Services include site specific planning studies, zoning analyses, SEQRA support, comprehensive planning and “turnkey” Planning Board support and advisory services. Cleary Consulting is serving the Envision Mount Vernon process in a technical planning capacity as well as the project team coordinator.
Brownfield Redevelopment Services (BRS, Inc.)
BRS is a multi-disciplinary firm with the goal to supply resources and expertise needed to bring projects from inception to completion, by addressing community challenges through redevelopment, revitalization, and resiliency planning while safeguarding the integrity of the public trust. BRS is a certified women-owned small business enterprise (WBE/SBE/DBE). Since its beginning, BRS has specialized in assisting public entities with land use, redevelopment, and resiliency planning inclusive of economic analyses; performing stakeholder coordination and community outreach; and completing assessments to support redevelopment programs.
Creative Urban Alchemy (CUA)
CUA is an award-winning urban design & planning studio working at the intersection of art, architecture, urban design and planning centering cultural heritage and equity in praxis. CUA has worked in the sectors of arts & culture, housing & community development, climate & environmental justice, health & wellness and community safety. The firm’s focuses on the design ideation and strategy development that is rooted in the engagement process. CUA advocates for, designs, plans with, and visually showcases the stories of community. We aim to co create regenerative places and spaces that builds community agency and improved partnerships between the grassroots and institutional. CUA will focus on engaging with Mount Vernon youth, making sure their voices are heard as part of the planning process and training them to serve as community leaders.
AKRF, Inc.
AKRF, Inc. is a multidisciplinary consulting firm, integrating planning, environmental, and engineering services. Incorporated in 1981, AKRF has office locations throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions. The firm offers the full complement of services required for municipal planning and has worked in a variety of settings for both public and private clients. AKRF has expertise in planning for communities, where our professional skills are used to address long-range goals and objectives, conservation, preservation, and community design. The firm will bring their experience and expertise in zoning and environmental review to the Mount Vernon NY Comprehensive Planning process.
Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress (Pattern)
Pattern is a research, planning and policy organization whose mission is to promote regional, balanced and sustainable solutions that enhance the growth and vitality of the Hudson Valley. Pattern was founded in 1965 by the region’s foremost academic, business, utility, and nonprofit leaders. Pattern provides objective research and planning for a broad range of regional issues, including housing, urban planning, main street revitalization, demographic research, infrastructure, transportation, land use, local government efficiency and more. Pattern will bring their experience and expertise in socio-economic research, housing, economic development, and infrastructure.
Historic Planning Documents
A number of long range planning, and localized plans have been developed by the City over the last decade, some of which may still be relevant. As part of the comprehensive planning process, the consultant team will evaluate relevant recommendations that further the community’s vision and goals, and build on them in the current plan.
