Gold Coast Gazette
Cedar Swamp Road Visioning
On Thursday, March 6th, a vision meeting for the improvement of the Cedar Swamp Road from Pearsall Avenue to Sea Cliff Avenue was held in the community of St. Rocco’s Parish. Many citizens met to discuss and recommend how to improve the pedestrian accessibility, as well as the flow of traffic, economic status, its links to Downtown, dining, facilities, and to improve the overall “sense of place”, or mood of the stretch.
Thursday night was the first of a series of meetings to discuss the development of Cedar Swamp Road. Mayor Ralph Suozzi in association with his cousin, County Executive Tom Suozzi, hired Deborah Howes from Urbitran to host the meeting. She presented a slide show that gave an overview of the night‘s meeting, and of the study area. After the show was completed, the attendees broke into four groups. Approximately three staff accompanied each group to write down the citizen’s ideas.
Howes’ analysis was done using the SWOT Analysis method. This process identifies the internal strengths and weaknesses of the road. It also identifies the external opportunities and threats, or challenges, of the surrounding Glen Cove area. In addition to these, the people discussed their ideal vision for Cedar Swamp Road. This study will show where and to what extent the Cedar Swamp Road stretch can be improved.
The first topic the groups discussed was the existing strengths of Cedar Swamp Road. Some strengths discussed included, but were not limited to the fact that the buildings are not jammed together, transportation including busses and trains are available, and its proximity to local neighborhoods. People also noted that the St. Rocco’s and St. Patrick’s festivals attract a lot of attention, as do the spectacular fine restaurants. Many also like the variety of businesses located on the street, and their distance from the street.
The next topic discussed was the internal weaknesses of the stretch. A few of the items the audience brought up were that there were insufficient and inconsistent amenities, including benches, trash bins, crosswalks, user–friendly sidewalks, and nighttime lighting. There is also inconsistent landscaping, lack of a “sense of place”, and inconsistent signage and parking regulations. The problems of loitering, un–uniform storefronts and the speed of cars on the road were also brought up.
The third topic discussed was external opportunities which could affect the renovation of Cedar Swamp Road. Some of the main ideas that were presented were that the county has some money set aside to help support the project and the development of the waterfront will hopefully bring more people into the area. There is also a chance that the Public Library will move onto the road, which would attract attention.
The last step in the SWOT Analysis is external threats, also known as external challenges. These included uncertain economic conditions and funding problems, as well as the cleanliness of the city. There is also no express or direct train to Manhattan Island, and many people wonder who would take care of and maintain the improvements. The last ideas that were discussed were the audiences’ visions for Cedar Swamp Road. Numerous ideas were raised, including the placement of the trees and plants on the sidewalks, and even in the middle of the road. In addition to the center of the road gardens, attendees also suggested placing a garden where the soccer field is, as well as some packet parks with seats and chess tables. There was also a request to provide the area with wi–fi internet (complementary wireless internet available on some laptops). The audience also thought it would be nice to set up some nighttime activities, install way–finding maps and signs, and create cyclist lanes. Other ideas were to bury the power lines and decrease the number of people, especially children, who loiter on the street.
The next step in the process is to develop an action plan. The plan will be presented to the public at an information meeting toward the end of June. After the summer, in august or September, another information meeting will be held. By the end of October, a final revitalization plan will be drawn up, and then later executed. All information, as well as the project timeline, will be posted on the project’s website, www.glencove-cedarswamproad.com.
Photos of the event are available here.
