Vibrant Downtown and Tourism
HALLOWEEN
TK. Read more about our plan to harness the power of tourism, including Halloween, in a proactive way that benefits our businesses and residents.
reduce traffic backups
We’ve all been stuck at endless red lights in Sleepy Hollow. As the Village grows, we must change our current traffic control systems. We’ll press the New York State DOT to accelerate plans for a smoother ride along Route 9 using short-term highway work permits and interim solutions until funding for wholesale reconstruction can be secured. We’ll go as far as eliminating traffic signals and replacing them with stop signs on Village streets where we know they cause speeding, traffic and major backups. Some intersections might warrant a new signal. We’ll explore whatever it takes to get Sleepy Hollow moving.
FILL VACANT STOREFRONTS
We all want our Downtown business district to thrive. Vacant storefronts drag all local businesses down. For years, we’ve had a party in power that doesn’t believe they have a responsibility to improve the local economy and revitalize downtown. We need to turn this ship around through tried and true economic development measures. We’ll follow other Villages’ success and implement rules that prevent landlords from speculating on property markets and keeping ground floor retail spaces empty. Key buildings like The Strand and the Van Tassel can be major contributors to our local economy if they were full of small businesses. We will work with brokers and landlords to renovate and fill empty spaces as quickly as possible and cut red tape to make it easier to open a business downtown. We’ll use NYS grant funds to assist with storefront and facade improvements to help these new local businesses to succeed.
boost the local economy
We all want a thriving downtown for residents and visitors alike. It’s time we compete with the other Rivertowns. We will support small businesses looking to fill long-vacant storefronts and revitalize Beekman Avenue. We will work with government and business partners to improve historic building facades, walkability, parking, traffic flow and signage, and visitor services. We can turn seasonal challenges into economic opportunities while also making Sleepy Hollow work well for our residents. We’ll ask our Local Development Corporation to focus as much on our Downtown as they do on redevelopment of the East Parcel and the future DPW building. We’ll achieve these goals and more by launching a village task force dedicated to driving smart, inclusive economic growth and promoting Sleepy Hollow as a Rivertown destination. The Task Force will work with Spanish-speaking business owners to help them boost revenue during tourism season and collaborate within the broader business community. The Task Force will coordinate with the Chamber of Commerce, government, and various Village committees to plan for and implement time-tested solutions that support the local economy.
keep sleepy hollow beautiful
We’re proud of our new and future parks in Sleepy Hollow. We have unmatched public spaces and greenspace that must remain beautiful and thriving. First and foremost, we’ll hire more seasonal parks workers to support an army of volunteers (thank you all!) to stay on top of the weed epidemic, which is choking out native plants worth millions of dollars. We’ll finally launch the ‘Friends of Sleepy Hollow,’ a new non-profit dedicated to helping raise philanthropic support to keep our parks and public spaces beautiful affordably. We’ll continue to advocate for improved access to Rockefeller State Park and the Old Croton Aqueduct. We won’t undertake new projects that cannot be maintained in the long-term. Our waterfront and parks should be the envy of all the Rivertowns.