The Sleepy Hollow Commons project will receive $2 million from New York State through the Regional Economic Development Council (REDC) initiative, announced as part of a $26 million funding round for priority projects across the state.
The project is intended to transform the nearly 30-acre parcel of land at the former General Motors site on the Hudson River waterfront in the village into a more vibrant public space. The parcel is bordered by the Metro-North Hudson Line tracks to the east, Beekman Avenue to the south and the Pocantico River to the north.
A critical component of the project would be linking “isolated community assets,” according to the REDC, through connections of pedestrian and vehicular pathways and roads.
Redevelopment is being spearheaded by the Sleepy Hollow Local Development Corporation, which was formed in 2014 with the initial purpose of accepting the title to the parcel property transferred from General Motors.
The project was first recommended for state funding by the Mid-Hudson Regional Economic Development Council in 2018, when it recommended the state contribute $2.5 million out of the $15 million cost.
The planned improvements feature new walking and cycling paths, recreational amenities like sports fields, a new amphitheater and performance space, a new Department of Public Works facility, green infrastructure, shoreline restoration and stormwater upgrades.
The new Commons improvements will connect the 30-acre area to Kingsland Point Park, DeVries Park, Barnhart Park, the Philipsburg Manor historic site and the Philipse Manor train station.
The old GM viaduct will be torn down to make way for a new road providing a second access point to the Commons from Beekman Avenue.
A new Sleepy Hollow Ambulance Corps facility may also be developed on the site.
According to the REDC, this current phase of the project will include the creation of a new vehicular and pedestrian bridge connecting the parcel to waterfront development, along with “improving access to public transit, fostering accessible job centers, and enabling critical services to respond ably during storm events.”
