15. replace the village hall lot with downtown-type development
Re-zone and subdivide the Village Hall lot and the pit behind Village Hall to high density, mixed use downtown-like zoning.
Hire an architect to design the buildings to be built on the former Village Hall property, (keeping a small fire station on-site), and make the projects shovel-ready by having the Village Board work with the Planning Board to get all necessary approvals. That way, a builder has simply to buy the right to build this pre-approved building.
100 Ideas for New Paltz 
YES. This seems like it would solve about 50 problems in one. Add some good green housing and affordable business spaces that are not ugly (I’d like one cheap commercial kitchen please! Retail space not necessary!), maybe even a grocery store—not a supermarket, a grocery store—and you’ve got yourself a real liveable downtown. Cute and well-done and dense and better for the environment and affordable and everyone will whine and bitch but it’s for the best and it’s what we need in order to preserve open space and, well, everything we love about NP.
Lagusta this would make me happy http://discoveringurbanism.blogspot.com/2010/06/garden-block-proposal.html–
and it could include village hall.
the cliff could make for a very interesting design
perhaps a waterfall in front of a building with underground parking
new paltz should work something out with our Lloydian neighbor Ray Constantino so the plan includes the entire property.
and please don’t move the DPW to the sewage treatment plant
Jason I looked this list over years ago and remember liking most of what was on it very much and want to work hard with others to put these innovative green infrastructure initiatives into practice in New Paltz.
rachel
YES. This seems like it would solve about 50 problems in one. Add some good green housing and affordable business spaces that are not ugly (I’d like one cheap commercial kitchen please! Retail space not necessary!), maybe even a grocery store—not a supermarket, a grocery store—and you’ve got yourself a real liveable downtown. Cute and well-done and dense and better for the environment and affordable and everyone will whine and bitch but it’s for the best and it’s what we need in order to preserve open space and, well, everything we love about NP.
Like this!
Even though many are not Village residents, I think it would be a good idea to discuss options with current Village business owners. They really know and understand the day to day traffic (car, foot, bike) of the Village. Plus I think the planning stages of a project like this would go a lot smoother if they are asked to be involved – valuing their experience and opinions.