5 Fallkill Pl, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601

Walkway-Gateway District

The City of Poughkeepsie hereby establishes the Walkway-Gateway District W-G, as further described in Subsection 2 below. The area encompassed by the W-G District, most of which developed around the Poughkeepsie-Highland Railroad Bridge in the 19th Century, attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year to Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park and serves as a gateway for both residents and visitors. The purpose of the Walkway-Gateway W-G District is to revitalize this mixed industrial and residential area of the City so that it becomes a vibrant and attractive walkable mixed-use neighborhood where people will want to live, shop and invest. An additional purpose of this District is to encourage visitors to the Walkway and the Dutchess Rail-Trail to visit surrounding areas, before or after their visit, in order to help revitalize the neighborhood. Specifically, the intent of the District is to: Enhance the quality of the City's built environment and promote site layout and architectural design that is compatible with the historic character of the community and the national prominence of the Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park.; Provide for the safety and comfort of pedestrians through an interconnected network of sidewalks and trails so that work, shopping, schools, and recreation will be within walking distance of each other, allowing independence to those who do not drive.; Provide an interconnected network of streets, bicycle routes, and bicycle lanes to disperse traffic so that the City's vehicular system will be easy to navigate for both bicyclists and drivers.; Promote the development of new residential and mixed uses at densities sufficient to encourage public transit use for residents and visitors.; Strengthen the economic base of the City by providing expanded opportunities for residential and commercial mixed-use development, removing barriers to adaptive reuse of former industrial buildings, facilitating remediation of distressed properties, and encouraging the use of open and vacant lands for community gardens and landscaping.