Sen. Schumer Fights to Make Waterfront Peekskill’s ‘Crown Jewel’

United States Senator Charles Schumer had plenty of compliments for the City of Peekskill at a press conference where he called on the Army Corps of Engineers to approve the city’s master waterfront redevelopment plans Wednesday afternoon. Standing in front of the Hudson River on a beautiful spring day, Schumer noted that  “Peekskill is becoming a destination city for the whole region,” and said even more can be done.

“The waterfront development could become the crown jewel of the city,” Sen. Schumer said. “The city has a well-crafted and transformative plan for its waterfront that will drive recreational and economic activity to the Hudson River and create dozens of construction jobs in the coming year,” Schumer said.

The city staff has been constructing the south waterfront master plan for several years and submitted it to the Department of Environmental Conservation and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) for approval several weeks ago. The five to eight million-dollar plan to construct a boardwalk, riverfront park trails and river access, will be funded through Department of State and Empire Development grants already awarded to the city.

Schumer held the press conference to urge the USACE to expedite the permit the city needs. If the permit is not finalized quickly, the city’s timeline could be pushed back a year as local officials require permits by early summer in time to make contractor bids before construction season begins in late summer or early fall.

“The Army Corps is not saying no, but my job is to take projects important in my state and put them right up front,” Schumer said.

The improvements will stem from the southern Peekskill waterfront at the train station to the border of Buchanan. The USACE needs to approve the plans because they include infrastructure improvements including retaining walls, sewage lines and additional erosion prevention.

Once the waterfront becomes more widely used for recreation, commerce grows around it, Schumer said. “This enhances Peekskill’s reputation as a Center for the Arts,” Schumer said. The senator also mentioned the expansion plans as an indicator of economic success in the city. He also noted the city’s municipal, for which he appropriated federal funds.

“Peekskill is on the move. This is a crowning jewel and we cannot let the bureaucracy hold it up,” Schumer said.

Read more about the waterfront plan and see a map of the plan in the PDFs attached. Below is a copy of Sen. Schumer’s letter to USACE’s Major General Merdith W. B. Temple:

Dear Major General Merdith W.B. Temple:

I write to you today regarding the urgent need to approve the permit for the Southern Waterfront Park and Trail in Peekskill, New York. The City of Peekskill is working with your agency on an application for shoreline stabilization and infrastructure improvements and I urge you to act quickly to approve their request.

The waterfront redevelopment plan put forth by the city promotes recreational activity and community development along the shores of the Hudson River. Currently, two parts of the multi-phased plan are seeking approval. The Riverfront Green South section seeks infrastructure improvements for shoreline stabilization, recreational path construction, and the development of other park features. The Travis Cove segment calls for the construction of a boat launch and boardwalk to connect Travis Point to Charles Point Pier Park. It is of great importance that the permits for these projects are granted expeditiously in order to ensure that work can begin during the limited New York construction season.

Peekskill’s waterfront is a vital part of the city’s heritage and it’s development offers a unique opportunity to reconnect the community to the banks of the Hudson River. I thank you for your attention to this request and reiterate my call for you to work with the local community to quickly approve their permit request.