Daylighting the Saw Mill River in Yonkers
History: In 1917, a subterranean flume was constructed in Yonkers beginning at “Chicken Island”—a municipal parking lot off Getty Square—with the final phase in Larkin Plaza completed in 1922, banishing the Saw Mill River from the light for a half-mile underneath Getty Square, North Broadway and Larkin Plaza. After going through the flume, the Saw Mill River empties unceremoniously into the Hudson River immediately north of the Yonkers Recreation Pier.
The Saw Mill River Being Covered
Drawings, maps and graphics showing the historical flow of the Saw Mill River and the construction of the flume will be coming soon to this website.
Map of the Village of Yonkers, 1851
Current Project Description: Bringing back daylight to the river—hence the term “daylighting”—has been proposed as part of a large re-development effort underway in downtown Yonkers. The plans call for reopening the river where it skirts Chicken Island and incorporating it into the designs for a proposed “Riverwalk” (as part of River Park Center), as well as opening the river at Larkin Plaza. Check out the Struever Fidelco Cappelli website for the most recent design work: sfcyonkers.com.
Coalition Role: Coalition staff reviews and attends meetings related to the development. A working task group is being developed that will begin looking at the ways the river will connect to cultural, historical, environmental, art, and recreational elements. To become part of the Daylighting Task Group, send an email to: annmarie@groundworkhv.org with your name, email, telephone.
Other background information: Brown Bag Meetings
Groundwork Yonkers and Scenic Hudson held three brown bag meetings in August 2005 with a targeted cross section of 40 members from the community to learn of their ideas for the daylighting of the Saw Mill River. These meetings represent the beginning of the public input process, with additional opportunities for public input in the near future. Based upon the comments from these three meetings, the general feeling is that the Saw Mill River daylighting project can have positive social, economic, cultural and environmental impacts for Yonkers and its citizens, and the Saw Mill River. Additionally, many see this project, along with other developments along the Hudson River waterfront, as a way of making downtown Yonkers a destination not only for the residents of Yonkers, but also for people from surrounding areas, both day and night. A recurring request was that all development in the downtown/riverfront area of Yonkers be planned as a segment of a broader whole, so as to maximize the benefits to residents and visitors alike.
Informational Articles about Daylighting in General:
“Giving New Life to Streams: Tales from Two Towns,” from The National Park Service Rivers & Trails Program website: http://www.nps.gov/rtca.
“Daylighting: New Life for Buried Streams,” Richard Pinkham, Rocky Mountain Institute 2000.