The Rye City Council gave the green light Wednesday for Rye Nature Center to move forward with its proposed driveway project on Boston Post Road, adopting a SEQRA negative declaration and determining the project is consistent with the city’s Local Waterfront Revitalization Program.
The proposed driveway is part of the nature center’s planned improvements, which will also include a visitors center project. As part of its environmental review, the council determined the driveway project would not have a significant adverse environmental impact.
“Now that you’ve issued your negative declaration, we’ll move to 100% design,” said Christine Siller, executive director of the Friends of Rye Nature Center.
In June, the Friends of Rye Nature Center submitted plans for a new access drive approximately 500 feet south of the existing driveway. The City Council referred the project to the Planning Commission for advisory review.
The Planning Commission provided comments to the City Council in August. The Conservation Commission/Advisory Council also provided comments, which were addressed by the nature center’s project engineer.
Siller said she expects driveway bids to go out by mid-November, along with the Riparian Project, another nature center initiative aimed at restoring the Blind Brook.
“We plan to put both the Riparian and the driveway out to bid together to have the same contractor oversee the work for those projects because they are so tied closely together,” Siller said.
Friends of Rye Nature Center has secured approximately $900,000 in funding to design, permit, and construct the new park entrance.
Tree removal is expected to begin after Jan. 1, 2027, with driveway construction to follow. The projects are expected to continue through spring and summer 2027.
