After conducting a site walk Saturday at Rye Nature Center, Rye’s Planning Commission will discuss the proposed construction of a new driveway leading into the park at Tuesday night’s meeting.
Christine Siller, executive director of the Friends of Rye Nature Center, first presented the privately funded project to the commission at its June 23 meeting. Now, the board chaired by Nick Everett will begin providing suggestions and feedback before construction can begin at the 47-acre, city-owned property.
The commission is set to meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Locust Avenue Fire House.
The proposed driveway would begin in an existing, unpaved parking lot off Boston Post Road, located about 500 feet south of the current park entrance. Rye Nature Center said it expects construction to begin in late 2026 or early 2027.
When requesting that Rye’s City Council serve as the project’s lead agency under SEQRA (the State Environmental Quality Review Act), Siller said the Friends of Rye Nature Center has approximately $900,000 to design, permit, and construct the new park entrance.
Construction of the driveway would require the removal of 42 protected trees, which means the application triggers a formal Planning Commission review and City Council restoration.
“It’s true, we’re about to take down 42 trees,” Siller told the City Council, “but at least 60 new trees, along with a lot of shrubs, will be planted in their place. The permit requirements only say we need to replant 44, so we’re going above and beyond there.”
Tree replacement was a major topic of discussion during Siller’s first presentation to the Planning Commission on June 23, as Everett and others inquired about which tree species would be removed and planted as replacements. Although Rye Nature Center laid out specific details in its proposal, Siller said the organization would be flexible based on Planning Commission suggestions.
According to the project’s executive summary, prepared by engineering consultant Barton & Loguidice, the main purpose of the new driveway is to: “Provide improved access from Boston Post Road to the Rye Nature Center; resolve vehicle weight restrictions and the narrow driveway width associated with the historic bridge over the Blind Brook; and enhance long-term driveway operations, including vehicle access from Boston Post Road.”
Barton & Loguidice’s summary says the existing driveway has an average width of 15 feet, narrowing to roughly 12 feet at the bridge over Blind Brook, which “is in poor condition and carries a weight restriction of 5 tons.” The new proposed road would be 18 feet wide, with 2 feet of unpaved shoulders, allowing the speed limit to increase from 15 to 20 mph.
Siller said the need for a better entrance into the park has been a topic of conversation since 2006, when the Department of Transportation implemented a weight limit on the bridge.
The new proposed driveway realignment is located partially within a floodplain but is designed to avoid direct impacts to the channel and to maintain existing flood conveyance. The project objectives include demonstrating zero or less net rise in the 100-year base flood elevation, in accordance with applicable local and FEMA floodplain management requirements.
At the end of the proposed driveway, Rye Nature Center envisions a new, 4,500-square-foot Visitor and Education Center with a surrounding courtyard, garden, and patio.
The new facility will enable full-day and simultaneous programs for multiple group types, add restrooms and community-gathering spaces, and manage safe vehicle and pedestrian access via the new entry driveway.
While funding for the proposed driveway has already been secured, Rye Nature Center aims to cover a bulk of the $5.9 million cost of the visitors center through naming opportunities, with building exterior naming rights priced at $2 million, visitor center naming rights priced at $1 million, and other labs, gardens, and offices priced at $500,000.
