PHILIPSTOWN RECREATION MASTER PLAN

COLDSPRING, NY

The Town asked us to prepare a Master Plan for Parks and Recreation on two sites, Glenclyffe and the Town Philipstown Park. The intent of the Plan was to provide a 30-year vision plan that would be harmonious with the land preservation goals set out for the sites and developed in response to Town recreation needs.

GLENCLYFFE SITE
The site was developed with public access and activity in mind. A new entry drive provides dedicated access to the site, passing a turf plateau containing sports and practice fields. Road and parking for 106-cars will be made with pervious pavers to provide infiltration of stormwater.

A vehicular drop-off is provided adjacent to the parking lot. A covered entrance links the drop-off to the building entrance A pedestrian walkway links the Community Center to the fields, kept separate from the vehicular pathways.

The entry plaza was located between existing Community Center building and a newly developed wing containing a theater and dance studios. It provides a pleasant space for adult gathering and supervised child play. Plaza orientation (south) allows for optimal sun exposure for the exterior space and an energy efficient façade design allows for warm light to enter the building during the winter season and blocks direct sunlight to reduce heat gain by using a sun screen on the south facade.

Renovations and additions to the Community Center will increase program services, accommodate new programs, and make the building operate more healthfully, safely, comfortably, and efficiently. Renovations to the fields will improve soils, drainage, and turf. A new comfort station and equipment shed will serve the fields.

The overall design approach aims to provide a well-functioning community center that brings the building up to contemporary standards of building safety and accessibility within a “green” high performance building and site to support the objectives of responsible environmental stewardship and efficient operation. The design of the renovated and expanded Community Center building emerges from the need for a center of community activity that serves as a Town focal point. The proposed Community Center building creates an appealing physical form with light and lift.

PHILIPSTOWN PARK
The Master Plan for the Town Park site consists of seventeen major work elements which would enhance existing recreational facilities and provide some new features. The general intent is to retain the site’s diverse “active” and “passive” personalities by concentrating sports-based features in the already developed parts of the site while retaining the forests and woodlands in their natural state. Parking is expanded. Fields are arranged for team sports, with adjusted slopes, orientations, irrigation, and appropriate turf. Scenic easements, wetlands, and other land use restrictions are respected.

A centrally located Pavilion structure is proposed within the Park’s cleared area. The Pavilion is arranged in a linear form with a narrow footprint to limit its impact on the surrounding landscape. With open, sheltered spaces and a form that inflects the natural landscape, it provides good views to the improved fields and new play areas and provides a relaxing area away from the activity fields. Services include a food concession, administration, nurse’s station, equipment storage, toilets, and utilities.

Completed: 2015
Cost: $22 Million