Realtor and Rail Trail Expert Explains How Redevelopment Around Trails Can Benefit Communities

POUGHKEEPSIE—More than 60 people attended a presentation on December 15 that offered suggestions for redeveloping and repurposing properties near the Walkway State Historic Site to enhance recreational opportunities and boost local economies.

Entitled "Maximizing the Economic Potential of the Walkway: Gateways and Beyond," the presentation was hosted by Walkway as Gateway to Success, a consortium of public and private stakeholders working to generate economic development and jobs in a manner that will build on the environmental and recreational assets surrounding the Walkway, and provide safe, enjoyable connections to the commercial and residential centers of surrounding communities. Scenic Hudson's role as coordinator of the initiative is supported by a grant from the Dyson Foundation.

Keynote speaker shows how trails can boost economic opportunities

The keynote speaker at the presentation, held at Marist College's historic Cornell Boathouse, was Craig Della Penna, a realtor based in Northampton, Mass., who specializes in selling properties near rail trails. He formerly worked with the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, America's leading group dedicated to creating rail trails that promote health and economic prosperity.

Mr. Della Penna explained how trails benefit communities and provided several successful examples of municipalities that used trails to foster economic development. He also discussed how through his work as a rail trail advocate he personally discovered the enormous economic opportunities available from historic buildings located along and near trails. In addition to his realty business, Mr. Della Penna owns an art gallery and bed and breakfast adjacent to the Norwottuck Rail Trail.

Social media critical to promoting economic development around Walkway

Mr. Della Penna strongly recommended using social media to promote economic development near the Walkway. He said it is a highly efficient tool not only for connecting the many groups engaged in capitalizing on the park's success to spur downtown revitalization but also for realtors looking to sell buildings near it. He advised realtors to market their local properties in metropolitan areas like Brooklyn, where people are eager to leave the city for smaller, walkable communities with comparable housing stock. Finally, he said attracting government support for redevelopment projects is critical. "Public expenditures leverage private investment, and that's the best way to resurrect these old industrial centers," he remarked. Mr. Della Penna's slide presentation is available for download at this link (PDF, 8MB).

"The Chamber is committed to helping develop and promote the communities surrounding the Walkway Over the Hudson, and we are happy to be partnering with our friends from Scenic Hudson, Walkway and the City of Poughkeepsie in these efforts," said Charles S. North, president and CEO of the Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce. "Our resources, including relationships with SCORE and the Small Business Administration, are available to help emerging businesses take advantage of this tourism magnet located right in the heart of the beautiful Hudson River Valley."

"It was extremely encouraging to hear Craig Della Penna describe so many success stories of how trails helped stimulate the redevelopment of nearby buildings that weren't living up to their economic potential. Craig showed that Walkway as Gateway to Success is on the right track in promoting the reuse of properties around the Walkway in a way that will support and even enhance the park's popularity, in turn spurring the ongoing revitalization of downtown Poughkeepsie and Highland. Scenic Hudson thanks the Dyson Foundation for supporting this great collaborative initiative," said Jeffrey Anzevino, Scenic Hudson's director of Land Use Advocacy.

"Walkway is bringing tens of thousands of new people to Poughkeepsie and Highland, visiting our communities for the first time. We are committed to working with our partners in the region to continue to build upon the remarkable momentum established by the Walkway. The Gateway committee's work is an important part of the process to harness that momentum and develop new synergies so the entire region can benefit," said Elizabeth Waldstein-Hart, executive director of Walkway Over the Hudson.

"In Highland we have a former lumberyard and coal yard and other vacant properties along the Hudson Valley Rail Trail. Thousands of people now are walking and biking past these properties. It's just a matter of time before an entrepreneur is going to realize that these buildings can be redeveloped to provide visitors with food and drink and bike rentals," said Vivian Wadlin of the Greater Highland Economic Development Committee.

Group creating plan to build upon Walkway's success

Walkway as Gateway to Success evolved out of a meeting convened last May by Scenic Hudson, Walkway Over the Hudson and the Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce with leaders representing 30 public and private stakeholders. Its goal is to build upon the Walkway's success by connecting Walkway visitors to additional attractions in surrounding communities and ensuring that nearby neighborhoods and business districts maximize opportunities for the economic revitalization the Walkway is spurring.

With the Dyson Foundation's support, the stakeholders soon will be working with the City of Poughkeepsie and Town of Lloyd to amend zoning codes so they will attract businesses that enhance the enjoyment of visitors to the Walkway and Hudson Valley Rail Trail, in turn stimulating local economies. The group also plans to develop other strategies to draw the hundreds of thousands of annual Walkway visitors to surrounding business districts and cultural attractions in Highland and Poughkeepsie. In addition it will conduct an inventory of underutilized properties around the Walkway and rail trail so they can be actively marketed to investors interested in capitalizing on these opportunities.

In Dutchess and Ulster counties, tourists spend a combined $963 million annually, sustaining nearly 18,000 jobs.

Scenic Hudson works to protect and restore the Hudson River and its majestic landscape as an irreplaceable national treasure and a vital resource for residents and visitors. A crusader for the valley since 1963, we are credited with saving fabled Storm King Mountain from a destructive industrial project and launching the modern grass-roots environmental movement. Today with more than 25,000 ardent supporters, we are the largest environmental group focused on the Hudson River Valley. Our team of experts combines land acquisition, support for agriculture, citizen-based advocacy and sophisticated planning tools to create environmentally healthy communities, champion smart economic growth, open up riverfronts to the public and preserve the valley's inspiring beauty and natural resources. To date Scenic Hudson has created or enhanced more than 50 parks, preserves and historic sites up and down the Hudson River and conserved more than 30,000 acres.

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