Greenway Area
Today, the Greenway Area includes 324 eligible municipalities in 14 counties throughout the Hudson Valley.
The Greenway Area includes both riverside communities (those with physical access to the Hudson River) and countryside communities (those without physical access to the Hudson River) in the following 14 counties: Albany, Bronx, Columbia, Dutchess, Greene, New York, Orange, Putnam, Rensselaer, Rockland, Saratoga, Ulster, Washington, Westchester.
Eligibility and Participation
All communities within the Greenway Area (with the exception of Greene County communities within the Catskill Park) are eligible to participate in the Greenway. However, the Hudson River Valley Greenway respects New York State's tradition of municipal home rule and gives all eligible communities the option of whether or not to participate in the Greenway and take advantage of funding and free technical assistance.
If an eligible community wishes to participate in the Greenway, they must pass a resolution indicating their interest in becoming a designated Greenway Community. Once the resolution is received by the Greenway and approved by the Board, the municipality is identified as a "Greenway Community" and is eligible for grant funding and free technical assistance. Should a community later wish to leave the Greenway, a similar resolution would allow the community to remove themselves without penalty.
Currently, 285 of the 324 communities within the Hudson River Valley Greenway Area have passed resolutions in support of designation as Greenway Communities.
Changes to the Greenway Area
Original 1991 Greenway legislation included 12 counties (263 municipalities). While Saratoga and Washington Counties were excluded, the legislation recommended future inclusion in the Greenway Area. Additionally, the entire Catskill Park area in both Greene and Ulster counties was excluded.
Since 1991, the success of the Greenway program has resulted in requests by other areas to become eligible.
All changes to the Greenway Area have come from the municipalities themselves requesting the expansion and lobbying on its behalf.
Changes to the 1991 Legislation are as follows:
- 2006: Ulster County portion of the Catskill Park becomes eligible (+6 municipalities)
- 2007: Saratoga County becomes eligible (+28 municipalities)
- 2008: Washington County becomes eligible (+27 municipalities)