The site has a long history as an industrial working waterfront. From the Hudson River Steam Sugar Refinery in 1849, to the Hastings Pavement Company, to the American Brass Company, to the more recent additions of BP, Exxon/Mobil, and Uhlich Color Company, many industries have occupied the waterfront in Hastings. Perhaps most notably, this site was home to the National Conduit and Cable Company / Anaconda Wire and Cable Company, which manufactured a variety of wire and cable on the site until 1976.

Though all of the site’s buildings have been removed, the site’s industrial uses are still an important component of its history, its narrative, and its current clean-up efforts as a New York State Superfund site.

Our approach seeks to re-connect the Village with its riverfront and to increase the presence of water and native habitats on the site as a resilient, character-defining component of the site and its design. Though certainly not exhaustive, we believe this study outlines a number of key strategies and approaches to redeveloping the Hastings-on-Hudson Waterfront that will catalyze its particular environmental and resilience challenges into opportunities to:

1. Build smarter in a flood prone area, developing resilient design strategies that can flexibly respond to long-term climate change and the potential resultant elevated tidal levels;
2. Return the site to its native ecology, developing natural landscapes and other passive flood mitigation strategies in lieu of more structured solutions, minimizing some of the longer-term costs associated with constructed bulkheads and other physical fortifications;
3. Maximize the amount of and access to public open space;
4. Maximize the number and quality of connective corridors between the Village and the Waterfront.; and,
5. Harness the introduction of new housing and other private development to frame, activate, and enhance public space on the site, resulting in a thriving addition to the Village.

Comprised of systems of ecological landscapes, piers, and elevated housing clusters, the design creates a practical solution that can adapt to rising sea levels and groundwater tables while maintaining its intended ecological and recreational functions, protect its residents against storm events, and create a strong architectural identity and a unique sense of place within its coastal riverfront context. The design catalyzes Resilience, Sustainability, Marketability, and Contextual Sensitivity to create a vibrant community, living better at the water’s edge.

The design envisions the Wharf as a vibrant mixed-use district, a connection between the existing Village Downtown area and the Waterfront, and a series of flexible, human-scaled urban spaces that support a variety of formal and informal programs and uses, ranging from farmers markets and village fairs to weekend concerts and evening beer gardens. The design echoes the scale and rooflines of the site’s former industrial buildings, while also responding to the programmatic and environmental needs of buildings built for the 21st century.

With its proximity to both the existing MetroNorth commuter rail and potential new ferry service, the Wharf will become a welcoming front door and destination for Villagers and visitors alike.

The Wetlands is conceived as an ecological neighborhood that utilizes the investments of new development to maximize the return of natural wetland habitat to this riverfront site, creating an interesting mix of urban living and natural environment. The design of the Wetlands embraces the potential of rising tidal levels, creating an inventive way to build and live at the water’s edge that is respectful of the site’s ecology and echoes many typologies of waterfront villages both historic and contemporary by creating an elevated level of public walkways that will foster interaction between neighbors and provide a resilient path to the adjacent high ground during storm surges and temporary floods, as well as in the event that rising tides permanently elevate the overall levels of the river onto the site.