Riverstowns Youth to Unveil Own Redesigns for Dobbs Ferry Gateway

Local youth will try to accomplish what several years of planning sessions, development proposals and public hearings have yet to yield: a vision for Dobbs Ferry’s “Gateway” that everyone can get behind.

The Gateway, the major intersection in Dobbs Ferry where Broadway, Cedar Street, and Ashford Avenue all meet, recently became the home of a Walgreens over the summer, however, still leaves plenty of opportunity for development. Young planners will take a stab at that opportunity with a public presentation, including inspect models of their designs, on Wednesday, Dec. 18 at 4:15 p.m.

The presentation is the culmination of the two-month workshop, “A Beautiful Rivertown: Community Planning for Kids,” which was offered by ArchForKids at Curious-on-Hudson. With the challenge to propose some kid-friendly improvements for Dobbs Ferry, participants completed a neighborhood investigation, interviewed village officials, drew their plans to scale, and constructed 3-D models of their design. 

Throughout the eight-week course, they learned the basic principles behind urban planning and zoning regulations. Dobbs Ferry resident Karen Orloff and Janny Gedeon, ArchForKids co-founders and design facilitators, taught the workship, which was for youth between the ages of 10 to 14.

"We love to see the ArchforKids students busy at work; discussing plans, sharing and advocating for their ideas, and using their hands and minds to build their projects by working together,” Falco said. “It's exactly the type of learning we strive to offer at Curious-on-Hudson.”

Curious-on-Hudson, located at 145 Palisades Street, offers crowd-sourced education with the mission to make connections within the community that will enhance, educate and inform. For class offerings and other information, go to www.curiousonhudson.com.

ArchForKids provides engaging, hands-on learning experiences grounded in architecture, engineering, urban planning and design. Programming ranges from afterschool and camp studios, building parties and school residencies aligned with the common core standards. For more information, go to www.archforkids.com.