Port Jervis advances Jersey Avenue streetscape planning, declares SEQRA lead agency

Port Jervis officials moved forward on planning for a Jersey Avenue streetscape enhancement, approving a measure to solicit proposals for design, engineering and construction management services and declaring the city lead agency under the New York State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA).

Mayor Doddy Sealyce told the council the city had been notified by state officials that Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) projects could be delayed ‘‘one to two years.’’ He said the city communicated that the proposed delay was "unacceptable" and urged the council to keep the project on an accelerated schedule. The council then authorized the Port Jervis Community Development Agency executive director to issue an RFP for the Jersey Avenue project, which aims to improve accessibility, traffic calming, pedestrian accommodations and street lighting from Fowler Street to Cole Street.

The resolution names the CDA director as the certifying officer and principal point of contact for the grant and instructs appropriate officials to execute documents necessary to continue the DRI grant process. The council also preliminarily classified the action as an "unlisted" action under SEQRA and declared the city lead agency to undertake a coordinated environmental review; members approved the declaration on a voice vote.

Council discussion laid out a tentative schedule that, if proposals and permits proceed on the council's accelerated timeline, would allow DPW site work to begin in spring with construction to follow. City officials asked the CDA to report back to the council with RFP submission results and to notify involved agencies as part of the SEQRA process.

Next steps: the CDA will issue the RFP and return to council with proposal responses and SEQRA documentation; the council authorized staff to proceed with notifications to involved agencies.