An artist’s conception of what the intersection of Route 4 and Route 22 could look like in the first draft of a revitalization plan prepared for the Village of Whitehall, by the engineering firm Chazen Companies. A traffic circle and monument dedicated to the founding of the U.S. Navy is envisioned. (Click image to see larger version.)
The Whitehall Village Board has posted on their website the first draft of a comprehensive revitalization plan. The plan tries to document the challenges that Whitehall faces, and the type of place Whitehall could be in 5 to 10 years, if the proposed changes take place.
By having a plan in place, the Village of Whitehall is in a better position to apply for grants to help it implement its objectives. The central questions facing Whitehall and its decline remain however. Why are businesses not coming to Whitehall? Why are school taxes so high and why have savings brought about by plummeting enrollment not been passed on to the taxpayers of the district? Why don’t the leaders of Whitehall see there is a direct correlation between the Village of Whitehall having the highest local tax rate in the county (not even considering the school taxes) and the decline the Village has experienced? Are the school district’s gross revenues outpacing its gross expenditures by roughly a million dollars per year having an effect on what people can spend on other things?
The plan does hope to capitalize on the almost 10,000 vehicles per day that pass through Whitehall on Routes 4 and 22. To begin, it envisions a roundabout or traffic circle at the intersection of Routes 4 and 22 with a monument dedicated to the founding of the U.S Navy which occurred in Whitehall.
It also envisions a pedestrian footbridge over the train tracks somewhere near the present Amtrak station which would connect Broadway (along Route 22) and Main street. This would allow residents to access the downtown park and businesses located on Main street without walking to opposite ends of Broadway to enter the historic downtown area.
There will be a public hearing about the plan on April 6, 2020.