More than 130 residents packed the Locust Avenue Firehouse on Wednesday, Oct. 14, for Rye's first comprehensive planning workshop since 1985.

The crowd was so large that organizers moved the event from the Rye Free Reading Room to the firehouse, as first reported by the Rye Record. Former mayors, city councilmembers and residents filled the space to weigh in on the city's future.

Inside, stations covered housing, business vitality, transportation, flooding, recreation, history, culture and education. Consultants staffed each one, fielding questions while residents posted their thoughts on sticky notes. Every board was full by night's end.

Improved sidewalks and walkability drew the most votes among transportation priorities. At another station, attendees identified housing types they believed were missing from Rye and marked where they wanted to see them built. Responses at a third station ranged from flooding concerns to ideas for keeping families in Rye after their children graduate.

Peter Feroe, senior vice president at AKRF, the lead planning consultant, framed the challenge in numbers. More than half of Rye's land is used for housing, 30 percent goes to open space and recreation, and 11 percent supports public facilities and utilities.

"If you do the math correctly, that's 8 percent for everything else," Feroe said. "That's just a fact of life … that's the context in which we need to plan."

Feroe said the update stems partly from New York state recommendations and the city's responsibility to plan for future generations. He told attendees not to expect a drawn-out timeline, adding that sustainability would be woven into every topic rather than treated as a standalone issue.

Meighan Corbett, who moved into her Rye home nearly 41 years ago around the time the current plan was adopted, said the workshop was a chance to identify what the city can do better, set priorities and act on them.

The workshop also introduced the 15-member Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee. Mayor Josh Nathan said the committee acts as the community's representative in the process.

Victoria McMahon, a steering committee member and real estate agent with Houlihan Lawrence, moved to New York City from Ireland before settling in Rye in 2021. She said she was drawn to the community's similarities to her home village in Dublin.

Consulting firms Barton & Loguidice and Olin Studio joined AKRF at the workshop and will contribute throughout the planning process.

Ahead of the event, City Manager Brian Shea urged residents to get involved. "You do not need to be an expert in planning or land use," Shea said in a Sept. 30 Rye Record article. "If you live in Rye and care about the future of your community, we want you to be part of the conversation."

Nathan said residents will have more chances to provide input as the process continues. An online survey replicating the workshop questions is available on the city's comprehensive plan website, where residents can also sign up for email updates.