Commuting from Briarcliff Manor or other areas outside train line (Ossining: sales, daycare)

[Scott99999]

Hello,

My wife and I have been searching for appropriate places in the metro area in which we can: 1) split our commutes (she works in Rockland and I'm in NYC) and find a quaint town with trees, historic houses and some land. We're looking in the $650k and under bracket, but we're not looking for a big house...just something we can grow into.

For towns like Briarcliff Manor, how do people handle the commute? A non-resident parking pass at Tarrytown (I assume these are hard to get)? Buses? Driving only? Dropped off by their spouse?

Any suggestions for areas? We've also looked in Bergen and Essex counties in NJ, but to be frank, it's just too congested for our tastes and the commute through Secaucus tends to suck. Rockland suffers the same commuting issues.

THANKS!

[bmwguydc]

Briarcliff Manor has its own parking at the Scarborough station, but it's a very small lot, comparatively, and even as a village resident there is generally a waiting list for a spot.

You can drive to the Croton-Harmon station which tends to have a shorter wait for a permit and generally has daily parking available as well. Ossining has parking administered by Allright, not the the town, and has some daily parking as well, but I am not sure if it is easy to get a meter at Ossining.

Here's a link to the lots managed by Allright: http://www.allrightparking.net/

[mfenimore]

There is no waiting list for the train station for Briarcliff. I live there. They now have free valet parking(free with permit). They needed to do this due to the fact that they are doing construction on the train station so the lot would fill up by 7:30 otherwise. It actually works very well. I have never had a problem parking since they have had this. There is also a daily pay lot(about $6) for non residents. The station does not get as conjested as some of the other bigger lots which is a plus for leaving at night.

Unfortunately you may not get too much for under $650k, depends what you are looking for/how big. Although the market has softened a bit. You can get something-but it will need work likely and may not be in one of the more luxurious areas of Briarcliff. But I like living there-schools are great, they have a nice pool and the area is very scenic.

[oberon_1]

Commute from Westchester to Rockland can be nasty, depending on the time of day. I would look at living in Rockland, you will find the cost of housing more tolerable. There is also a possibility of living in North Bergen. There are a few NJ residential areas worth considering where the commute to both Rockland and the city are a little more reasonable.

[havoc315]

I'll disagree with Oberon. I know a couple of people who have commuted from Westchester to Rockland for years, and most of the time, it's a very easy commute. You're going against traffic. Typically, you can get over the bridge in 5-10 minutes. Yes, there will be days with accidents or construction projects, but on most days, it's an easy commute to Rockland. Briarcliff to New City (central Rockland), should be under a 30 minute-drive.

On the other hand, when commuting to NYC, no place in Northern New Jersey or Rockland county beats Westchester. A 45 minute mass transit commute from Briarcliff, becomes a 70-90 minute commute from Rockland.

[oberon_1]

Sorry havoc, you probably didn't commute on the bridge. For years I commuted daily from Westchester to Rockland (against the traffic) and I don't miss that (an understatement...)
Tappan Zee is a mess! Constant repairs just keep the bridge from crumbling. They close lanes all the time and there are traffic jams even by 1:00PM.
There is a plan in works (discussed since 1992 !) to build a new bridge with public transport from Tarrytown to Nyack. If it works out well, it will be ready by 2020...I know, since I participated in such a meeting and I can tell you it is a real mess. And the bridge is not the only problem. The 278 corridor can be as bad. Sometimes I used to take the bear mountain bridge just to get away from there.
However, when I recommended Rockland, I also took in account Westchester housing cost (inc. property taxes), which are ridiculous. Some out of state people do not know these "small" details.

[havoc315]

Housing costs and property taxes are ridiculous, only on a relative basis. Many people would consider housing costs and taxes in Rockland to be ridiculous. In Westchester, costs are higher, but you get more (much easier access to NYC).

I've lived in Rockland for many years, I've lived in Westchester for many years. I have a family member who commuted from Scarsdale to Pearl River for 10 years on a daily rush hour basis. I personally commuted from Hartsdale to New City on a daily basis for about a year (2000-2001). Now, personally, I commute from Chappaqua to New City, about once per week on a rush hour basis (including tomorrow) (And over the TZ to Orange County about twice per month). There have been occassional bad days for me, but 90% of the time, I can make it from Chappaqua to New City in under 30 minutes.. leaving my house around 8:20-8:30 a.m., arriving at the New City Court House by 9 a.m. I have to do it tomorrow. I'll let you know how long it takes.

[ponytrekker]

Originally Posted by oberon_1

Commute from Westchester to Rockland can be nasty, depending on the time of day. I would look at living in Rockland, you will find the cost of housing more tolerable. There is also a possibility of living in North Bergen. There are a few NJ residential areas worth considering where the commute to both Rockland and the city are a little more reasonable.

The reverse commute from Westchester to Rockland is tolerable.

[havoc315]

Took me 31 minutes to get from Chappaqua to Rockland County Court House, in rush hour, this morning.

[cali_to_nj]

Resurrecting this Briarcliff thread, we visited there early this week and the entire area is so beautiful, it was hard to differentiate between better or worse (if there is such a thing) areas. We looked at a house in the Neighborhood Park area that is now towards the top of our short list. It seems like a great area, close to the park, reasonably close to the Pleasantville train and downtown (8-10 min drive which is practically nothing coming from Los Angeles).

If anyone in or familiar with the area could share thoughts on the location, community vibe, schools (beyond test scores), preschool/daycare options it would be very much appreciated! Thanks!

p.s. The other homes we are considering are in Thornwood (more house, land, gorgeous street but more remote), and Dobbs Ferry (smaller lot, lovely and convenient hillside/village location, charming but older home). Kids will be 6 and 3 in Sept, commute to Rockefeller Center, hubby in sales will be driving to WP, Bronx, possibly NJ once a week or so with flex hours.