The Comprehensive Planning Committee of the Town of Otsego held a public meeting on the 23rd day of May, 2007 at the Town Building, Fly Creek, NY at 7:00 PM
Members of the Committee:
Tom Breiten
Merk Walker
Jonathan Bass
Paul Lord
Anita Weber
Bill Kitchen
John Phillips
Jim Ainslie
Anne Geddes-Atwell (not present)
Jonathan Bass explained that the committee has faithfully met once a week since September 2006. Information gathered from various meetings held in the different districts along with a Town survey, was compiled and implemented in the proposed Comprehensive Plan Draft. The planning process is really a two step process. First is the development of a working draft. The second being the adoption process. The proposed Comprehensive Plan provides a set of Goals, a Vision Statement and a set of 33 Strategies developed by the committee. The strategies are to serve as recommendations to the Town Board to consider over the next five to ten years.
Bass explained that before the Comprehensive Plan can be adopted the Committee needs to hold a Public Hearing. The document is then handed off to the Town Board. It is reviewed also by the County Planning Board and undergoes the SQRA review process. Lastly the Town Board holds a Public Hearing. If the Town Board is satisfied with the proposed document and does not wish to make any further changes and a majority of the Board is in favor of adopting it, it then becomes the Town’s official Comprehensive Plan.
Bass opened the floor for comments.
Russell Honefer a Village of Cooperstown resident stated that numbers 18 and 21 under Priority Strategies contradict one another. Number 18 talks about developing policies for ensuring water quality and number 21 promotes lakes’ recreational uses. After talking with employees at the water treatment facility in Cooperstown he learned that cooper and lead levels are rising. They only test gasoline levels once a year. He pointed out that there are other ways to treat waste water rather than using fossil fuel which is how it is treated at the Cooperstown facility.
Robert Quarmby of Fly Creek Valley supports all the goals proposed in the document but doesn’t know what to do with them. The document isn’t specific. The proposed document talks about views cape. Whose views are you talking about? What are the restraints related to that? The proposed document talks about historic issues. He has an 1840’s barn. “When it gets down to specifics this document doesn’t tell him a lot as to what to do as to somebody who has all your goals but still have to implement them to the document you have created.”
Town Supervisor Tom Breiten explained that the Comprehensive Plan is not suppose to be specific. It is only the frame work.
Jim Murry a resident on State Highway 205 asked if lot sizes, road frontage requirements or grade levels have changed.
Bass answered no
Breiten explained that the Comprehensive Plan does not change any of the Town Laws. Town Laws are based on and mirror the Comprehensive Plan which spells out the goals, strategies and vision for the Town.
Rick Hensley of Fly Creek felt that we end up with generaleization becoming implied it impedes landowner’s visibility to do what he wants with his land. He has a real problem with that. He also asked what the population has been in the last 10 years and what is the projected growth to this area in the next 10 years?
Paul Lord answered that the study that was done showed a small amount of growth mostly retirees. An increase of seasonal home.
Adrian Kosminski of Fly Creek cautioned those that want the freedom to do whatever they want with their property so can their neighbors. The proposed plan estimates 25% of the Town is still agricultural even though the number of farms has been drastically reduced. He felt that estimate was high. He was in favor of sustainability in an attempt to preserve green space rather than an open ended kind of growth. Economic Growth around here seems to help some and hurt others. The statistics about the built out plan being 12,000 people and preserving agriculture and open spaces are a conflict of one another. If you have the build out you won’t have the rural character anymore that everyone wants to keep. He asked the Board to look at sustainability in terms of waste and in terms infustructure such as a better transportation system possibly a local bus system given the cost of gas prices. Looking at ways the town being self-sufficient by promoting agriculture.
Orlo Burch Dana Clark Road resident, stated that last fall a large number attended a public hearing on conservation subdivisions which proved to be very controversial. He asked Conservation Subdivisions was a proposal in the proposed plan.
Bass answered yes and eluted to page 14.
Bill Michaels owner of the Fly Creek Cider Mill, asked how the appendices play in the proposed plan and how much weight do they carry?
Bass answered that the proposed plan is what would be adopted. The appendices are only considered valuable suggestions.
Michaels submitted a list of suggested changes he reviewed with the committee.
Paul Poulos of Wiley Town stated that one of the priority strategies is to consider context sensitive design criteria for new roads and all road improvements. He asked what that meant.
Bass answered that when building a road landscaping ideas and more access for pedestrians would be considered. It means different things to different people.
Breiten added that NYS just passed legislation allowing towns the ability to wave NYS specifications on lightly traveled a rural road to keep them rural roads.
Poulos felt that the proposed Comprehensive Plan should be more specific or else it will lead to a lot of controversy in the future.
Rochelle Semel of Wiley Town asked if the proposed plan was against farming?