Future plan for Ogden a sketch for growth

The Comprehensive Plan for the Town of Ogden is a framework within which decisions concerning the development of the town can be made in the future. It is not rezoning and is not written in stone. According to Town Supervisor Gay Lenhard, development is inevitable. Therefore, the town needs a plan for this development. It is a "broad-brush kind of thing," she says of the plan.

The draft of the plan was determined by a nine-member committee, which compiled the results of a community survey. The committee determined that Ogden residents want to preserve the existing rural character of the town. The draft plan provides for preserving our natural features, farmlands, and woodlands. In addition, the future land use map provides guidelines for balanced development, (according to information posted on the town's website).

However, residents attended a June 26 public hearing to voice their opinions against the possibility of light industrial development in an area north of Shepard Road and bordered by Gillett Road, Lyell Road and Manitou Road. The area south of that is already zoned light industrial.

Lenhard says that people were afraid that this plan meant that they would have light industrial near their homes, but that the Comprehensive Plan is just a guideline for future decision-making regarding zoning.

"People came to the hearing thinking of smoke stacks," she says. "That is not light industry, but heavy. We have nothing but light industry in Ogden. We don’t want an industry that emits anything. We are just saying that we will look at this area for light industry and keep other parts of Ogden rural residential."

She says that the committee is "trying to plan and manage growth for the future and trying to put designations that make sense."

"Master plan hearings are not ordinarily well-attended," Lenhard says. However, a printed flyer that looked as if it came from town offices was distributed through the area. Printing on the flyer referred to industrial rezoning which alarmed many residents of the area and probably precipitated the larger than normal meeting attendance. The document was not prepared or distributed by the town.

She says that three out of the nine members of the committee (who live near the area charted as light industrial) could be affected by the plan but are not frightened of it. "I am going to reconvene the committee," Lenhard says, "to look at the concerns. We will take a look at it and tweak it. We may need a bigger buffer between industry and residents." She emphasizes that this is just a plan to try to give the board and future boards guidance. The primary goal she said is to try to save green space and also have a place for light industrial for a tax base. "We can not have one without the other. We could not afford to live here with the taxes without some light industrial and commercial (areas)."

She also pointed out that having housing tracks or apartments in those areas could increase the load on the schools, thereby raising school taxes.

The committee has been working for two years on the plan.