Riga, Churchville joint plan still needs tweaking

Riga, Churchville joint plan still needs tweaking

The Riga Town Board and Churchville Village Board held a special meeting August 30 to discuss the Joint Comprehensive Plan. Officials are working with consultant John Steinmetz of Steinmetz Planning Group to finalize the vision plan before holding a public hearing. Members of both boards discussed wording and content of the 100-plus page proposal for almost three hours and will meet again to review updates and changes before a public hearing is scheduled.

The two municipalities have been working for several years to update the current master plan. The Joint Community Comprehensive Plan was developed based on public input. The introduction to the plan states that it, " ...provides an overall framework for future public and private investment in a community. It accomplishes this by articulating an overall vision for the Town and Village as well as a means to achieve that vision."

Areas covered in the plan include: future land use, a community profile, population characteristics, housing and property characteristics, residential living, community resources, economic base, economic development, natural resources and agricultural opportunities.

Board members updated the plan to reflect recent changes. Wording in the section that mentions the Home Rule Message was updated. Riga Town Supervisor Pamela Moore said it should include a decision that the town board made in June, "The town requested that the assembly and state senate not vote on the Home Rule because we were uncomfortable with some of the language ... we are working out more acceptable language."

The Comprehensive Plan was also updated to reflect the closing of the Town Recycling Center. Some projects that the plan recommends have already been completed or implemented in the village. One example is the area of Washington Street and Route 33 (Buffalo Road). "It is now a neighborhood business district," said Churchville Mayor Nancy Steedman. "The Charrette has been completed and the modification of Village Zoning Code has been done," she said. Wording in the plan will reflect those accomplishments.

Several board members expressed concern over parts of the plan that deal with extension of water lines, development of regional commercial areas and residential development. The plan states that water line extension should be done with the purpose of discouraging development of prime farmland. Riga Town Council Member Robert Ottley expressed concern over this section because it might make extending water lines difficult. "We want to get water to people who need it," he said.

Churchville Village Trustee Diane Pusateri reiterated the wording in the plan, "We don't want development in prime farmland," she said.

Consultant John Steinmetz said that it is possible to accomplish both things. He said he could alter the plan to reflect that. "We can change the wording to state that we could look into techniques that can be used to balance the needs of water and rural preservation," he said.

Officials also discussed the section that covers future land use and the development of regional commercial areas near the 490 expressway interchanges at Exits 2 and 3. The plan states that, "... two regional areas should be developed in a nodal pattern rather than becoming a strip of commercial activity along Route 33 or Route 36." The plan also defines what regional commercial areas are, " ... commercial enterprises that cater to a regional consumer base ... with large scale buildings and parking areas."

Pusateri said, "I get nervous when I hear strip commercial ... I want to avoid a strip of commercial activity with business after business after business."

Ottley said, " ... there are times when nodal is not practical ... getting trucks into fancy little things is a big mistake," he said.

Steinmetz said that the plan and development that has already occurred in that area is, "... maximizing interchange value to the community." He said the Meyer's Campers complex would be considered "nodal." "Development went west, if it had gone south along Route 36 it would have been a strip," he said.

Ottley questioned wording in a section of the plan that deals with future land use and agricultural and open spaces. The plan states, "The Town should require the donation of open space as a condition of site plan approval on residential subdivisions. In addition, the Town could require the clustering of homes as a condition to a public water or sewer system." Ottley said, "I think we need to rethink what is in the plan; is this what we want to do? I'd rather see one home rather than 20. I'm not sure what we really want to see in the area." He also questioned photographs depicting what a "cluster housing" might look like and the fact that the plan was recommending it under certain conditions.

Pusateri suggested that the plan be re-worded to encourage things like agri-tourism. "We could encourage ancillary use instead of housing development," she said.

Steinmetz cautioned officials about such a change. "The biggest impact on a community is residential development. You have to address residential development in agricultural areas." Members of both boards discussed the next steps toward final approval of the plan. Moore encouraged members to set a date for a public hearing. "We could meet forever," she said. "We could continue to tweak ad infinitum ... to apply for grants we need a document ... it's time to wrap it up. Remember that after the public hearings we will have to come back and go through this all over again. There's no need to drag this along," she said.

Steedman did not agree, "I think things have really moved along well ... I want to make sure it is right before it goes to a public hearing."

Ottley and other board members also expressed the need for more time to study changes in the plan. "I'm not ready to schedule a public hearing until I see the document," Ottley said.

Members of both boards plan to hold a joint meeting again this month to review the most recent changes to the plan.