Residents called to weigh in on Comprehensive Plan: Advisory Committee being set up by town

Shelter Island is mobilizing to put together a Comprehensive Plan and is asking for citizen involvement.

A nine-member “Comprehensive Advisory Committee” will be appointed by the Town Board to review decisions and make recommendations.

Discussed over the last several months, the Town Board adopted a draft of a detailed “Project Management Plan,” a roadmap for a Comprehensive Plan for the town.

This time, town officials seem serious about acting. In 1994, a Plan was adopted by a Town Board resolution. In 2008, a seven-month effort of discussion and research produced an update to that plan, but the board at that time rejected it.

Councilman Mike Bebon is spearheading the effort now, along with Councilman Albert Dickson. Islander Edward Hindin, who will be the project manager to oversee producing a Plan, has outlined the methods and procedures to achieve the goal.

A municipality’s Comprehensive Plan dictates policy on multiple fronts, including development, land use, the environment, transportation, housing and other aspects of community life. It’s not merely a statement of beliefs and a guide to successful planning, but shows a commitment to serious ideas to improve the municipality, which in turn is used to attract funding from state, federal, county and other entities.

The timeline set forth for the Island’s Plan is to get “mobilization” by September; completion of a draft by June 2021; approval by the board in October 2021; and implementation in December of that year.

The Advisory Committee’s members will be asked to serve for the 18-month period required to complete the process of crafting a Plan.

Essential components will include, in the words of the town resolution: “A snapshot of current conditions and characteristics of Shelter Island (Shelter Island 2020), a vision of Shelter Island in 2030, as well as a detailed implementation plan identifying the actions and investments (Implementation Plan) that will be needed to meet the 2030 vision.”

Strict monitoring of the process will be in place and it will be reviewed annually to make adjustments if needed.

Island residents interested in serving on the Advisory Committee should complete an application form available from the Comprehensive Plan Task Force found on the CPU website page: shelterislandtown.us/comprehensive-plan-update, and email it to [email protected], or mail it to P.O. Box 970, Shelter Island, NY 11964.

Public meetings will be scheduled for the residents to share opinions and ideas on the Plan. Questions about CPAC should be directed to the Comprehensive Plan Task Force by email to [email protected].