Town Board needs time on Comp Plan

It was almost a year ago when some members of the public were appealing to the Town Board to slow down and not try to push through a new Comprehensive Plan they thought was not yet ready for adoption.

A municipality’s Comprehensive Plan dictates policy on multiple fronts, including development, land use, transportation and housing. In 1994, a Comprehensive Plan was adopted by a Town Board resolution. A seven-month effort of discussion and research in 2008 produced an update to that plan, but the board rejected it.

Amber Brach-Williams had just been elected supervisor in November 2023 and would take office in January 2024 on a promise not to rush the draft plan forward without giving the public a lot more time for input. 

Now, almost a year later, it was revealed at Tuesday’s work session that the draft being reviewed by the Town Board still has a way to go before public hearings can be scheduled.

For the past several months, the Town Board has been reviewing the plan chapter by chapter, making changes in wording to clarify some information and rewriting other sections they agreed needed changes.

Because the Comp Plan has been under review by a committee creating the draft and then by the Town Board reviewing it, there are many references to data as of 2023. To update to 2024 data would be “a nightmare,” said Deputy Supervisor Meg Larsen. Still, there’s a need to check some data in the draft to ensure its accuracy, the three members of the Town Board present Tuesday agreed. Ms. Brach-Williams was not feeling well and was not at the meeting.  

There were a few areas where new information was headed for insertion to reflect issues important to Board members.

Councilman Albert Dickson, for example, has been a strong advocate of steps to limit house sizes on the Island. Current practice has been to set limits and to curb the proliferation of mega houses. Mr. Dickson is aware there are cases where applicants apply to build a house not larger than the 5,999 square feet of finished living space. But he wants to insert a clause that would count both unfinished basements and attic spaces to the total allowable size.

There have been cases where those unfinished spaces weren’t counted with building permits issued based on finished space. But owners finished the spaces illegally with no permits after getting certificates of occupancy. That’s something Mr. Dickson wants to end. 

He also told his colleagues he wants heavy fines or even a requirement that illegally built structures be removed. The Town Board has considered a number of efforts this year to limit house sizes.

Mr. Dickson also wants to protect residentially-zoned neighborhoods or adjacent properties from being adversely affected by development of commercial entities in their midst.

There are also references meant in sections to strengthen environmental protection efforts.

Tuesday’s review is considered a second pass at the first 10 Comp Plan chapters. Board members agreed it will take at least another review at their level and then a minimum of two public hearings that could result in more major changes. The draft could require more rewrites  as a result of comments received at those public hearings.

Until this week, it was expected the Town Board would submit the draft back to consultants from BFJ Planning for the rewrite.

But Tuesday, Ms. Larsen said the rewrite will probably be done by the Board and staff.

Only after that’s completed will it be submitted for a SEQRA review (State Environmental Quality Review Act) and Generic Environmental Impact Study, which many have been advocating.