by Bea Peterson
Hoosick Town Supervisor Mark Surdam invited Rensselaer County Chief Planner Linda von der Heide and Ben Syden and Nicole Allen from the Laberge Group to attend a joint meeting of the Town, Zoning and Planning Boards that was held on Wednesday, January 21. Building Inspector Ed King and Deputy Supervisor Jeff Wysocki also attended the meeting. Surdam said a major objective of the meeting was to discuss updating the Town’s Comprehensive Plan. The Plan was first put in place over 10 years ago.
[private]What Is A Comprehensive Plan?
A Comprehensive Plan is a written document that identifies and establishes the goals, objectives, policies, standards and strategies to guide the future growth and development of the community. It is a roadmap or guide for future decision making
It is not a law and is not zoning. However, all land use laws must be in accordance with the Comprehensive Plan.
Everyone Needs To Be Involved
Surdam said it is important for everyone to be involved. It is important for the members of the Zoning and Planning Boards to be involved from the point of view of the Boards they represent and because they are part of the community. Rensselaer County Principal Planner Linda von der Heide is familiar with County zoning and with upcoming County plans. Von der Heide noted Hoosick is a unique community and traditionally is very supportive of the Plan. “The last time people who had read the Plan came here with their ideas. That is not often the case. You should be proud of yourselves. However, this is a new day and a new opportunity for a new plan.”
The Laberge Group, said Surdam, looks at the Plan from a regional perspective. Syden pointed out it is more important than ever to see how Hoosick fits into the Region since all State grants are presented to a Regional Council once a year. “To compete for grants, it is important to see how you fit in,” said Syden. “It’s your vision, your town. You have to deal with Route 22 and infrastructure in the State and in the region. This includes Vermont. And how do you fit in?”
“Rensselaer County is unique, with a quality of life that attracts folks to the area. Celebrate what you have – you are the implementors,” Syden added. Historic preservation is also important, and von der Heide’s role as a liaison between the community and the Farmland Protection program is important as well.
Surdam said it is critical to have a plan and to be flexible about projects. “We need neighbors working together and determining what tomorrow will bring and what our community will look like,” he said. “We had an Economic Development Plan – it was paid for and shelved. We have to be prepared for grants that come along and to have a project champion.” Surdam pointed out that the Village is updating its Zoning regulations, Hoosick Rising is suggesting and implementing ideas and more work is underway all around.
It was pointed out that there is a small fund set aside for the development of Comprehensive Plans. The public process should start in May or June. The grant season is June and July to have something in place for this year. A boiler plate of the community’s strengths and weaknesses needs to be established and a community survey may be the best approach. One Board member mentioned getting natural gas into the area and that may be an action item.
The discussion ended on a positive note.
Zoning And Planning Boards
The next portion of the meeting was a general discussion between members of the Zoning and Planning Boards, what each Board’s specific duties are and how the regulations varied from one Board to the other. Surdam said it is important the Town Board, the Planning Board and the Zoning Board work together to make the process as smooth as possible for those appearing before them.[/private]