Workshops set for new town plan ‘Smart growth’ goal of effort Tuesday, July 21, 2009 By Justin Mason (Contact) Gazette Reporter
ROTTERDAM — Rotterdam officials tonight are hosting the first in a series of workshops to discuss a long-awaited update to town’s comprehensive plan. Consultants with Clough Harbor and Associates will be on hand at 7:30 p.m. in Town Hall to discuss the implementation of new zoning classifications and performance standards developed as part of the update. Town Supervisor Steve Tommasone said the hope is that the new comprehensive plan will help clean up Rotterdam’s patchwork of zoning, thereby fostering smart growth. “Proper planning is the key to Rotterdam’s future,” he said Monday. “Our goal is to implement the recommendations of the comprehensive plan advisory committee, which will foster smart-growth principles into the town’s planning and decision-making process.” The workshop is the first of at least two that will be hosted by the town. The second is scheduled Aug. 6 at the Rotterdam Senior Center on Hamburg Street. More will be held if town officials think they are needed after the first two are done. Much of the pending update relates to the recently adopted land-use and transportation studies the town conducted at all of Rotterdam’s exits off the state Thruway. Specifically, each document focuses on areas town officials consider ripe for development, including Hamburg Street off Exit 25; Burdeck Street and part of Route 7 near Exit 25A; and Route 5S by Exit 26. Rotterdam last updated its comprehensive plan in 2001. But even then, Tommasone said, the town’s zoning maps were never fully updated. For instance, some areas along the heavily commercial strip of Altamont Avenue are still zoned residential. Other areas of the town, such as Tulip Street near the former WMHT studios, are zoned for commercial development even though the buildings are primarily residential. “There are other areas that just need to be corrected,” Tommasone said. “We have some areas where the zoning is completely inaccurate.” One new zone classification being proposed is intended to attract large professional office developments or related projects that would build the town’s tax base without creating the negative impacts sometimes associated with industrial or densely commercial uses. Tommasone said creating a corporate commerce zone might allow Rotterdam to capitalize on some of the momentum of the Capital Region’s Tech Valley initiative. .........>>>>..............>>>>...............http://www.dailygazette.com/news/2009/jul/21/0721_rottzoning/
This sounds like a blast from the past. I think the last time I heard about a comp plan was about 8 years ago when Tonmasone was running for the first time for supervisor. And never heard about it again until now.
There was already a workshop for Hamburg Street a few years ago and never heard about again...well except for the roundabout.
So is anyone planning to go tonight?
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
"While Foreign Terrorists were plotting to murder and maim using homemade bombs in Boston, Democrap officials in Washington DC, Albany and here were busy watching ME and other law abiding American Citizens who are gun owners and taxpayers, in an effort to blame the nation's lack of security on US so that they could have a political scapegoat."
Attending such meetings as this one expel much more impact than simply complaining about it to whoever will listen. Remember the early Seventies, and how flashing the peace sign with a "pipe" in the other hand was their version of our forum boards...
Attending such meetings as this one expel much more impact than simply complaining about it to whoever will listen. Remember the early Seventies, and how flashing the peace sign with a "pipe" in the other hand was their version of our forum boards...
I wasn't able to get there for 7:30 tonight, but I did stop by about 8:30 for a few minutes. Guess what, there's a business in town that's looking to expand again...and it's Metroplex free!
Pilot is taking down a building so that they can add more parking. Also, there was some discussion about parking in front of the building in the "Cars Only" area. It seems that there was a difference of opinion if smaller delivery trucks should be going in this area. Someone said that they shouldn't, another said that the places that were blocked off for no parking (diagonal lines) were to be used for the smaller delivery trucks that were coming in (UPS, etc.) to do business there (non-carriers, deliveries / pickups from the station).
Attending such meetings as this one expel much more impact than simply complaining about it to whoever will listen. Remember the early Seventies, and how flashing the peace sign with a "pipe" in the other hand was their version of our forum boards...
Good point....but, it's effect is coming to fruition presently.....I ask---what is in the kool-aid/watertowers.....
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS