Plattekill looking to start phase two of comprehensive plan

By RICK REMSNYDER
Posted 7/12/22

The Town of Plattekill is expected to apply for funding from the New York Department of State to start the second phase of its Comprehensive Plan.

The Town Board has until July 29 to file a …

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Plattekill looking to start phase two of comprehensive plan

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The Town of Plattekill is expected to apply for funding from the New York Department of State to start the second phase of its Comprehensive Plan.

The Town Board has until July 29 to file a Smart Growth Application for phase two with the state.

The board is expected to vote on a resolution at its July 20 meeting authorizing the town to fund $3,000 of the total cost of the project. The town will ask the state to pay for the rest of the project, which is estimated to cost $30,000.

Daniel Theopold, a community planner for Barton & Loguidice, an Albany-based consulting firm that provides services in engineering, environmental science, planning and landscape architecture, presented the town board with a draft resolution for the grant application at its July 6 meeting, hoping it would be approved.

The board, though, tabled voting on the resolution until the July 20 meeting as it decided to study it more.

In an interview with the Southern Ulster Times following the meeting, Town Supervisor Jennifer Salemo said she supported moving forward with the application at the next meeting and was optimistic the town would get the grant.

“I believe we will be successful in acquiring that grant,” Salemo said.

The first phase of the town’s Comprehensive Plan Update was completed in 2019. A draft report prepared by Barton & Loguidice and funded by the Hudson River Valley Greenway was presented to the board in August 2019.

Salemo said progress on the second phase of the comprehensive plan was slowed by the pandemic.

“We want to consider the different areas where we can improve our efforts to go green in our town,” she said. “I need to discuss with the rest of the board members what the discussions were before I came into office (on Jan. 1, 2022) and get caught up with it and to see what areas would be beneficial to the community.”

The first phase of the Comprehensive Plan was titled the “Needs Assessment and Community Visioning Report.” The 22-page document concluded with five goals and objectives to achieve the town’s vision statement. They were as follows:

• Establish a productive economy that attracts diverse industry sectors and provides a variety of housing that supports job growth and contributes to the tax base. Plattekill’s low tax rate is an asset that the Town can use to attract young families. Walkable residential and commercial development will reduce commuting costs and public infrastructure costs while revitalizing Plattekill’s hamlets.

• Maintain the community’s character by preserving the Town’s scenic views, architectural forms and cultural and historical resources. Plattekill has many valuable historic resources such as Las Villas, historic farmlands and hamlet areas. The historic and cultural resources are complemented by the Town’s natural resources such as the Shawangunk Ridge, apple orchards, wetlands and open space.

• Reinforce Plattekill’s identity and sense of community by developing branding for the Town as the gateway to Ulster County and as an affordable community for seniors and young families alike.

• Improve the civic infrastructure of Plattekill and its hamlet areas by maintaining infrastructure in a fiscally responsible manner.

• Stabilize and strengthen the hamlets of Modena, Plattekill, Ardonia and Clintondale to ensure safe and affordable housing and walkable access to parks, schools, commercial establishments and public transportation.

The town last updated its Comprehensive Plan in 2003.
In other news, the board voted 4-0 to approve Patricia Masterson to replace Matthew Sabia as the town’s assessor. The Town of Plattekill shares services with the Town of Gardiner for the assessor’s position.