Project Description & Purpose
Lewis County recognizes the need for a comprehensive and strategic approach to the complex issues we face in the 21st Century. As a region, we need to be able to effectively leverage our assets and overcome challenges in order to continuously improve the quality of life of our citizens. In light of this, the County has begun development of a County-wide Comprehensive Plan to foster a regional and collaborative approach to addressing these challenges. The process will include numerous and varied opportunities for public participation.
The Plan, to be completed over the course of the next 18 months, will create a vision and framework of policies, goals, and objectives for County government. This framework will set the foundation for County-level decision making over the next 10-15 years. The Plan will also serve as a tool for local municipalities by encouraging a unified vision and purpose.
Topics to be addressed in the Plan include land use, tourism and economic development, rural and farmland preservation, environmental conservation, recreation, public infrastructure and community resources. The County has contracted with Bergmann Associates, a firm specializing in planning in Upstate New York, to assist in the development of the Comprehensive Plan.
Relationship to Local Plans
Several towns and villages in Lewis County have completed plans and studies in recent years. Some have basic zoning or land use plans, while others have adopted full Comprehensive Plans. Beyond the policies and objectives developed for County-level decisions, the County Comprehensive Plan aims to build upon the previous planning efforts of local municipalities. The County Plan will not supersede local plans and regulations, but rather will serve as an optional tool for localities to implement as they deem appropriate. As New York is a "home rule" state, County Comprehensive Plan components related to town or village issues are simply recommendations for consideration and are not regulatory in nature.
In rural counties, there is often limited staff and resources available to address the complex issues facing the region. Therefore, the Plan seeks to provide guidance and identify tools for implementation, while promoting knowledge sharing and inter-municipal collaboration. For example, the Plan may provide recommendations for dealing with incompatible land uses, protecting farmland, or revitalizing downtowns. In the case of farmland protection, a town may choose to utilize a specific technique presented in the County's Plan and discuss its effectiveness with neighboring towns.
Relationship to the County's Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy
Similar to the relationship to local plans, the County Comprehensive Plan will build on the strategies developed in the Lewis County Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS). The CEDS Plan has a specific focus on economic development in the region, which is typically a component of a County Comprehensive Plan. Since the majority of the goals, objectives, and strategies of the CEDS are relevant to a County Comprehensive Plan, those items will be supported and frequently referenced.
The primary difference between the CEDS and the Comprehensive Plan is the Comprehensive Plan will address a wide range of issues beyond economic development. While the CEDS contains recommendations for specific project sites, the Comprehensive Plan will be broad and visionary in nature and there will be limited recommendations related to individual sites or projects.
Public Participation Opportunities
The Project Team believes that meaningful, sustained, and dynamic participation from local officials and the general public is the key to developing an effective and implementation-ready County Comprehensive Plan. As such, there are several opportunities throughout the process for citizens and stakeholder groups to participate in the development of the Plan:
· Public Meetings, including Community Visioning Workshops, Land Use Workshops, and Plan Review Meetings
· Stakeholder Meetings with groups related to recreation, economic development, and farming, as well as the Tug Hill Commission
· Focused interviews with representatives from key business sectors
· Interviews with local officials, including Supervisors, Mayors, and other staff
· Numerous focus group meetings, covering issues such as education, infrastructure, tourism, Main Street revitalization, and environmental stewardship
· In addition, the Project Team will review all existing plans and studies developed by Towns, Villages, and the Tug Hill Commission, which represent valuable public participation at the local level
All of these efforts are in addition to regular Steering Committee meetings that will take place throughout the project.
County Of Lewis
