VOORHEESVILLE —The Village Board of Trustees and Comprehensive Planning Steering Committee will be holding a public hearing to formally present their recommendations to village residents at the Voorheesville Fire House on Wednesday, Nov. 29, at 7 p.m.
Volunteers have worked for almost a year to develop a comprehensive plan for the Village of Voorheesville. The resulting draft plan is now available for review on the Village’s website, www.villageofvoorheesville.com, and at Village Hall and Voorheesville Public Library.
In the autumn edition of The Village Report, Trustee Richard Straut invited residents to look through the proposed plan and share any feedback.
“The Comprehensive Plan will serve as the road map to guide the Village Board in the Village’s future growth and development. It expresses the vision, goals strategies and policies to the Village over the next 10 – 15 years,” wrote Straut.
In response to public outcry over a law that would have allowed high-density developments to be built in the village, and owing to a more general awareness that the village lacked a guide for long-range planning, the Board of Trustees voted unanimously in September 2016 to table all such proposals until a comprehensive plan had been developed. The Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee was appointed that November.
The committee and Village Board have been assisted by consultants Nan Stolzenburg of Community Planning and Environmental Associates, and Ellen Pemrick of E.M. Pemrick & Company to guide the committee through the planning process. Stolzenburg will present the draft plan at the public hearing and the planning committee will hear comments from residents. (Additionally, the village is accepting comments via email or in writing at the Village Office.)
Over the last year, the committee held focus group meetings with businesses, the school district, and cultural and recreational organizations. It hosted a community workshop and conducted a village‐wide survey to identify the needs, wants and desires of the community.
Public input was also used to identify strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats in Voorheesville (SWOT analysis), which provided the foundation for “focusing strategies to maintain the strengths, fix the weaknesses, take advantage of opportunities, and prevent threats from occurring.” The SWOT analysis informed the plan’s vision statement, according to the executive summary, and helped to identify “themes and goals” upon which recommendations are based.
A few of the major recommendations in the plan include:
•Implementing streetscape
improvements as detailed in the “All Aboard Main Street Revitalization Plan” developed by the Village in 2015;
•Updating of stormwater planning,
instituting methods to mitigate
flooding, and further protect water
quality and recreation in Vly Creek;
•Adding in more flexibility in allowing
for use of two‐family homes in some
districts, mixed use buildings on
Main Street, and use of accessory apartments;
•Planning for capital improvements on
a five‐year rolling basis;
•Updating zoning and subdivision laws.
“We received a robust response and strong participation from the community, and the Village Board thanks you all for providing your guidance,” said Straut. “The high number of responses is a testament to the strength of community that is Voorheesville.”
