Tuesday, January 31, 2023
Subscriber Login
My Profile
SpotlightNews
  • Home
  • News
    • Election 2022
    • Business
      • Spotlight On Business
      • Spotlight on Finance
    • Crime and Police
    • Discover-Towns
      • Discover Coeymans Selkirk and Feura Bush
      • Discover Delmar
      • Discover Glenmont
      • Discover Guilderland
      • Discover Latham and Boght
      • Discover Loudonville
      • Discover Menands
      • Discover Slingerlands
      • Discover Village of Colonie
      • Discover Voorheesville and New Scotland
    • Fire Departments
    • Government
    • Milestones
    • Schools
    • Sports
    • Obituaries
  • The Spot 518
    • Galleries
    • Art
    • Food and Recipes
    • Health & Fitness
    • Music
    • Theatre
  • Hot Spots Calendar
    • Calendar Listings
    • Submit Your Event
  • Opinion
    • Blogs
    • Our Opinion
    • Point of View
    • Your Opinion
  • Family Now
    • Parenting News
    • Senior News
  • Towns
    • Albany County
    • Bethlehem
    • Colonie
    • Guilderland
    • New Scotland
  • Classifieds
    • Employment – Hire Power
    • Services In the Spotlight
    • Classified Listings
    • Advertiser Login
  • Subscribe
    • Subscriber login
    • Give the gift of news
    • Join us – subscribe today
    • Newsletter sign up
    • Renew Subscription
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Election 2022
    • Business
      • Spotlight On Business
      • Spotlight on Finance
    • Crime and Police
    • Discover-Towns
      • Discover Coeymans Selkirk and Feura Bush
      • Discover Delmar
      • Discover Glenmont
      • Discover Guilderland
      • Discover Latham and Boght
      • Discover Loudonville
      • Discover Menands
      • Discover Slingerlands
      • Discover Village of Colonie
      • Discover Voorheesville and New Scotland
    • Fire Departments
    • Government
    • Milestones
    • Schools
    • Sports
    • Obituaries
  • The Spot 518
    • Galleries
    • Art
    • Food and Recipes
    • Health & Fitness
    • Music
    • Theatre
  • Hot Spots Calendar
    • Calendar Listings
    • Submit Your Event
  • Opinion
    • Blogs
    • Our Opinion
    • Point of View
    • Your Opinion
  • Family Now
    • Parenting News
    • Senior News
  • Towns
    • Albany County
    • Bethlehem
    • Colonie
    • Guilderland
    • New Scotland
  • Classifieds
    • Employment – Hire Power
    • Services In the Spotlight
    • Classified Listings
    • Advertiser Login
  • Subscribe
    • Subscriber login
    • Give the gift of news
    • Join us – subscribe today
    • Newsletter sign up
    • Renew Subscription
No Result
View All Result
Spotlight News
No Result
View All Result
Home Towns Bethlehem

Bethlehem to share what residents voiced as their concerns leading up to new Comp Plan in tonight’s meeting

Diego Cagara by Diego Cagara
July 10, 2019
in Bethlehem, Community, Government, News, Towns
Reading Time: 3 mins read
Traffic is just one of several factors Bethlehem’s 2020 Comprehensive Plan will need to address. The last plan was drafted in 2005.
Diego Cagara / Spotlight News

Traffic is just one of several factors Bethlehem’s 2020 Comprehensive Plan will need to address. The last plan was drafted in 2005. Diego Cagara / Spotlight News

Town Supervisor David VanLuven has offered a few updates regarding Bethlehem’s new comprehensive plan.

He said that in the July 10 Town Board meeting, Robert Leslie, the town’s Planning Division director, will provide a condensed summary of the findings from the series of public forums that had been held throughout town from November 2018 to March 2019. Hamlets which held the forums were Slingerlands, Selkirk, North and South Bethlehem, Glenmont, Elsmere and Delmar.

A proposed Comprehensive Advisory Committee will comprise of residents with an expertise on various subjects, including history, economic and residential development and traffic within their respective hamlet.
Photo by Diego Cagara / Spotlight News

“It’s taken a while for us to gather all the information because we had seven community forums and in each forum, we had three to four different groups throwing out ideas,” VanLuven said. “It was a vast amount of input that we had to organize so we can start to see themes, patterns and common issues like walkability and neighborhood feel. There were also themes by hamlet because the challenges we heard in South Bethlehem and North Bethlehem were different, for example. Certain hamlets don’t have a commercial center that draws people together that serves as a nexus for community or connection.”

VanLuven also said that the town is looking to create a so-called Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee. He said it would ideally include people who have expertise on different areas like their respective hamlets, traffic, economic and residential development, or history; need those people to be “ambassadors” as in they can regularly reach out to the communities; and also engage them during the comprehensive plan process. Concerning the latter point, he added, “It would also inform the people of what the town can do and can’t do. We’d be looking for businesses and residents to step up.

“We’re going to need people who will be active so it’s not like they will attend a meeting once a month and never again. They’d have to invest a ton of time, and do lots of background material reading, and do a lot of outreach,” he said. “It’s a serious endeavor and we’re looking for a broad breadth of perspectives although we don’t want people who are looking into it in a political perspective.”

When asked how many committee members would be needed, VanLuven said it’s a matter to be further discussed although he imagined it may be around 15 people at most. He added that the town is not yet ready to start putting out a call for people to submit applications.

“I would like to have the comprehensive plan be ideally done by the middle of next summer and that might be overly ambitious but that’s what I would like to see,” he said. “I’d like for it to be done by the end of next year at the latest and I don’t want this to go more than two years.”

The new comprehensive plan will succeed the town’s original 2005 one which had outlined goals and visions for the town to achieve through 2020. VanLuven said the 2005 plan was “in a lot of ways, a huge success which was well-thought out and well-executed” although he said the town missed “some opportunities” like achieving more farmland and greenspace protection, for example.

“I want this [new] comprehensive plan to bring the community together to think about what we want Bethlehem to be,” he concluded, envisioning that the plan will focus on the town’s goals through perhaps 2035 or 2040. “I want us to take real steps, actions and programs to achieve what we want to achieve, and not just talking about them and not doing anything about it.”

For more information on the new comprehensive plan, visit www.townofbethlehem.org/842/Comprehensive-Plan-Update. For more information on the 2005 one, visit www.townofbethlehem.org/201/Comprehensive-Plan-Current.

Tags: Bethlehem Comprehensive Plan
ShareTweetShareShare
Previous Post

Crossgates’ Maggie McFly’s has the menu to satisfy everyone

Next Post

There’s more to Olana than the eccentric house on the hill

Leave Comment

Stay Connected with Us

Recent News

Fear to Storm Cheerleading Competition at Saratoga High School on Saturday, Jan. 28.

SPOTTED: Cheer from Bethlehem and Colonie at Fear the Storm Competition

January 31, 2023
The South Colonie Central School District had five schools go into lockout this morning. Kassie Parisi/Spotlight News

Colonie Central High School iCare program hosted its 9th annual Chili Cook-off

January 31, 2023

Vascular Surgeon Dr. Andre Ramdon joins Albany Med

January 31, 2023

Student-Athletes Honored by BOE

January 29, 2023

Hot Stories This Week

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest

A ‘wicked good time’ coming to Xgates

September 2, 2022

Colonie Area Weekly Police Blotter January 25th – January 31st

January 28, 2023
Fear to Storm Cheerleading Competition at Saratoga High School on Saturday, Jan. 28.

SPOTTED: Cheer from Bethlehem and Colonie at Fear the Storm Competition

January 31, 2023
Bethlhem, Guilderland and Shaker Gymnastics travelled to Saratoga on Friday, Jan. 13.

SPOTTED: Bethlehem, Guilderland, Shaker and Saratoga compete at qualifying meet

January 16, 2023
Fear to Storm Cheerleading Competition at Saratoga High School on Saturday, Jan. 28.

SPOTTED: Cheer from Bethlehem and Colonie at Fear the Storm Competition

January 31, 2023
The South Colonie Central School District had five schools go into lockout this morning. Kassie Parisi/Spotlight News

Colonie Central High School iCare program hosted its 9th annual Chili Cook-off

January 31, 2023

Vascular Surgeon Dr. Andre Ramdon joins Albany Med

January 31, 2023

Student-Athletes Honored by BOE

January 29, 2023
Spotlight News

Spotlight News, The Spot 518 and Capital District Family Now are divisions of Community Media Group, LLC. Our local offices are located at 341 Delaware Ave, Delmar, NY 12054. You can contact us at 518.439.4949.

Browse

Follow Us

  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact the Editor
  • Employment
  • Our Team
  • Privacy & Policy

© 2022 Community Media Group, LLC - 341 Delaware Ave. Delmar, NY 12054. 518.439.4949

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Election 2022
  • News
    • Crime and Police
    • Fire Departments
    • Milestones
    • Real Estate and Housing
    • Schools
    • Sports
    • Spotlight On Business
    • Spotlight on Finance
  • The Spot 518
    • Galleries
    • Art
    • Theatre
    • Music
    • Food and Drink
    • Health & Fitness
  • Hot Spots Calendar
  • Newsletter Sign Up
  • Opinion
  • Classifieds
    • Advertiser Login
    • Service Directory
    • Hire Power – Employer Spotlight
  • Capital District Family Now
    • Parenting News
    • Senior News
  • Towns
    • Albany County
    • Bethlehem
    • Colonie
    • Guilderland
  • Log In
  • Subscribe

© 2022 Community Media Group, LLC - 341 Delaware Ave. Delmar, NY 12054. 518.439.4949