Photo Credit: Owen Cramsie Jr.
The proposed apartment building at 111 South Liberty Drive near Walgreens has stirred up a lot of emotions and many questions about the planning and zoning process. It’s also raised the issue of our woefully out of date Master Plan.
The original Master Plan was completed in 1995, 28 years ago. Recently, the Town Planning Consultant was asked by the Planning Board if the Master Plan could help sort out some of the issues with the 111 South Liberty project. He answered that the plan was “too long in the tooth” (old) to help make decisions today.
Stony Point residents have repeatedly asked the Town Board over the last several years to update the Master Plan.
But the Board continues to reject these calls.
First, a quick history. A revision to the 1995 plan was done in 2007, 12 years after the original plan. The Board asked the committee which was led by Geneslaw Consulting to address a very limited scope of issues: streamlining the non-residential development review process, accessory apartments, and apartments above stores.
A year later in 2008, the Board called on the planning committee and consultants to address the specific issue of restaurants in the Waterfront district.
In 2009, the committee and consultants were called on once again. This time the Board asked them to amend the Master Plan to include Letchworth Village, Holt Drive, and to revisit the Planned Waterfront District.
In 2013, the Board called the committee and consultants to add another amendment to the Master Plan. Here’s a quote from the Geneslaw Consultants:
The Town has not seen preparation of a Comprehensive Plan in more than 15 years and the land use policies of the town are likely to soon require a comprehensive review.
It should be fully understood that the update process that began in 2006 and culminated in this plan was not a full Comprehensive Plan process. At it’s outset the plan was limited to commercial areas of town and to economic development issues.
It is the recommendation of this update that a full Comprehensive Plan process be undertaken by the Town within the next several years
that begins with full community participation and outreach in visioning and establishing goals and objectives.
The Comprehensive Plan should provide recommendations for all geographic areas subject to future use and development
and giving full consideration to all existing and developing Town concerns.
So, the planners back in 2013 were recommending that the Master Plan which was more than 15 years old at the time, be updated to include the entire town and issues that were broader then commercial areas and economic issues.
The Master Plan completed in 1995 was the last Comprehensive Planning done by the Town. None of the work done afterward was comprehensive planning. They were just specific amendments to the original plan created 28 years ago.
A good example and one of the best places to see the Town’s lack of planning is our waterfront district. Scan the area. We’ve got the eyesore of mobile homes jammed too close together and stacked like sardines, sitting next to a defunct factory on 44 acres of prime waterfront property, near what will someday be a luxury waterfront condo complex, a sliver of town park, and a variety of commercial and residential properties. It’s a crazy mishmash. What investor looking at that would come to Stony Point and build a nice hotel or a restaurant not knowing what the Town will allow to be built next door?
We’re the last rural town in Rockland County. You can be certain that we’ll be the target of lots of developers with lots of projects. 111 South Liberty is just the tip of the iceberg. More proposals will coming our way in the future.
A thoughtful comprehensive Master Plan can help guide us.
Yogi Berra said it best, “If you don’t know where you’re going any road will take you there”.
Stony Point shouldn’t just be on any road.
If you’re not happy with moving ahead without a plan, please consider voting for Ellie Kassner for Town Council. She isn’t against development, but opposes 111 South Liberty Dr. because it doesn’t fit in with the character of Stony Point. If you feel it’s time for some new ideas, some new vision, and someone on the Board who will advocate for an updated Master plan, vote for Ellie on November 7th.
Your vote is your voice! Make it heard.