smart growth

Genesee County’s Planning Department is ready to review and discuss a draft 2022 Smart Growth Plan report that’s available to the public.

The Department will be conducting three online Zoom meetings over the next two weeks for anyone interested in signing up for one of them. The report can be viewed HERE.

Meetings are scheduled for 2 p.m. Tuesday, and 6:30 p.m. Thursday, and 6:30 p.m. Aug. 31. They may count for one hour of land use training credits for planning and zoning board members. To register and obtain the Zoom link, email your name, desired date, and if you would like a training certificate to: Felipe.Oltramari@co.genesee.ny.us

What’s the Smart Growth Plan?
On May 9, 2001, Genesee County Legislature adopted the Smart Growth Plan, which is "a mitigating action of potential significant environmental impacts of the Genesee County Water Supply Project upon the viability of agriculture in Genesee County," according to the County Planning Department Director Felipe Oltramari.

Smart Growth Development Areas were designated throughout the county based on their access to transportation, minimal conflict with County Agricultural Districts, and state-regulated wetlands, feasibility of extending public water service, and the potential for extending public infrastructure to support development, Oltramari said.

The Plan requires that it be reviewed every three years by the Legislature and that recommendations for its revision be made at that time.

2022 Review Highlights 
During this review, the Towns of Byron and Pembroke proposed changes to the Smart Growth Development Area Boundaries. One substantive text change is also being proposed as part of this review. The meeting will focus on the modifications being recommended to the County Legislature by the County Planning Department.

According to the Smart Growth report, Phase 1 of the County Water Supply project has been completed, and Phase 2 work is ongoing. Map 1 in the report shows the existing waterlines and the Smart Growth Development Areas prior to the revisions recommended in this report. The majority of water hookups that have been made to the system have occurred mainly along major state highways and county highways.

Although some have been made in agricultural production areas, they have complied with the Smart Growth Plan’s objectives by hooking up only existing structures to public water. The majority of the hookups made were located within the Smart Growth Development Areas designated by the Legislature.

Since 2019, there have been 15 additional requests for hookups outside of the Development Areas to structures built after the adoption of the Smart Growth Plan. This brings the total number of these special requests to 68. After careful consideration given to their potential adverse impacts on agriculture and farming in the area, the Administrative Review Committee approved 12 of the 15, denied two, and tabled one of the requests that was later withdrawn by the applicant.

As a result of this review, and based upon existing comprehensive plans, local planning initiatives, and comments received during the public review process, it is recommended that the boundary of the Priority Development Area be amended in the hamlets of Byron, South Byron and North Byron and a new Priority Development Area be created on Lyman and Beaver Meadow roads in the Town of Byron.

No other changes are recommended in the development areas of the other municipalities in Genesee County (see Map 2). This review also amends the Policies and Procedures for Managing Water Hookups section of the plan by recommending that the Genesee County Legislature pass a local law that when any purchase and sale contract is presented for "the sale, purchase, or exchange of real property located in any town outside of a village (or the City) within the Genesee County, a Smart Growth disclosure notice is required to be signed by both the seller(s) and the buyer(s) acknowledging that Smart Growth is in effect and that new construction may not have the guaranteed right to public water."

This notice will help educate buyers of land about the Smart Growth Plan impacts on access to public water for new non-agricultural development. the report states.

The objectives of the Smart Growth Plan are to:

• Focus County resources to support economic development opportunities in the most promising locations; 
• Encourage the revitalization of existing industrial areas, business districts, and residential neighborhoods in the City of Batavia and developed village areas; and
• Protect farmland and the rural character of the countryside, and maintain the viability of agriculture.

These objectives are consistent with the general principles of Smart Growth to promote the efficient use of land resources and infrastructure; maximize the benefit of existing infrastructure; promote economic development in appropriate areas; encourage revitalization within the City of Batavia, villages and other developed areas, focusing on residential neighborhoods, downtown redevelopment, and the re-use of environmentally damaged lands; protect prime agricultural soils and other natural resources and encourage the continued viability of agriculture according to the Smart Growth America Building Better Budgets Report from May 2013.

In general, smart growth development costs one-third less for upfront infrastructure, saving an average of 38 percent on upfront costs for new construction of roads, sewers, water lines and other infrastructure. Many studies have concluded that this number is as high as 50 percent.

Priority Development Areas include areas with significant potential for economic development as well as areas that are already relatively densely developed with housing, commercial or industrial uses. These areas were identified based upon the following criteria:

• Access to transportation, including the Interstate Highway System, the State highway network, and the Genesee County Airport;
• Feasibility of extending or enhancing public water service;
• Availability or potential for extending other public infrastructure and services to support development;
• Minimal conflict with land in County Agricultural Districts and State regulated wetlands; and
• Minimal conflict with land identified as an Ecological Network or Natural Asset Core by the Green Genesee Smart Genesee Project.

Designated Priority Development Areas include land in and surrounding the City of Batavia, Village of LeRoy and Village of Bergen, and other villages and hamlets in Genesee County.

To learn more about the report and future of Genesee County’s water project, click HERE for the report.

The COVID-19 pandemic has sabotaged many projects over the past two years, but it hasn’t been able to stop planners and consultants working with Genesee County from advancing the Genesee 2050 Comprehensive Plan and Recreation Plan.

In fact, the coronavirus paved the way for a new dynamic – the ability to meet via Zoom and other social media outlets to engage members of the focus groups who have contributed to the Comprehensive Plan, said Eve Holberg, planner/project manager with Joy Kuebler Landscape Architect of North Tonawanda.

Speaking at a presentation to the Genesee County Legislature tonight at the Old County Courthouse (and via Zoom), Holberg (photo at right) said that moving the process online has alleviated the challenge of bringing stakeholders together and has been key in communicating the various surveys that helped mold the documents.

“Zoom and other meeting platforms … can boost the efficiency of the focus groups (who) want to see their quality of life preserved,” she said.

About 10 people attended in person and several others viewed and listened remotely to the presentation, which also included an overview of the Recreation Plan and the Genesee 2050 Hub Site (www.Genesee2050.com) by Michael Kane and Jenny Mogavero, respectively, principals at Prospect Hill Consulting in Buffalo.

Joy Kuebler Landscape Architect and Prospect Hill Consulting have been commissioned by the Genesee County Planning Department to draft the updated plans, which carry the overarching goals of enhancing quality of life issues and providing viable places and opportunities that promote healthy living, recreation and the arts.

‘NOT YOUR GRANDFATHER’S PLAN’

Holberg said the economic, cultural and educational landscapes have changed considerably since the county first embarked on comprehensive planning more than 20 years ago.

“This is not your grandfather’s Comprehensive Plan,” she said, noting that she and others have been working on this for 18 months. She also touted the Genesee 2050 interactive website that will "carry the plan forward.”

The vision of the 2050 Comprehensive Plan targets the wishes of the residents of Genesee County and the willingness of county government “to advance budgeting and funding to achieve these ambitions,” she said.

Overall recommendations include maintaining and expanding the focus groups that have set the plans in motion and to sustain Smart Growth, the component that preserves the county’s farmland, promotes sustainable growth and supports economic development strategy.

The Genesee 2050 Comprehensive Plan lists 10 priority elements that are keys to achieving its goals:

• Land use, environment and place making;
• Agriculture and food production;
• Arts, culture, parks and recreation;
• Housing opportunities;
• Transportation and mobility;
• Technology and utilities;
• Community wellness;
• Economic and workforce development;
• Safety, security and justice;
• Government and education administration.

Holberg provided an example when talking about transportation and mobility, suggesting a pooling of transportation resources (Social Services, Office for the Aging, Veterans Services) “to make it possible to have a better mobility system and to keep people in their communities.”

RECREATION PLAN: AN ALL-IN VENTURE

The first of its kind in Genesee County, the Recreation Plan is a road map for future development – “an ambitious plan” that considers the extensive facilities and parks in the City of Batavia and the county’s towns and villages, Kane said.

The plan’s five goals and objectives – “which remained consistent as the project evolved,” Kane said – are as follows:

• Develop plans that equitably meet community recreation needs;
• Promote healthy living;
• Promote tourism through recreation, arts and cultural attractions;
• Promote new trails and park development, and local and regional trail connections.
• Promote/maintain youth recreational services.

Parks in the county for the most part are in excellent shape, Kane said, adding that information on all the parks and recreation areas is attractively displayed in the Recreation Plan.

His team reviewed more than 50 plans, including county, town and village comprehensive plans and New York State’s open space/recreation plans, and assessed the parks’ accessibility by walking and by car to “identify gaps in the county’s recreational inventory.”

Thus far, more than 20 projects have been identified, including expansion and upgrading of Ellicott Trail, creation of a new trail at Genesee Community College, paving of the shoulders of county roads for recreational use, establishing public spaces at Oatka Creek and reuse of the former amusement park at Indian Falls.

Kane said the projects are prioritized by how strongly they hit the five goals mentioned above. He also said these potential projects give Genesee County and other municipal entities a better chance to receive grant funding.

HUB SITE: AN EXTENSION OF THE PLAN

The Genesee 2050 Hub Site is a tool for the county to maintain the Comprehensive Plan and a platform to support community engagement activities, Mogavero said.

“It includes tools, data and documents for the focus groups .. and ensures that the plan will have a long shelf life,” she said, advising that the website will include the ability for public feedback in real time and links to agencies and maps to obtain current information.

In the end, Holberg said both plans reflect the values shared by county residents.

“Everyone wants more trails, and (because of that) the county can look for funding opportunities,” she said.

Up next for the county's tri-annual update to our Smart Growth Plan is a presentation Feb. 13 to the Public Service Committee of the Genesee County Legislature.

Planning Director Felipe Oltramari and planning staff have toured the county, providing interested residents at town-hall-style meetings information and maps outlining the proposed changes to the plan.

The final such meeting was Tuesday at the community center in Oakfield and covered the proposed plan for Oakfield and Alabama.

The goal of the plan is to protect farmland from suburban-like sprawl and guide population centers toward a denser, mixed-use, more pedestrian-friendly environment.

These are the types of communities younger generations of families and workers are looking for, Oltramari said. Younger families want to have more amenities and services within walking distance of their homes and have a stronger sense of neighborhood than offered by traditional suburban development where all lots are the same size, all homes have the same floor plan and residents come home from work, pull into their garage and never say "hi" to a neighbor.

The plan for Oakfield (pdf) includes allowing development along Pearl Street out to Batavia Oakfield Townline Road.

In response to a resident's question, Oltramari suggested this area is well positioned for the kind of denser, mixed-use, walkable neighborhood many people want these days.

A resident brought up a decades-old housing development in Le Roy that is more than a mile outside of the village and noted residents just drive to Tops, and "what's wrong with that?" and Oltramari said those are the kind of developments that contribute to the decline of villages such as Le Roy.

Islands of suburban-like development tend to encourage people to move out of older villages and don't bring in new residents, he said, and then the old Victorian homes in the village become multi-unit rentals.

"What happened along with that is their downtown died," Oltramari said. "A lot of people who used to walk into the shops, a lot of families whose kids used to walk to school and go downtown are not there anymore. They’re being bussed and they’re being driven and a lot of people who live in the village are transient people. There are consequences to doing that, but when you build little neighborhoods, you tend to attract people from the outside."

The Smart Growth Plan contemplates new homes being built that fit into a hamlet's or village's character (differing lot sizes, different architectural treatments), but helps keep homes clustered around the village, which will encourage rehab of the remaining older homes.

For Alabama (pdf), growth could mean a demand for more housing, but instead of converting farmland into housing tracts, the plan is designed to grow the existing hamlet into a village.

None of this -- like any planning document -- is written into stone, Oltramari noted after Tuesday's meeting. There are processes to override the plan, but those are difficult barriers to overcome. A town's board, the county planning board and the County Legislature would all have to approve a development not fitting in the current development boundaries, and if that happened there would be legal challenges.

The Smart Growth Plan development process dates back to 2001 and was part of the agreement to bring Monroe County Water into Genesee County. The county is required to update the plan every three years in order to continue to expand the public water supply flowing from Monroe County Water.

There are future funding mechanisms dependent on abiding by the plan, and the Sierra Club is on record, Oltramari said, of claiming it is prepared to file a lawsuit if the county doesn't develop and abide by the plan to protect farmland.

For more on the Smart Growth Plan, and to view maps for each community that outline development areas, click here. The Feb. 13 meeting, likely to start at 4:30 p.m. at the Old Courthouse, is open to the public.