TOWN OF PLATTEKILL

updated Master Plan

cover to include graphic from Plattekill Elementary School photo project

final draft December, 2001

prepared by the Master Plan Committee

submitted to the Town Board, Town of Plattekill

comments to:

Dave Church, New York Planning Federation                   or         Brain McKay, Committee Chair

44 Central Ave., Albany, NY  12206                                               Town of Plattekill, Route 44/55, PO Box 45

800 366 6973,  518 427 8625 (fax)                                                Modena, NY,  12548

dchurch@hvc.rr.com                                                             845 883 7331 or 7332,  845 883 7207 (fax)

Comprehensive Plan  (also known as “master plan”)

A comprehensive plan consists of the materials, written and/or graphic including but not limited to maps, charts, studies, resolutions, reports, and other descriptive material that identify the goals, objectives, principles, guidelines, policies, standards, devices and instruments for the immediate and long-range protection, enhancement, growth and development of the municipality.

New York State Chapter 418 of the Laws of 1995 amending Town Law § 272-a.

Town of Plattekill Vision Statement

To provide for a future in which all of Plattekill’s citizens can experience a high and affordable standard in quality of life and development,

and to promote orderly growth and balanced use of land.

Acknowledgements …………………………………………………                  i

Executive Summary …………………………………………………                  ii       

Introduction ……………………………………………………………….. 5

The Importance of a Plan  ………………………………………    5

The Planning Process  ……………………………………………  6

Land Use History  ………………………………………………………… 8

Plattekill Today  …………………………………………………………… 12

          Trends   ……………………………………………………………...          12

 Policies ………………………………………………………………         15

          Assets and Challenges  ……………………………………………          20

          Public Opinion  ………………………………………………………         23

Recommended Actions  ………………………………………………… 26

Guide to Terms Used  …………………………………………………… 33    

Mapsa

            Figure 1, 2001 Land Use
            Figure 2, Town Assets

            Figure 3, Vacant, Developable Farm Land

Supplemental Reports  (available at Town Hall or on-line at www.town.plattekill.ny.us)

            1999 Southern Ulster Alliance Countryside Exchange

            2001 Town of Plattekill Survey, SUNY-New Paltz American Marketing Association

            2001 (June) Town of Plattekill Public Sewer and Water Service Feasibility Study      

Introduction

In 2000 the Town of Plattekill entered its third century as an incorporated municipality.   This updated Town Master Plan seeks to provide a vision and a series of recommended actions as Plattekill sets to establish how land should best be used, preserved and enhanced in the near future of this new century, and what program priorities should be set to support this vision.

The Importance of a Plan

Why update a plan?   First, all towns in New York State are obliged to have an up-to-date plan as the legal foundation for any zoning and land use regulations. More importantly, a thoughtful plan, based on public input and a positive perspective for the future, can help set the priorities for coordinated action by Town officials, staff and volunteers.   This plan also offers guidance to anyone interested in Plattekill   ---  including Town residents, property owners, businesses, organizations and prospective businesses or investors  ---  about our history, our current conditions, and what we prefer as a future. In summary, the leading reasons to update Plattekill’s plan are:

v     To help attract the desired future and to help avoid an undesirable future.

v     To establish a contemporary, positive community vision.

v     To identify actions to ensure economic stability and protect valuable natural, cultural and historic resources.

v     To provide guidance and direction to other agencies and interests.

v     To help avoid surprises by understanding the Town’s assets and liabilities.

v     To improve access to government and non-government assistance through clarity of vision.

v     To provide a legal and technical foundation for land use policies and tools.

The Planning Process

This plan builds on an original 1973 Town of Plattekill Master Plan, along with a 1993 update of that Plan.  Those plans recognized the need to maintain the important and historic role of agriculture in Plattekill, as well as the important but declining role of summer/weekend tourism.  A steady increase of residential construction and the need to maintain a high quality and mix of housing types were also leading themes, along with a desire to encourage concentrated development near Modena and other hamlets as “focal points of the Town.”

In 1998 a Master Plan Committee was appointed with an overall goal to provide leadership and advice towards updating the Town’s plans.  As noted in the Committee’s early direction from the Plattekill Town Board, the overall goal of an updated plan should be to preserve the past, plan for the present, and prepare for the Town’s future development in a manner that would require a high standard of quality for all development as well as promote orderly growth and balanced use of land.   Additionally, the plan should identity other goals to support the community, along with determining what problems need to be addressed and planned for.  What types of development would the Town like to see?  What are our needs as a community?

The Town Master Plan Committee has been meeting regularly for nearly two years.   In late 1999 the Committee agreed to contract assistance from two organizations.  First, the New York Planning Federation was retained to provide the committee with overall professional guidance, research and project coordination.   Second, the Collegiate Chapter of the American Marketing Association at SUNY-New Paltz was retained to survey resident attitudes about the provision of services and the overall quality of life found in the Town of Plattekill.   That work included facilitation of focus groups in each of the Town’s hamlets, as well as the completion and analysis of a randomly-selected survey of some 330 Town residents.

This Plan builds on the work of the Master Plan Committee and on the assistance of our professional partners.  Certain other documents and studies also were key references.  Most important were:

v     GML Referral Guide and Land Use Plan,  prepared by the Ulster County Planning Board.

v     Ulster County Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan, sponsored by the Ulster County Agricultural and Farmland Protection Board (1997)

v     Southern Ulster Alliance Countyside Exchange Report, prepared by The Countryside Institute and Glynwood Center (1999)

v     Town of Plattekill Public Water and Sewer Service Feasibility Study, prepared by Dufresne-Henry Engineers at the request of the Town of Plattekill Town Board (2001)

Finally, the Town Board further asked that the following categories be considered in the preparation of this Plan.   They were:

ü      Economic development

ü      Residential development

ü      Recreation

ü      Agriculture

ü      Infrastructure (water, sewer)

ü      Transportation

ü      Commercial uses

ü      Government services

ü      Capital improvements

ü      Cultural/historical resources

ü      Sensitive environmental areas

ü      Utilities

ü      Zoning

LAND USE HISTORY

The history of Plattekill is predated by relatively vague accounts of Native American activity associated with the Delaware  or Leni-Lenape, more recently referred to as the Esopus Indians, who were known to be active along the Wallkill River Valley.  European settlement of the area began in the late 1600s and early 1700s through land patents from the English Governor of New York.   With an act of the New York State Legislature, Plattekill was divided from the Town of Marlborough to the east,  and became the ninth town in Ulster County on March 21, 1800.   At the time of its incorporation as a Town, an estimated 1600 people lived here and were focused on the area’s farming heritage.[1]    By 1860 Plattekill was described as having a soil of   “a fine quality of sandy and gravelly loam…. on which were several hamlets including) Plattekill near the s.line, contains a church and 25 dwellings; Clintondale in the n. part, on the line of Lloyd, a church and 20 dwellings; Flint (New Hurley) in the s.w. corner, on the line of Shawangunk, a church and 15 dwellings, and Modena near the n.w. corner, 16 dwellings.”[2]

Subsequent growth in Plattekill was spurred by its railroad era, beginning in 1887 with the incorporation and opening of the Hudson Connecting Railroad.  That line served to link the new Hudson River railroad bridge at Poughkeepsie with the main rail line through Orange County south at Campbell Hall.  With depots in Modena and outside Clintondale, these two hamlets experienced noticeable development in the early twentieth century.   Since the 1950s, Plattekill has seen spurts of residential and agricultural development throughout the Town, linked to the region’s economy and improved accessibility to the larger Hudson Valley and New York metropolitan regions via the nearby New York State Thruway and Interstate 84.

Named after the Platte Kill stream in the southwestern portion of the Town, Plattekill has an agricultural heritage worth noting.   By the mid-1800s, the Town had become the center of a larger region’s prominent fruit growing.   Initially dominated by grape growing  -  including such varieties as Isabella and Catawba and later Concord, Niagara and Delaware – grapes along with raspberries and currants, were particularly important into the 1900s.   In The Village of Clintondale from its beginning …[3]  the decline of grape growing is related to the loss of readily available fertilizing horse manure from New York City in the mid-twentieth century, as the car overtook horse and wagon as the primary means of transportation.

With improved railroad access to markets, dairying also grew as an occupation, with creameries near many of the region’s rail stations, including Elting’s Corner.   However, it has been apple growing that has dominated the past century, with orchards steadily growing in size to compete.  Indeed, much of the Town’s twentieth century history is punctuated by dramatic weather changes such as early freezes, hail storms, or hurricanes affecting fruit crops, a key to the local economy.

Cold storage of fruit started later in the nineteenth century and became a critical element of fruit production and marketing which survives today.   Originally reliant on local ice harvesting, larger refrigerated buildings were soon built.    Farms learned the value of shared storage.  Early cooperative efforts, such the Clintondale Fruit Growers Co-op, Inc., broadened from storage and helped  local growers to better compete in buying, storage and marketing into the 1940s.   Today, Plattekill’s landscape and economy is still dominated by orchards, irrigation ponds and storage buildings of the fruit business.

The following contrasting photographs show how many aspects of this historic landscape survive today.

PLATTEKILL TODAY

Trends

Today Plattekill is influenced by several trends as part of a larger environmental region and economic marketplace known as the Mid-Hudson Valley.   These include:

o       Strong residential growth as people continue to seek the relative affordability and high quality of location found here.  In the past decade, the Town’s population grew at a rate of more than 11%, slightly slower than its fast growing, immediate western neighbors of Gardiner and Shawangunk, yet right in pace with the larger Orange/southern Ulster county region as part of the fastest growing area in upstate New York.  The Town is increasingly becoming a bedroom community. (see table 1) 

o       Continued importance of agriculture, particularly the many orchards long unique to Plattekill and southeastern Ulster County.  Agriculture remains a key aspect of the economy and a prominent element of the Town’s landscape and character.  Yet fruit growing has become an increasingly challenged business.

o       Growing conflicts between neighborhood land uses, aggravated by the site difficulties of new and historic residences near active agricultural uses or expanding, the private outdoor recreation businesses in proximity to residences, and overall increased density of development in some neighborhoods.

o       Continued growth of tourism, now less reliant on earlier resort and villa locations, and more diverse and linked to specialized outdoor recreation,  sightseeing and other short term visits and activities focused on the region’s wealth of agriculture, historic preservation, and rural scenery all within a one or two hour trip from anywhere in one of the world’s great metropolitan areas.

o       Sustained and growing Hispanic community, long an important influence on the Town.  Sixteen percent of the 9892 residents found in the 2000 census report shows that Plattekill has one of the largest and fastest growing Hispanic populations of any town in its region.

o       A quiet commuting community, as Plattekill’s resident population grows without complementary growth in local employment opportunity.   Like much of southern Ulster County and nearby northwestern Orange County, new residents are coming to enjoy an attractive quality of life in many cases anchored to jobs outside of the Town, notably in nearby southwestern Dutchess County or in Newburgh or New Paltz, or further south towards the New York metropolitan region.

A critical trend for the Town of Plattekill relates to the Town property tax base.   As shown in Table 1, the property tax base has grown increasingly reliant and residential development.  This gain has been at the expense of a diversified tax base, with notable loses in agricultural and vacant land values reflecting both the reduction in active farmland the the conversion of lands to other uses.

Table 1

Town of Plattekill  -  Property Tax Values by Land Use Type

All values in thousands of dollars and in percent (%) of total Town values.

Note the increase in percentage value of residential uses.

Residential gain in total value is at the expense of farmland and vacant land losses.

Note also that “mobile homes” have consistently contributed approximately 7% of total residential values,

a relatively high percentage for the region; demonstrating Plattekill’s strong, historic role in helping

meet a range of housing needs

Policies

Three important documents establish public policies and background research in support of this updated Plan.

THE COUNTY LAND USE AND HOUSING PLANS

The first is the Ulster County Land Use Plan and Housing Plan, prepared by the Ulster County Planning Board.  These plans are summarized in the General Municipal Law (GML) Referral Guide for municipal officials and property owners on how their local actions relate to concerns of the larger county region.  Below are listed the lead policies as defined by the County Planning Board:

v     That major developments, commercial, industrial and multi-family residential, be located in areas that are presently within or are adjacent to central public water and sewer systems and can be provided with good highway access.

v     That environmentally sensitive areas; flood plains, wetlands, mountainous terrain, steep slopes, shorelines, aquifer recharge areas and irreplaceable agricultural lands not be intensively developed.

v     That the existing highway system be preserved and protected by reducing strip commercial development, controlling the number of driveways along these highways and insuring that proper design techniques are used for safer access.

v     That proposed facilities be located to serve the total environmental and economic needs of the community, rather than serve only their specific functional purpose.

v     That the open space and park systems so unique to Ulster County are preserved and protected.  That protection shall include minimizing the impact of signs and other structures, like transmission towers that impact scenic vistas.

v     That each community will provide a range of housing opportunities for its residents and will accept a fair share of housing for low and moderate income families.

v     That the enforcement of land use controls is brought into compliance with enabling legislation and judicial decisions to insure implementation of local and county plans.

THE COUNTY AGRICULTURAL AND FARMLAND PROTECTION PLAN

A second important policy document is the Ulster County Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan of 1997.  This Plan notes the substantial role of fruit growing in southeastern Ulster County, with farm addresses from Marlboro, Highland, Clintondale, Plattekill, Wallkill, Gardiner and New Paltz post offices dominating fruit production acreage estimates.   Plattekill farms also make up critical parts of two “agricultural districts” in the County, District 1 – consolidated in 1989 to include over 21,000 acres of primarily orchards with a mix of vineyards, vegetable and other farms in the towns of Lloyd, Marlboro and Plattekill, and District 2 – consolidated in 1991 to include over 27,000 acres of livestock, orchards, dairy and other cash crops in the towns of Gardiner, New Paltz, Plattekill and Shawangunk.

Such agricultural districts are established through the New York State Agriculture and Markets Agricultural Districts Law Article 25AA.   First enacted in 1971, the purpose of this state law is to protect and conserve the state’s agricultural resource base.   Farm operations within the defined districts can voluntarily enter into eight-year land commitments administered by the State Department of Agriculture and Markets in cooperation with Ulster County.   The benefits of enrollment to a farm operation include:

ü      Limitation on unreasonably restrictive local regulations.

ü      Various state policies that encourage the retention of viable agricultural acreage.

ü      Limitations on use of eminent domain, public acquisition and advancement of public funds affecting farm acreage.

ü      Protection from private nuisance law suits (the right to farm provisions).

ü      Orchard and vineyard replanting/expansion tax breaks.

ü      State policy commitment to agriculture by local planning and land use decision-making policies through use of agricultural date statements and disclosures to avoid conflicting, neighboring land uses.

The summary goals of the County Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan immediately relevant to Plattekill are:

v     AGRICULTURAL LAND USE AND PROTECTION.  To promote options for preserving farmland without harming the farmer’s ability to obtain financing or benefit from the sale of his/her property.  Notable here is the need for towns to ensure that new development adjacent to farms does not create conflict and includes buffers when needed.   Techniques such as transfer of development rights (TDR), clustering and average density subdivisions are also advocated for new residential development, as is active participation by the Town in purchase of development rights (PDR) programs.

v     AGRICULTURAL VIABILITY.  To provide an atmosphere in Ulster County that ensures successful farming now and in the future.   Here, a variety of recommendations are made for regional cooperation to better utilize the New York City market, for overall market promotion, to encourage local customers to seek local products, and to support green market and farmers’ market opportunities for local growers.

v     AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION.  Provide educational opportunities for Ulster County residents that will increase their understanding of and appreciation of agriculture and its practices.  Promote the farmer as an effective steward of the land.  Here a range of recommendations seek to raise and maintain awareness by children, customers, retailers, property owners and municipal officials.

THE TOWN OF PLATTEKILL PUBLIC WATER AND SEWER SERVICE FEASIBILITY STUDY

In June, 2001 the Town Board received the draft Public Water and Sewer Service Feasibility Study, prepared by Dufresne-Henry Engineers of Newburgh, New York and commissioned by the Plattekill Town Board.  This study, presented in full as a supplement to the updated Master Plan, reviewed the feasibility of establishing publicly owned water or wastewater districts to serve the specific, existing “business” zoning districts found in the hamlets of Modena and Plattekill.

Estimated current and near future needs for each of the hamlet business districts are as follows:

Summary findings of this study include:

v     Joint service to two districts.  The concept of servicing two districts with a single water supply and/or wastewater collection and treatment/disposal system was ruled out, due to considerable costs of transmission mains within and between the districts.

v     Water supply options.   While use of streams and/or lakes, as well as tapping either of the two New York City water supply aqueducts crossing the Town was analyzed, only a groundwater supply offers possibility of meeting New York State Department of Health guidelines.   Few resident streams and lakes are nearby or adequate, and the costs associated with new surface water impoundments and mandatory water filtration are excessive.  Although legally available as an option, tapping the aqueducts is not recommended.  The Delaware Aqueduct from the Rondout Reservoir is a pressure tunnel several hundred feet below grade with few access shaft locations.  With either the Delaware Aqueduct or the at grade Catskill Aqueduct from the Ashokan Reservoir, the process of gaining permission from the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, including a reservation of right to take the aqueduct out of service at any time, along with capital costs, makes these options unattractive. 

v     Wastewater disposal options.   The few existing streams in the Town are not able to accept any large volume of effluent discharge from conventional sewage treatment.  Suitable soils also do not exist within or near either of the business districts  to permit subsurface discharge.  Coupled with high costs expected (given the length of service pipes required in each business district and the length of discharge pipes required to the nearest surface water with adequate capacity) suggests that centralized wastewater disposal is not a cost effective option.

v     The Best Option – Water Supply for Modena.   The strongest technical argument can be made for creating a water supply system for the Modena Hamlet Business District.  Tapping bedrock aquifers there would help reduce or eliminate the potential hazards associated with known contamination of wells by the gasoline additive MTBE due to spillage and leaks at former gasoline service stations, and by any potential future contamination from neighborhood septic tanks and absorption fields.  Such a system would also serve to encourage maximum reuse of existing buildings at the heart of the district near the intersection of Routes 44/55 and 32.  Central water service is an attractive marketing tool for attracting new development concentrated in this district.

Public Opinion

Early on, the Master Plan Committee recognized the essential need to gain public opinion towards defining any positive consensus recommendations in the Plan.   Using a variety of complementary techniques, public opinion was gained through the following primary efforts:

First, from its inception the Master Plan Committee has been composed of individuals representing a range of interests, including municipal officials and community activists.    Next, the Committee established a list of government and non-governmental groups with immediate impact on the Town and made efforts to directly contact each.  Special work sessions were held with members of the Town’s agricultural community, the Town’s Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals, the Rotary Club, local fire departments and the two resident senior citizen associations, while other key individuals were interviewed.

Next, the Town initiated three unique efforts  -  photographic survey work by students at Plattekill Elementary School, participation in a regional “countryside exchange”, and more formal public opinion polling by a team of students and faculty from the State University of New York at New Paltz (SUNY-New Paltz).  The photographic survey was sponsored by Kodak and The Conservation Fund.  In the late Spring of 2000, sixth grade students from the Town’s resident elementary school were all given disposable cameras and asked to photograph what they liked most about the Town of Plattekill.  Those photos, and the subsequent collages made by student teams, provided insight and inspiration for this Plan, while giving those who may be the future of Plattekill a first-hand experience in planning.

Earlier in 1999 the Town, with a coalition of five neighboring towns and one village known as the Southern Ulster Alliance, hosted the Countryside Exchange, a community assistance program sponsored by The Glynwood Center.   During an intensive week of community workshops and programs, hundreds of residents and interested individuals from Plattekill and the neighboring towns of Lloyd, New Paltz and Gardiner worked with a visiting team of European and North American “experts” and agreed that the greatest local challenge was gaining sustainable economic development while maintaining quality of life.

Consensus highlights of the Exchange included:

v     Need for a regional, economic development strategy .

v     Focus on tourism through activities complementary to existing outdoor recreation, agriculture and historic features.

v     Recognition and support for the diversity of values from farming.

v     Need for a more regional approach to land use planning.

v     Improved partnerships between town government and educational institutions.

PUBLIC OPINION SURVEY

More recently, as part of a commission for this Plan update, a public opinion survey of Town of Plattekill residents was conducted by the Collegiate Chapter of the American Marketing Association from SUNY New Paltz.  The goal of this survey was twofold: to determine the issues that residents consider important and to measure the level of satisfaction with the role played by the Town in influencing the life styles of its residents.

Working with the Master Plan Committee,  a series of two-hour, community focus group sessions were  held in each of the Town’s hamlets (Modena, Plattekill and Clintondale) where 10-12 residents were invited to help identify leading issues and concerns and to help test possible questions for the more formal survey.   A 28-question telephone survey was conducted of 330 randomly selected Plattekill residents.   Those responding were first asked to confirm they were residents of the Town.  If they were, the survey continued.  If they were not, the survey was politely ended.

Generally, the questions were designed to learn if respondents agreed or disagreed with statements and to rank their level of satisfaction with certain conditions or experiences.   A few open-ended questions were also asked to help gain additional feedback, and 8 demographic questions helped to define the profile of the population surveyed.

While the complete report from the Collegiate Chapter of the American Marketing Association from SUNY-New Paltz is available as a supplement to this Plan, the leading responses are summarized here:

Ø      84% of the residents were satisfied with the overall appearance of the town, yet only 46% agree that the Town is doing enough to address the issue of appearance.

Ø      93% see rural character as important to preserve, while 77% believe the Town should take an active role in preserving farmland.

Ø      Business development and attraction has solid support, but only 17% would like to see “light industrial businesses.”  Tourism-focused businesses are supported by 87%, with more shopping or retail supported by 61%.  

Ø      Nearly 2/3 of respondents would like to see public transportation options expanded, while most residents are now satisfied with most other Town services such as policing, sidewalks, roads or lighting.

Ø      There is support for the expansion of recreation services, with the greatest support coming from the southern portion of the Town.

Ø      While a modest majority would support legislation requiring property maintenance, only about 1/3 would support this if they had to pay for enforcement.

Assets and Challenges

Through the public outreach efforts, as well as numerous meetings of the Master Plan Committee, a variety of assets and challenges found in Plattekill were identified and considered.   While many individuals had particular features or conditions they liked or found as challenges in the Town, certain features and conditions stand out in common.

Leading physical features that are seen as assets to the Town are shown in the accompanying Town Assets Map.

Generally these ASSETS can be grouped as to QUALITY OF LIFE and defined into three categories:

1. PROXIMITY.  The Town provides immediate access and proximity to a great variety of resources, services, shopping and recreation.   Regional benefits include cultural, recreation and education facilities valued by many people.  Additionally, easy access to the New York City metropolitan region provides access to a variety of quality employment, services and cultural experiences.
   
   The Town is also served by two primary and intersecting roads,  New York State Routes 44/55 and 32, providing ready access to Newburgh, Poughkeepsie, New Paltz and the Catskill region.
   
   

2. LIFE STYLE.  Everyone likes to note in their own terms the special life style afforded in the Town.   Notable is its peaceful and safe setting and neighbors who are supportive, reliable and friendly.
   
   

3. ENVIRONMENT.  Plattekill is truly located in a unique place.   Scenic beauty and vistas are the most appreciated feature.  With that comes a strong appreciation of the Town’s agricultural heritage, its sunsets and night sky, its air quality and the wildlife and open landscape.

The Town also faces some leading CHALLENGES commonly cited by residents.  Again, while individual residents noted various issues in need of improvement, several lead themes emerged.  They are:

1. COMMUNITY IDENTITY.   Too often there is a weak sense of overall Town community identity.  This is easy to understand as the Town is divided into several post office service areas, only one of which is called Plattekill.   Additionally, the Town’s students may attend one of four school districts, with only the Plattekill Elementary School bearing the Town’s name, yet serving students in only a portion of the Town.   Adding to this locational confusion is that major employment and services areas are generally outside of, yet near the Town, around Newburgh, New Paltz, Wallkill or Highland/Poughkeepsie.
   
   

2. COMMUNITY CENTER.  Many residents agree that the Town lacks a community center or single gathering place or neighborhood.   People do find some services in the hamlets of Modena, Plattekill or Clintondale, yet there is strong desire for a larger, central place serving the Town.  Modena is most commonly cited as the place most likely to serve this purpose given the location of the Town Hall, Library and other Town facilities, as well as various other commercial services in and around the primary intersection of Routes 44/55 and 32.
   
   

3. SERVICES CONCENTRATED IN MODENA.  Many residents also caution that too many Town services and facilities are being concentrated in Modena.   The Town should continue to support satellite programs and facilities, floating municipal meetings at various locations, and support complementary commercial development in all of the Town’s hamlets.
   
   

4. BEDROOM COMMUNITY.   Residents express knowledge and concern about the obvious and growing trend: people are working elsewhere and coming to and from the Town of Plattekill as a bedroom community.   The desire to create employment opportunities in Town or nearby is strong to help ease commuting demands and help stabilize the tax base.

LAND USE CHALLENGES

A number of land use conditions also present important challenges to the Town of Plattekill.   First, of the nearly 3700 residential housing units in the Town, nearly one third are mobile homes.  The majority of mobile homes are in mobile home parks, with the remainder on individual lots.   This high percentage of such housing indicates that the Town is providing a substantial “fair share” of the region’s more affordable housing.  Unfortunately, such housing has fixed assessment values determined by New York State, aggravating the tight fiscal constraints all Town officials already face.   Further attention to effectively understand and address the needs of these residents is desired.

Plattekill also has a wealth of  available, buildable lands.  This inventory rises as agricultural land becomes more available, notably for residential subdivisions.   The Ulster County Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan noted in 1997 that the primary challenge in the two “agricultural districts” found in Plattekill was the conversion of farmland to residential subdivisions.

Now that the Town has on-site shared Geographic Information System (GIS) capabilities and the ability to do mapping analysis, an analysis was done of  lands now available for development.  While about thirty (30) undeveloped residential building lots exist in approved subdivisions scattered primarily in the center part of the Town, more than one hundred (100) rural building lots exist which could probably be built on today without subdivision approval. 

More impressive is the wealth of two categories of land – rural residential property greater than 10 acres with the potential for development, and vacant farm land with the potential for development.   While these lands are scattered through the Town, they dominate in the western portion nearest the towns of Gardiner and Shawangunk as well as the northeastern and extremes of the Town.

Particular attention should be made of vacant farm land with development potential.   As shown in Figure 3 this land is near two of the fastest growing communities in the region, Gardiner and Shawangunk.  Given the natural soil capacity of farmland to handle septic system construction, the attractive, open appearance of these lands, often with sweeping views of the western Shawangunk Ridge, and the increasing desirability and relative affordability of the region, residential construction pressure can be expected.

RECOMMENDED ACTIONS

The following actions are recommended by the Master Plan Committee for consideration by the Plattekill Town Board.  Upon their review and adoption these actions could become priorities for the Town of Plattekill over the next few years.

These recommended actions are grouped under four themes:

Ø      UPDATING TOWN POLICIES AND CODES

Ø      ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES

Ø      PROTECTING TOWN ASSETS AND RESOURCES

Ø      IMPROVING COMMUNITY IDENTITY

UPDATING TOWN POLICIES AND CODES

v     A KEY RECOMMENDATION IS THAT THE TOWN CONSIDER ACTIONS TO KEEP ITS LAND USE AND ZONING CODES UP-TO-DATE FOR CONSISTENCY WITH THIS NEW PLAN, WITH CURRENT STATE AND FEDERAL REQUIREMENTS, WITH RECENT CASE LAW, AND WITH TRENDS EXPECTED TO INFLUENCE THE TOWN AND ITS REGION.
Recommended updates include consideration of:

1. clustering, conservation standards and average density provisions for residential subdivisions to ensure that new housing respects the neighborhood and environmental setting.  Use of these technique, along with increased minimum lot sizes to protect scenic ridge views from locations such as the higher elevations near Clintondale, along points off Orchard Drive and County Route 23 or from strategic locations along New York State Route 32.
2.  incentives for agricultural activities to continue, including flexibility for on farm activities adding value to farm products and for conversion of farm structures to supplemental or seasonal uses.
3. use of special use or site plan standards to insure that new development is designed borrowing the best elements of traditional neighborhoods found in the southern Ulster County region.
4.  provisions for a new business park with potential use of expedited review and incentive zoning bonuses to encourage such development.
5.  updated provisions for home businesses recognizing their economic value while ensuring compatibility with their neighborhood locations.
6. contemporary noise and other performance standards to guarantee that land use activities respect their neighborhood setting.
7. enhanced setbacks or buffer areas where new development puts residential and non-residential uses next to one another.


The Town should also explore the use of transfer of development rights (TDR) regulations, ideally in partnership with neighboring Towns, to encourage a balance between growth and preservation particularly related to farms and agricultural lands and key gateway and business locations throughout the Town.


ALONG WITH NEEDED ZONING UPDATES, AN EXCELLENT TOOL CAN BE DESIGN STANDARDS TO HELP GUIDE DESIRABLE LAND USE IN FOUR PARTICULAR SETTINGS:

v                 Residential subdivisions on open lands.

v                 Commercial development along main road corridors.

v                 Gateways or key entrances to the Town along main road corridors.

v                 Hamlet infill[4] and expansion at a scale and mix of land uses complimentary to each hamlet.

Updating of zoning and land use codes is a priority of the Town.  With adoption of this Plan, a transition period will be inevitable following the new plan, yet prior to adoption of updated codes.  To ease the pressures and confusion in defining suitable land uses during this transition, a TEMPORARY MORATORIUM IS RECOMMENDED on residential subdivisions and on commercial site plans outside of the main hamlet areas to help Town officials make informed decisions on updated zoning and land use codes.

v     AS A “FARM FRIENDLY” COMMUNITY, THE MASTER PLAN COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS THAT THE TOWN ESTABLISHES AN AGRICULTURAL PRESERVATION AND SUPPORT PROGRAM EMPHASIZING INCENTIVES FOR FARMING ACTIVITIES.
As a high priority from the public opinion survey, the Town, in cooperation with adjoining Towns and Ulster County, should do all that it can to support its agricultural heritage.  Recommendations include evaluation and updating of the land use codes and zoning to be more farm friendly and to encourage opportunity for diversified uses of farm buildings, farmlands, and farm markets.   The Town should also continue to be an active participant to any purchase of development rights programs that exist.   A “right to farm” law should also be enacted.  An agriculture advisory committee could be created to help define and oversee “farm friendly” initiatives.

v      PROPOSED IS ENDORSEMENT OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE 1999 COUNTRYSIDE EXCHANGE INCLUDING ACTIVE INVOLVEMENT IN ALLIANCES WITH OTHER HUDSON VALLEY AND SOUTHERN ULSTER COUNTY MUNICIPALITIES AND ORGANIZATIONS.
Through such alliances the Town can more economically and efficiently realize its role in the region’s market, environment and political setting.  Town residents would support, in particular, regional efforts in agricultural protection, business attraction, tourism and public transportation.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES

v      THE TOWN CAN TAKE A MORE ACTIVE ROLE BY LOOKING AT OPTIONS TO ENCOURAGE BUSINESS ATTRACTION AND RETENTION  targeting support for tourism and agriculture related business, as well as small scale service and retail businesses.  The 2000 survey of residents conducted by the SUNY-New Paltz chapter of the American Marketing Association found that tourism-focused businesses are supported by 87% of the respondents, with more shopping or retail supported by 61%.    Any new business must respect the neighborhood setting and scale of the Town.   A coordinated effort should be pursued, organized by an existing entity or by a new committee established by the Town Board.

v     STANDARDS AND PROCEDURES ARE RECOMMENDED TO ENCOURAGE NEW DEVELOPMENT IN OR ADJACENT TO EXISTING HAMLETS AS PREFERRED LOCATIONS.
Essential elements of the Town’s rural landscape character, Modena, Clintondale and Plattekill, along with Ardonia and Tuckers Corners are key to the identity of the Town.  Focused attention at these locations will help offer development options while retaining some of the rural, open character of lands surrounding the hamlets.  This approach will also help the Town more efficiently and effectively provide public services, while promoting historic settings offering a mix of land uses, all within an easy walk, bike or ride.   Assurances should also be made in Town codes that new development will help meet pedestrian needs through sidewalks, paths or trails.

v     AS AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE, THE TOWN SHOULD RESEARCH OPTIONS FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A BUSINESS PARK OFFERING “SHOVEL READY” ACCESS TO APPROPRIATE, “CLEAN” BUSINESSES.
In 1996 the Town took an important step by creating business districts after the recommendation of the Economic Development Committee.   Learning from the success of nearby communities, provision should be made to go further in the attraction of new business at a targeted, suitable location.   The Town should partner with the Empire State Development Corporation and the Governor’s Office of Regulatory Reform towards analyzing the feasibility and benefits of such a business park.

Titled under the Build Now – NY program (see www.gorr.state.ny.us and www.empire.state.ny.us), this program profiles seven generic “shovel ready” sites ranging from Research & Development to Retail.  The Business / Commercial Park is most relevant to Plattekill, described ideally as a 60-120 acre park with 5-15 acre individual business sites.  Such parks target small to mid-sized business including light industrial, assembly facilities, commercial offices, and accessory warehouses and distribution.

v     GIVEN THE IMPORTANACE OF SUPPORTING LOCAL ENTREPRENEURS,  THE TOWN COULD ACT TO ESTABLISH CLEAR POLICIES FOR CONDUCTING HOME OCCUPATIONS AND BUSINESSES WHILE GUARANTEEING NEIGHBORHOOD COMPATIBILITY.
Small businesses, often based in the home, continue to grow as an essential aspect of the local economy.  Efforts will be made to better address these uses in Town codes and regulations and to help organize support programs for home businesses in cooperation with regional business organizations.   

PROTECTING TOWN ASSETS AND RESOURCES

v      COMPLETION OF AN INVENTORY OF HISTORIC, CULTURAL AND SCENIC RESOURCES IN THE TOWN WOULD HELP TO IDENTIFY THE TOWN’S ASSETS.
With the cooperation of local and state historic preservation organizations, funding should be secured to complete such an inventory in support of other recommended actions in this Plan.   In particular, the Town should partner with the Preservation League of New York State, based in Albany, to gain preliminary advice on such an inventory.  Funding may now be available in May through the Preserve NY program, administered by the League, in February or March through the New York State Council on the Arts, or through the I LOVE NEW YORK campaign administered by the Empire State Development Corporation.

v     THE TOWN MASTER PLAN COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS THAT STEPS BE TAKEN TO COMPLETE A COMPREHENSIVE OPEN SPACE AND RECREATION PLAN IDENTIFYING NEEDS AND STEPS TO BE TAKEN TO MEET THOSE NEEDS.
As a next phase of on-going master plan work, the Town should inventory existing resources and identify future needs including, but not limited to, parks and neighborhood pocket parks, trails, full season activities, outdoor recreation on public and private lands, partnerships with other governmental and non-governmental groups, and best use of recreation funds collected through Town land subdivision approvals.

IMPROVING COMMUNITY IDENTITY

v     THE MASTER PLAN COMMITTEE RECOGNIZES THE NEED  FOR A COMMUNITY CENTER TO BE DEFINED IN MODENA THROUGH PUBLIC AND PRIVATE INVESTMENT TO HELP ESTABLISH A STRONGER COMMUNITY IDENTITY.
Since adoption of the Town’s original Plan in 1973, Modena remains a priority location for a mix of more intensive development along with public services and facilities.   This is the only location in Town where two primary roads intersect, providing transportation links to all other hamlets and neighborhoods in the Town.   A feasibility study also suggest this as a priority location for central water services, an effort to be further pursued in cooperation with possible funding sources through the New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation or the United States Department of Agriculture.

v      ROUTE 32 ALONG WITH ROUTE 44/55 REQUIRES SPECIAL ATTENTION GIVEN THE INCREASED PACE OF ACTIVITY ALONG THESE GATEWAY CORRIDORS.
As the primary travel routes into and out of the Town along which residents and visitors gain first impressions of the Town, the likelihood of haphazard development along these corridors needs to be offset by Town policy to support attraction of compatible and well designed new development.   The Town could also work, perhaps in partnership with property owners and civic groups, to provide attractive landscaping, along with information signage, at key gateway corridor entrances either at the edge of Town borders or near landmarks and hamlets.

v     TO FURTHER STRENGTHEN THE TOWN’S COMMUNITY IDENTITY, AN STRATEGIC TOWNWIDE PROGRAM COULD BE INITIATED.  FOR EXAMPLE, A TOWNWIDE CULTURE AND ARTS ASSOCIATON COULD WORK TO PROMOTE THE CULTURAL AND AGRICULTURAL HERITAGE UNIQUE TO PLATTEKILL.  Styled after other programs in many jurisdictions, such an effort could help galvanize and organize various efforts now going on, while giving an increasingly mobile population a greater sense of place and opportunity to participate in local events, promotion and education.  This could also serve to gain greater Town activities meeting important values and needs identified by residents.

Guide to Terms Used

DESIGN STANDARDS   -  a type of land use technique focusing on how development will be best designed to meet defined characteristics of a neighborhood or location.

GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM (GIS)  -  a computer based system for storing, mapping and reporting information by geographic location.   In New York State, information is available associated either by tax lot parcel or by United States Geological Survey maps.

HAMLET  - An unincorporated location within a Town defined by a grouping of homes and businesses including such services as a post office, bank, convenience or general store, church or gathering place.  Typically has its own historic name.

HOME OCCUPATION OR BUSINESS  -  a business conducted within a residence that is incidental and subordinate to the primary residential use.

INCENTIVE ZONING  -  The procedure, governed by State and Town rules,  by which incentives are provided to developers on the condition that specific physical, social or cultural benefits are provided to the community.  Increases in number or residential units or allowable square footage or waivers of setback requirements might be offered in exchange for affordable housing, infrastructure improvements, or recreational facilities.

INFILL  -  Development or building that “fills in” a vacant or under-utilized site located between or adjacent to developed sites.

PURCHASE OF DEVELOPMENT RIGHTS (PDR)  -  The purchase of some or all the development rights on a parcel of land by deed, easement, or other legal instrument.   For example, New York State currently provides funds, on a competitive basis, for the purchase of development rights on agricultural lands.

SITE PLAN REVIEW  -  The procedure, governed by State and Town rules, for the review of the development or use of a single parcel of land.

SPECIAL USE PERMIT  - The procedures, governed by State and Town rules, for the review of the use of land for a particular purpose.

SUBDIVISION REGULATIONS  -  The procedures, governed by State and Town rules, for the review of the division of a single parcel of land into two or more new parcels of land or changes to the legal boundaries of any such parcels.

TRANSFER OF DEVELOPMENT RIGHTS (TDR)  -  The conveyance of some or all of the development rights by deed, easement or other legal instrument authorized by the Town to another parcel of land.  The land conveying rights is commonly called the “sending” parcel, while land gaining rights is called the “receiving” parcel.