By Hayleigh Gowans
Staff Writer
Planners in DeWitt are hoping to revitalize and make use of the waterfront areas in the town — and they believe they are taking big strides in accomplishing that by researching and creating a local waterfront revitalization plan (LWRP) to steer possible projects for the future.
A LWRP is a comprehensive land and water use plan for a community’s natural, public and working waterfront. LWRPs are a program available to New York state communities in partnership with the New York State Department of State. Communities who develop LWRPs open themselves up to gain state funding through the Environmental Protection Fund to complete projects that will go along with their plan.
On June 21, the town of DeWitt held an open house at Moses DeWitt Elementary School to give the public a chance to see the process of a LWRP, research that has already been conducted and a chance to give suggestions or feedback.
“We need to plan for the future,” said town supervisor Ed Michalenko. “The town of DeWitt has a tremendous opportunity to improve the waterfront properties that we have.”
Director of planning and zoning for DeWitt, Sam Gordon, said the town submitted an application to participate in 2014 and was awarded $124,000 through the NYSDOS in 2015. There are about 100 communities who have developed LWRPs in New York.
DeWitt was selected to be eligible for the LWRP program because of the presence of the Old Erie Canal State Historic Park, Ley Creek, remnants of the Erie Canal corridor and the Orville feeder canal which is served by Jamesville Reservoir via Butternut Creek, said Gordon.
Jane Rice, of Environmental Design & Research, the firm that was contracted to develop this plan for the town of DeWitt, said they hope to continue the research and feedback aspect of the process and plan to submit a finished LWRP to the town board in winter 2017.
Possible projects that can come as a result of a LWRP being in place, said Rice, are natural trail developments, water quality improvements, flood control, improved stormwater retainment and adding recreational opportunities to areas surrounding waterfronts.
Gordon said the town is working on other initiatives relating to planning and development in the town, such as Elevating Erie and Moving DeWitt, as a means to bring projects that are comprehensive to the needs and wants of the community. Elevating Erie is an ideas competition done in partnership with the city of Syracuse to gain ideas to improve the Erie Canal Corridor (ElevatingErie.com). Moving DeWitt is an effort to develop bicycle and pedestrian paths in the town (townofdewitt.com/MovingDeWitt.aspx).
Opportunities for private sector funding for public areas is another result both Gordon and Michalenko hope is achieved through the town’s development efforts and policy planning.
“DeWitt has many assets and we are taking steps to make it an even better place to live,” said Gordon. “We want to be able to make investments in the town to improve the needs of the area and make sure we are providing positive economic benefits for our residents … We’re steering development through these initiatives in order to get the best sense of our community wants and needs and how we can go about making these things happen.”
Another community meeting on the LWRP process will be held in the fall, where some draft policies and possible projects will be presented. The town is looking for feedback on what residents feel should be a priority in developing the LWRP. To give feedback, email Sam Gordon at [email protected], or call 446-3910 x 3.
For more information on the New York state LWRP program, go to dos.ny.gov/opd/programs/lwrp.html.
