The Skaneateles town board discussed proposing changes to the town comprehensive plan at its Aug. 15 meeting.
Councilor Rick Keyes said that a proposed new version of the plan is being made in light of suggestions and comments that came from the town comprehensive plan review committee as well as joint meetings with village officials. The changes will make the plan more reader friendly and will not have a major impact on planning and zoning regulations in the town, Keyes said.
“This is going to be a more readable, understandable and presentable type of a document,” Keyes said.
Board members said they will open up the proposal to the public and hold a public hearing to get feedback on the changes and any other potential revisions this September.
The comprehensive plan, which is available on the town website, townofskaneateles.com, has a provision that requires the town to evaluate it and consider making changes every five years. The town met that requirement most recently in 2009, though they decided to not make any changes at that time, Keyes said.
One reason for making changes to the plan has been the increase in development and proposed development in the town in the past five years, and thus the increased public interest in viewing the plan, Keyes said.
Though the next mandatory review will not be until 2014, after this fall’s elections, making the changes to the plan’s format have been in the works for several years, Keyes said.
In other business:
–The board discussed the request to change town code to restrict the type of development that is done in close proximity to Skaneateles Lake. Based on environmental and other factors housing developments can either be designated as an open space subdivision or a conservation density subdivision.
Conservation density subdivisions have stricter requirements about lot sizes and also require the developers to take out conservation easements to keep some of the land undeveloped. The town had received suggestions that it limit the lakeshed to only conservation density subdivisions, Roney said.
The board decided to request town planning and zoning board attorney Scott Molnar attend their next meeting to discuss the matter in further detail.
–At the request of supervisor Terri Roney who has a weekly conflict, the board moved to change all its meetings from 7 to 7:30 p.m. for the remainder of the calendar year.
–The board voted to allow to allow town constable Tom Adessa to carry a weapon again. He had lost that permission temporarily due to a mix up with the county, Roney said.
–The board voted to install recycle bins in Austin Park at the request of village trustee Jim Lanning. Davey’s Forest Service will empty the bins at no cost to the town.
–The board voted to accept a bid from MXI for a town hazardous waste disposal event costing an estimated $6,650. The town has not held such an event since 2008 and had budgeted money for it to be held last year, which was carried over into this year’s budget.
At the event, whose date is yet to be determined, residents can bring materials such as old light bulbs, batteries, pesticides and other products containing hazardous chemicals to the town transfer station to be safely disposed of.
Joe Genco is the editor of the Skaneateles Press. He can be reached at [email protected].
