VILLAGE OF FAYETTEVILLE – A community open house was held on Thursday, Feb. 17 to gather input for Fayetteville’s impending comprehensive plan update.
From 5 to 7 p.m., the open-to-the-public event welcomed verbal and written feedback from dozens of local residents as they strolled their way through the Fayetteville Senior Center.
“It’s beyond essential that we listen to what the public is trying to say and what their vision is for the village over the next 10 years,” said Historic Preservation Commission Chair Craig Polhamus, who is also a member of the steering committee for the plan update.
Polhamus added that he hopes such events will bring about a “timely, personalized and didactic” end result rather than a “generic planning document” when it comes to the modification of the comprehensive plan.
Manlius Deputy Supervisor Sara Bollinger, another appointee to the steering committee, said that it helps the process to incorporate voices beyond just the committee members and the hired consulting team representing Environmental Design & Research (EDR).
She said the diversity of opinion will come from residents of all age groups, people with children and those without, as well as individuals with different viewpoints on traffic based on the details of their commute.
On poster boards set up around Parnell Hall for the open house, attendees posted sticky notes with their answers to questions like “What is Fayetteville’s identity, and what could it be?” along with their thoughts on what currently works to the village’s benefit and what works to its detriment.
Some comments referred to Fayetteville as “historic,” “family-friendly” and “walkable,” while some envisioned net zero emissions and greater youth engagement in its future.
In the realm of transportation, there were recommendations to expand bike trails and reduce traffic on Route 5.
On the subject of land use and development, several notes expressed wishes against the introduction of big box stores to the village and the building of another grocery store on East Genesee Street.
The group guiding the update is striving to prepare a full draft of the comprehensive plan for public review by sometime in June, said Jane Nicholson, EDR’s senior project manager of community planning.
After that public unveiling, the group would potentially go back to the drawing board before moving toward the adoption process, said Sam Gordon, the planning practice leader for EDR.
A 30-question survey relating to Fayetteville’s comprehensive plan update will be open until the end of March according to the committee. This form is available online at fayettevilleny.gov/CompPlanSurvey and in hard copy at such locations as the village hall and the Fayetteville Free Library.
