Full Text
VILLAGE OF FAIR HAVEN PLANNING BOARD MEETING January 23, 2018 The Fair Haven Planning Board met at 7:00 pm on Tuesday, January 23, 2018 at the Village Hall. Members present were Debra Rose, Larry Cosser and Catherine Byers, and this comprised a quorum. Not present was Chairman Darrell Uetz, who was at a meeting of the Cayuga County Association of Villages (CCAV). The Board still has a vacancy. Notice of the meeting had been posted publically in the local Lakeshore News, as well as on Fair Haven’s municipal website. Debra Rose chaired the meeting. 21 guests were present. The chairperson’s opening statement explained the agenda and procedure of the meeting. Since the last Planning Board meeting of two weeks ago, January 9th, the Board has continued to research the steps involved, and gather ideas for, the process of updating Fair Haven’s part of the Town of Sterling and Village of Fair Haven Comprehensive Plan. “The Comprehensive Plan process creates a vision for the future development of the community. It is not a law or regulation but a guidebook for desirable growth. It is the reference document upon which land use regulations will be based.” The Plan purpose in general was explained, and a brief overview of the current joint Comprehensive Plan was presented to the public. The majority of the meeting was focused on aspects of “Future Land Use” in the residential and central business districts of the Village of Fair Haven, which is pages 68 & 69 of the current original document. Proposed ideas for updates to both residential and commercial future land use were read line by line, and other ideas and related concerns were added. Public comments were welcomed at this point. Lee Hanford volunteered to record notes on a large writing tablet positioned on an easel in front of the room. A preliminary step was to review and expand a brief inventory of what has happened in Fair Haven since 2005. This recap especially highlighted the expansive growth in hospitality and restaurants in the past several years (recently a few local core businesses have begun staying open year-round). This fulfills one of the top desires expressed in the 2005 visioning for the original Comprehensive Plan – more local restaurants! Also of note was the success of the downtown Main Street improvement grant of 2014, and the results of implementing the District Sewer project in 2015, which over the past two years has greatly improved the water quality of Little Sodus Bay. Also in the past few years, it appears that the pace of upgrades, “tear-downs,” and new development of both residential and commercial projects has accelerated. The growth of tourism and the growth of Fair Haven as a destination resort was noted, as well as the growing popularity of Fair Haven’s many seasonal events, such as (to name just a few), the well- known 4th of July Celebration, Winterfest, Leaf Peeper Trail, and Piratefest. Questions were raised about population data – have the year-round and the seasonal residential numbers changed in the past decade, and how would answers to this question be obtained. ---PAGE BREAK--- In visioning for future land use, most of the public present expressed a strong desire to “keep Fair Haven special” to preserve a unique, historic downtown area and central business district, protect the waterfront use and character, and to have practical and aesthetic guidelines and regulations for future growth. Noted were the Village’s “environmental pluses” of bay, Great Lake, trails, beaches, sunsets, boating, etc. Board members and public alike pointed out, among other objectives, the positive potential of promoting a “Clean Energy Community,” as well as investigating and possibly implementing programs such as “Climate Smart,” (self-reliant responses to climate change) “Smart Growth,” (innovative planned growth) and “Street Complete.” (integration of roads, trails, bicycle paths and related). The diversity of the Fair Haven community was noted, along with observations related to change and “gentrification”. The possibility of a downtown civic building/meeting hall/Village office was discussed. Comments were taken concerning the history of the Architectural Review Committee, which has not met since 2014. Board members and public agreed that the committee should be revitalized as soon as possible, and that it should begin investigating design guidelines and general architectural standards. Opinions about the pros and cons of competition between local and more regional types of businesses were aired. Most agreed that more overall input was needed, especially from the business community. Different approaches to moving forward with the updating were presented and discussed. Options focused on the idea of forming a core committee, or having more volunteer help, or for access to more resources and expertise. There was a recommendation that more time be expected and planned for, for the overall updating process. Some public opposition to this idea was expressed, as there is concern for the possibility of undesirable development happening in the Village before the zoning codes and land use regulations can have any say about it. Questions were raised about who, when and how the relevant Zoning codes could begin to be revised, especially for Fair Haven’s Central Business District. The option of a using a limited moratorium was briefly discussed. Resident Joe Martin submitted three petitions to the Planning Board. The petitions expressed the undersigned’s support of the Planning Board’s updating efforts and stated opposition to the locating of a “big box” or “small box” store within Fair Haven. The petitions had been out in three locations for the two weeks between meetings, and had a total of about 150 signatures from local residents. Letters addressed to the Planning Board and Village Trustees have been received from Chris and Sue Gateley, Ellen and Charlie Gerberich, Rosemarie Pupparo, Pat Campbell, and Regina Setikas. These letters all express strong support for the effort to update the Comprehensive Plan and corresponding Code regulations. Each letter addresses important issues, opinions, hopes and concerns for the future of Fair Haven. These letters will continue to be read publically at the meetings. Minutes of the January 9, 2018 meeting were approved by motion, second and unanimous vote. The next meeting of the Planning Board will be Tuesday, February 6, 2018 at 7:00 pm at the Village Hall. The meeting was adjourned at 9:00 pm by motion, second and unanimous vote. Respectfully submitted by Debra Rose, Planning Board scribe