Sterling/Fair Haven Comprehensive Plan
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COVER This document was originally adopted by the Town of Sterling Town Board on July 19, 2010 and by the Village of Fair Haven Village Board of Trustees on September 13, 2010. The Village of Fair Haven Village Board of Trustees adopted amendments to this document on June 19, 2018 regarding information about the Central Business and Bayfront Districts in the History portion of Section 1, and the goals and objectives for the Village in Section 3. Specific pages added or amended by the Village include page 12a, 60-68, 69a and 69b. The Town of Sterling Town Board adopted amendments to this document on September 24, 2018 regarding updating certain statistical data in Section 1, the goals and objectives for the Town in Section 3, and the amendments previously adopted by the Village on June 19, 2018. Specific pages amended by the Town include page 12, 14, 17, 27, 30, 35 and 46-53. The Village of Fair Haven Village Board of Trustees adopted the amendments from the Town of Sterling described above on November 13, 2018. Cover Photo Credit: George Fischer & Seaway Trail.com |Modified by Geoff Milz | Little Red School House Museum built in 1852 | Railroad Crossing Sign references railway signal tower in the rear of the Museum Acknowledgements The Town of Sterling and Village of Fair Haven wish to acknowledge the hard work, perseverance and determination exhibited by the many individuals and organizations that have contributed countless hours and resources to make this plan the robust document that it is. Chief among those deserving such recognition are the citizens of the Town of Sterling and Village of Fair Haven whose vision and values formed the foundation upon which this document is based. Whether they participated in the visioning sessions held in the summer of 2006 or took the time to fill out the lengthy survey that was mailed out to every household in the Town and Village, this plan can only be considered reflective of the public will because of their thoughts and input. COMPREHENSIVE PLAN COMPREHENSIVE Further, thanks must be given to Hon. James Walsh who, in his time as representing New York’s 25th Congressional District, was able to secure the funds necessary to support its completion. The Cayuga County Department of Planning and Economic Development provided the profes- 3 sional support staff used in the development and preparation of this plan. The Fair Haven Beach State Park served as the gracious host of the visioning sessions and the Central New York Regional Planning and Development Board provided professional services in the beginning stages of the plan development. The Town of Sterling provided space at the Town Hall to host the meetings of the Joint | | Comprehensive Planning Committee for the nearly four year duration of the plan production process. Finally, the Town and Village are grateful for those dedicated individuals who volunteered so much time and effort in their service on the Joint Comprehensive Planning Committee: Joan Kelley | Chair, Comprehensive Planning Committee Carol Grant William McVea | Village Mayor Bonnie Bridson Lonny Palmieri | Town Supervisor Heidi Taylor Agassi ‘Gus’ Taft | Town Board Kathy Hicks Vernon Bishop |Town Planning Board Paul Hicks |Town Planning Board Sue Allen Gayle McVea HAVEN & FAIR STERLING Vince Reynolds |Town Zoning Board of Appeals Susan Lemon Steven Lynch | Director, Cayuga County Planning & ED Don Richardson Geoffrey Milz | Planner, Cayuga County Planning & ED Robert Kolsters Amy D’Angelo | Fmr. Planner, Cayuga County Planning & ED Note to the Reader: How To Use This Document At first glance, comprehensive plans can seem unwieldy – they are big, bulky and its hard to figure out just how to get the information that you want. As you’ll find if you read this plan cover to cover, all of the information is where it is for a reason. For those of you who don’t need extra bedtime reading and know just what they are looking for - here’s a quick overview: Section 1 – Inventory and Analysis of Existing Conditions Chocked full of facts and figures, graphs and charts, Section 1 provides the reader with a clear view of the demographics, natural resources, economic conditions, etc. of the town and village, just as it did the COMPREHENSIVE PLAN COMPREHENSIVE joint comprehensive planning committee. Section 2 – Community Surveys This section summarizes the community surveys that were conducted in 2007 throughout the town and 4 village. These surveys, combined with the information gathered in the community visioning sessions and existing conditions (section 1) provide the basis for the plan’s goals as well as the objectives for achieving each goal. | | Section 3 – Goals & Objectives This is the real meat of the plan. The town and village worked together to chart a common way forward by identifying common themes in the surveys and visioning sessions and verbalizing those common themes as goals. Both the town and village also described ways to achieve each goal – called objectives. Each was prioritized as either a short, medium or long term objective and the joint comprehensive planning committee identified key organizations who may be willing to collaborate with the town and village to achieve the objectives. A summary of the town and village goals can be found on the next page. Section 4 – Maps STERLING & FAIR HAVEN & FAIR STERLING You will find as you read through the document that the text often refers to a map or set of maps. This is the section you’ll find them in. Check them out – we think they are very informative! Section 5 – Other Data This section includes all of the hard data that was compiled as part of the comprehensive planning research process. The complete survey results, census data and other information is found here. TABLE OF CONTENTS Section 1: Inventory and Analysis of Existing Conditions Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 8 History ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 9 Regional Context ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 14 Prior Planning Initiatives ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 15 Population & Demographics ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 17 Current Land Use & Zoning ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 19 Environmental Features .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 21 Flood Plains ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 26 Agriculture ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 27 Economic Conditions ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 28 Housing Characteristics .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 30 Parks & Recreation .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 31 Municipal Facilities & Services .......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 34 Schools, Public Safety Facilities & Services ............................................................................................................................................................................ 35 Historic Resources ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................