Comprehensive Plan 2014 Planning for a Rural Community in the 21 Century
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i Comprehensive Plan 2014 Planning for a Rural Community in the 21st Century i Recommended by the Seneca County Planning Board February 13, 2014 Recommended by the Town of Tyre Comprehensive Planning Committee February 18, 2014 Approved by the Tyre Town Board February 20, 2014 Special thanks to the Seneca County Real Property Tax Office and Map Technician Mike Karlsen for preparing all the maps in this plan. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures iii List of Tables iii List of Maps iv Introduction 1 Land Use 5 Watershed Protection and Environmental Quality 13 Agriculture and Farmland 17 Housing and Residential Neighborhoods 21 Tax Base and Economic Development 25 Transportation and Infrastructure 28 Community Facilities and Services 33 History and Historic Resources 42 Implementation Plan 48 Appendices Appendix A 53 Appendix B 62 iii LIST OF FIGURES 1. Assessed valuation in Tyre by real property type 26 2. Richmond Aqueduct 45 3. Tyre Band Hall 46 LIST OF TABLES Implementation Plan Land Use 49 Watershed Protection and Environmental Quality 49 Agriculture and Farmland 50 Housing and Residential Neighborhoods 50 Tax Base and Economic Development 50 Transportation and Infrastructure 51 Community Facilities and Services 52 Historic Resources 52 iv LIST OF MAPS LAND USE OVERVIEW 1. Town Map 6 2. Existing Land Use 7 3. Zoning Map 9 4. Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge 11 WATERSHED PROTECTION AND NATURAL RESOURCES 5. Rivers, Streams and Wetlands 14 AGRICULTURE AND FARMLAND 6. Soils by Drainage Type 18 HOUSING AND RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS 7. Residential Parcels 22 TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE 8. Roads and Highways, Water and Sewer 30 COMMUNITY FACILITIES AND SERVICES 9. Government, Fire Stations and Community Facilities 36 10. School Districts 37 HISTORIC RESOURCES 11. Locations of Historical Note 44 v 1 INTRODUCTION Purpose The purpose of the Comprehensive Plan for the Town of Tyre is a careful and deliberate review of the present and reasonably foreseeable needs of the community, whereby the town can adopt a general developmental policy for the community as a whole and amend its zoning law in accordance with that plan. In other words, the Comprehensive Plan is a guide for local officials and community members in making a wide range of decisions (land use, infrastructure development, recreational amenities, environmental preservation, etc.) that will affect the future of the town. Future actions that will be based on the policies and recommendations in the Plan include revisions to zoning and other local laws and regulations, capital budgeting, and providing services to the community. The Comprehensive Plan addresses the full spectrum of issues facing the town and balances competing needs and interests in the community. Legal Basis The Comprehensive Plan has been prepared pursuant to NYS Town Law §272-a. Town Law §272-a specifies that Town Boards are responsible for preparing and adopting Comprehensive Plans. As the law also permits the Town Boards to delegate this responsibility to an ad hoc Commission established for the express purpose of preparing Comprehensive Plans, the Town Board of Tyre appointed a joint Comprehensive Plan Committee (CPC) to guide the preparation of the Comprehensive Plan. The Comprehensive Plan is a policy document that does not in itself, have the force of law. However, the Plan will influence changes in Town laws and regulations as well as funding decisions and other Town actions during the next 10 to 15 years. In particular, local zoning regulations must be consistent with the Comprehensive Plan. Process of Preparing the Plan The Comprehensive Plan for the Town of Tyre represents the culmination of a planning process that began in 2007. The Comprehensive Plan Commission met monthly for more than one year to coordinate the preparation of the Plan. 2 Members of the CPC included representatives from the Town Board, Planning Board, and citizens at large. The following persons served on the Comprehensive Plan Committee: • Robert Seem(PB), Chairman • Alan Smith(PB), Vice Chairman • Ronald McGreevy(Town Board) • Neil Worden(PB) • David Kain(PB) • Larry Kesel (PB) • Deborah Geary (PB) • Ken Hauenstein (PB) • Marjorie Fahrenholz (Concerned Citizens of Tyre) Public participation included a Residents’ Survey (see Appendix A), distributed in July 2008, a public informational meeting to present the results of the Residents’ Survey (2014), a CPC public hearing (2014). Plan Organization The Land Use Overview presents an overview of the community, summarizes the issues addressed in each section, and shows how the individual topical areas relate to one another. It also presents an introduction to zoning and subdivision regulations, which are the primary tools available to the Towns to help achieve the land use goals of the Plan. A Future Land Use and Conservation Map presents the Towns’ policies regarding land use, and will be used as a guide in revising the Towns’ zoning map. Topical sections of the Comprehensive Plan address the major issues identified by the community: • Watershed Protection and Environmental Quality; • Agriculture and Farmland; • Housing and Residential Neighborhoods; • Tax Base and Economic Development; • Transportation and Infrastructure; 3 • Community Facilities and Services; • Historic Resources. In each section, the Plan presents: • Goals; • Background Information; • Issues and Opportunities; • Recommended Actions. Within Appendices of the Plan present additional information that supports and/or provides the context for the recommendations in the Plan. • Residents’ Survey Summary and Results in Appendix A and B present the relevant findings from the survey of Tyre residents conducted in the Summer of 2008. • Highlights of Public Hearings summarize the issues and recommendations presented by residents and resource people who met with the CPC. The Implementation Strategy summarizes the recommended actions by topic, with a proposed time frame, responsible agency, cost estimate, and potential funding sources. A summary of the recommended actions by time frame provides a year-by-year guide to implementing the Plan. Monitoring and Updating the Plan The Town of Tyre is not static, but is in a constant state of flux and change. Over time, the changes that occur in the community may render the Comprehensive Plan outdated or inappropriate if the Plan is not updated to take the changes into consideration. Accordingly, it is essential for the Town Board to monitor changes in their respective communities and to reevaluate the relevance and appropriateness of the goals set forth in the Plan and the measures recommended to achieve the goals. The Plan should then be updated, as necessary, to revise appropriately the goals and recommended actions so the Plan may continue to serve as a useful and relevant guide for Town officials. The Town of Tyre should be updated at 5-year intervals. The Town Board can enlist the Town Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals to assist with reviewing and updating the Plan as these boards may have much information and 4 insight that may be beneficial to the Town Board in determining how the Plan should be revised. As with the initial adoption of the Comprehensive Plan, future amendments to the Plan will require both environmental reviews to evaluate potential adverse impacts and public hearings to provide members of the public an opportunity to comment on the proposed amendment. 5 LAND USE Goals A. Retain the rural, agricultural heritage of the Town. B. Identify and manage development in such a way as to preserve farmland and natural resources. C. Support residential development that is consistent with the character of neighboring areas. D. Support commercial and industrial development that is consistent with the character of neighboring areas. E. Build consensus on a vision for land use and design concepts for future development within the town. Background Information Tyre is primarily a farming community dotted with woods and pockets of residential zones. The topography and soils vary within the town from rolling fields to high drumlins and clay soils to loam. The Town of Tyre is located in the North East portion of Seneca County (Map 1). The town is bordered by Wayne County to the North, Cayuga County to the East, the Seneca County Town of Junius to the West and the Seneca County Town of Seneca Falls to the South. Natural features in the Town include woodlots, wetlands, the Seneca River (and portions of the Erie Canal and Seneca Cayuga Canal), streams (Black Brook, White Brook) and the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge. Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge occupies nearly one third (11 sq. mi.) of the Town of Tyre. Three unincorporated hamlets include Tyre City, Magee Corners, and Mays Point. Agricultural land is the single greatest resource and land use in the town (Map 2). Over that last two centuries, agricultural land use in Tyre reached its maximum during the middle of the 20th century, and then declined as smaller farms on less suitable soils diminished production. In addition, two events have contributed to further loss of farmland: the construction of the New York State Thruway, which bisects the town and includes an exit (approximately 180 acres) and the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge and wetlands expansion (approximately 950 acres). More detail about agricultural land use can be found in the Agriculture and Farmland section. However, the Town of Tyre is not totally agricultural. Commercial development has occurred along its major transportation routes,