Village of Monroe A New Comprehensive Plan for Monroe in the 21st Century Village of Monroe, Orange County, New York Comprehensive Plan June 13, 2017 As recommended by the Village of Monroe Steering Committee Acknowledgements Village of Monroe Village Board of Trustees James Purcell, Mayor Irene Conklin, Deputy Mayor Debra Behringer Wayne Chan Neil Dwyer Village of Monroe Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee James Purcell, Mayor Gary Parise Irving Zuckerman Joe Mancuso Paul Baum Mike Littier James Cox Charles Campagna Ken Tobey Technical Consultants Turner Miller Group – Planning, Zoning and Plan Preparation Lanc & Tully Surveying and Engineering ‐ Engineering Dvirka & Bartillucci ‐ Architecture i Contents Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 1 Background .................................................................................................................................... 1 What is a Comprehensive Plan? .................................................................................................. 3 Process ........................................................................................................................................... 3 Organization ................................................................................................................................ 5 Local and Regional Setting ................................................................................................................. 7 Existing Land Use Policies .................................................................................................................. 8 Existing Village Zoning ................................................................................................................... 8 Development Pattern .................................................................................................................. 11 Surrounding Areas ....................................................................................................................... 13 Existing Relevant Planning Documents ....................................................................................... 13 Mid‐Hudson Regional Economic Development Strategic Plan ................................................... 14 People ............................................................................................................................................... 15 Trends ........................................................................................................................................... 18 Vision ................................................................................................................................................ 19 Vision Statement .......................................................................................................................... 19 Goals of the Plan ........................................................................................................................ 22 Plan: Housing ................................................................................................................................. 23 Existing Conditions ....................................................................................................................... 23 Related Master Plan Goals, Objectives and Recommended Strategies ..................................... 27 Plan: Recreation, Environment, Culture ........................................................................................ 36 Village Recreation Resources ...................................................................................................... 36 Town Recreation Resources ........................................................................................................ 37 County Recreation Resources ...................................................................................................... 37 State Recreation Resources ......................................................................................................... 37 Environmental Resources ............................................................................................................ 38 Historic Resources ........................................................................................................................ 38 Related Master Plan Goals, Objectives and Recommended Strategies ..................................... 40 Plan: Connections ............................................................................................................................ 50 Road Network and Circulation .................................................................................................... 51 Pedestrian Connections ............................................................................................................... 52 Public Transportation .................................................................................................................... 53 ii Congestion.................................................................................................................................... 54 Related Master Plan Goals, Objectives and Recommended Strategies ..................................... 58 Plan: Economic Development .......................................................................................................... 71 Existing Conditions ....................................................................................................................... 74 State of the Housing Market ....................................................................................................... 76 State of the Retail Market ........................................................................................................... 76 State of the Office Market ........................................................................................................... 76 State of the Heavy Commercial, Warehouse and Industrial Market ........................................ 77 Non‐Residential Uses Indicated as in Strong Demand for the Village of Monroe ..................... 77 Retail Marketplace Demographic Study .................................................................................... 77 Local Market ‐ Specific Observations .......................................................................................... 80 Area Market ‐ Specific Observations ........................................................................................... 81 Regional Market ‐ Specific Observations .................................................................................... 81 Obstacles to Economic Development .......................................................................................... 81 Related Master Plan Goals, Objectives and Recommended Strategies ..................................... 83 iii Introduction "The Master Plan for the Village of Monroe cannot be expected to anticipate every need of all the years to come. A final plan for eternity would be a dead hand on all hopes for progress.... It is most important that the Master Plan and zoning structure be re‐examined at frequent intervals. They are purposely flexible, and can readily be adjusted to keep pace with the times." ‐ April 1960 ‐ Master Plan Report for the Village of Monroe Background This Plan is the first unified and comprehensive look at the land use and settlement patterns within the Village of Monroe since the original Master Plan was written in 1960. That 1960 Master Plan recognized that an effective plan would require frequent and timely reexamination. Unfortunately, that 1960 plan did not establish recommendations and protocols to help ensure the periodic reexamination and update. In preparing this Plan, it was discovered that the original 1960 plan was literally locked away in a vault in the Village Clerk's office, its pages crisp and un‐creased, it’s corners still sharp. Fifty‐two years later, the Village of Monroe ‐ and the world ‐ have clearly undergone significant changes unforeseen by even the most visionary and informed people when the original 1960 plan was written. Although the 1960 Plan has remained relatively untouched, it was the basis for the Village's zoning. Unlike the 1960 land use plan, the Zoning Local Law has been reactively amended from time‐to‐time to respond to development pressures. This has allowed the Village to grow but not toward a unified Vision based on Citizen input. 1 Village of Monroe 1960 Land Use Plan It has therefore been under a fluid regulatory and policy framework that the majority of lands in the Village have been settled and constructed. While some of the original 1960s policies have endured, such as the development of a majority of Village land for single‐family residences, others were less effective, such as proposals for large tracts of office and laboratory parks along Rye Hill Road ‐ recently developed for luxury single‐family residences ‐ and in the area of the former Monroe Race Track ‐ now protected open space. The Village Board, in undertaking this update of the 1960 Comprehensive Plan, agrees with the 1960 Village Board insofar as a Comprehensive Plan must be a "living" document that is intended to be reexamined, updated, reconsidered, improved and adjusted according to the needs of the time. However, the reexamination must be proactive and comprehensive, not reactive and piecemeal.