Revitalizing the Esopus/Delaware Region of the Central Catskills Towns of Andes, Middletown, and Roxbury Villages of Margaretville and Fleischmanns (Delaware County) Towns of Olive and Shandaken (Ulster County) June 2013 This document was prepared for the New York State Department of State with funds provided under Title 11 of the Environmental Protection Fund. Table of Contents SECTION 1 ‐ Introduction ..................................................................................................................................................... 2 SECTION 2 ‐ Revitalization Area Boundary .................................................................................................................. 5 SECTION 3 ‐ Completed and Ongoing Plans, Reports, and Studies ..................................................................... 6 SECTION 4 ‐ Assets and Constraints for Economic Revitalization ...................................................................... 9 SECTION 5 ‐ Area Profile and Inventory ...................................................................................................................... 14 5.1 Environmental Resources ........................................................................................................... 14 5.2 Land Use ..................................................................................................................................... 24 5.3 Waterfronts and Waterfront Access .......................................................................................... 35 5.4 Recreational, Cultural and Historic Resources ........................................................................... 42 5.5 Infrastructure .............................................................................................................................. 48 5.6 Demographic Overview .............................................................................................................. 55 5.7 Economic/Market Analysis ......................................................................................................... 59 5.8 Regional Business Survey Results ............................................................................................... 78 5.9 Second Homeowner Survey Results ........................................................................................... 86 5.10 Results of Public Meetings .......................................................................................................... 95 SECTION 6 ‐ Common Threads: Vision and Goals for Revitalization ............................................................... 96 SECTION 7 ‐ Recommended Actions and Projects ................................................................................................ 100 7.1 Recommended Actions and Projects ........................................................................................ 100 SECTION 8 ‐ Implementation and Action Plan ....................................................................................................... 119 8.1 Prioritizing Actions .................................................................................................................... 119 8.2 Project Partners and Funding Sources ...................................................................................... 134 8.3 Regional Economic Development Councils .............................................................................. 138 8.4 Action Plan ................................................................................................................................ 141 SECTION 9 ‐ Maps ............................................................................................................................................................... 151 APPENDICES (Separate Document) Acknowledgments Project Advisory Committee Peg Ellsworth, MARK Project Carol O’Beirne, Central Catskills Chamber of Commerce Alan White, Catskill Center for Conservation and Development Kent Manuel, Delaware County Planning Department Dennis Doyle, Ulster County Planning Board Andrew Labruzzo, NYS Department of State Jaime Reppert, NYS Department of State Local Government Representatives Martin Donnelly, Supervisor, Town of Andes Marjorie Miller, Supervisor, Town of Middletown Thomas S. Hynes, Supervisor, Town of Roxbury Berndt J. Leifeld, Supervisor, Town of Olive Robert A. Stanley, Supervisor, Town of Shandaken Todd Pascarella, Mayor, Village of Fleischmanns William Stanton, Mayor, Village of Margaretville Collaborative Partners Catskill Center for Conservation and Development Catskill Watershed Corporation Central Catskills Chamber of Commerce MARK Project Watershed Agricultural Council Consultant Team Nan Stolzenburg, AICP CEP Adam Yagelski Ellen Morosoff Pemrick Don Meltz Planning & GIS Don Meltz, AICP All photographs taken by Ellen Pemrick: July 2010 (Andes, Roxbury, Middletown, Fleischmanns, and Margaretville) and August 2011 (Olive and Shandaken). Revitalizing the Esopus/Delaware Region of the Central Catskills June 2013 Page 1 SECTION 1 ‐ Introduction The Towns of Andes, Middletown, and Roxbury and the Villages of Fleischmanns and Margaretville in Delaware County and the Towns of Olive and Shandaken in Ulster County have collaborated with the MARK Project and the Catskill Center to prepare this economic revitalization plan. It is designed to capitalize on the natural, scenic, agricultural and recreational assets of the East Branch of the Delaware River, the Esopus Creek and its tributaries, and associated lands. Funded by the New York State Department of State’s Local Waterfront Revitalization Program1, this Plan is the result of a regional planning effort aimed at the revitalization of the Esopus and East Branch corridors (State Routes 28 and 30) in the central Catskills. The planning process was an inter‐municipal effort through which these communities worked together to protect and promote the region’s resources. 1 NYS Executive Law, Article 42, § 911 defines the state’s Coastal area, Coastal area boundaries, Coastal waters, and Designated inland waterways. In § 911 – 4, the state’s Inland waterways are defined, with the Delaware River specifically listed as one of the state’s major rivers in paragraph (b), and the upper and lower branches of the Esopus specifically listed in paragraph (c). Additionally, paragraph (e) states that inland waterways shall include “…the adjacent shorelands to the extent that such inland waters and adjacent lands are strongly influenced by each other including, but not limited to, islands, wetlands, beaches, dunes, barrier islands, cliffs, bluffs and erosion prone areas.” Revitalizing the Esopus/Delaware Region of the Central Catskills June 2013 Page 2 This document is intended to promote village, hamlet and Main Street revitalization that emphasizes enhanced access to and use of waterways and public lands to increase recreation‐based tourism. It does so by recommending new opportunities for water‐based recreation, natural resource based economies, and associated tourism‐based economic development. This strategy also recognizes that the region’s significant scenic and natural resources are vital to both economic prosperity and quality of life for residents. The Esopus/Delaware watershed is an important environmental resource for both fisheries (trout) and is a large part of the watershed for the New York City water supply. The region’s economy centers on recreation and related tourism activity, significant open spaces, and cultural and historical resources. The watershed forms the basis of the region’s environmental, cultural, and economic landscape. It is a significant feature that can be the focus to bring new life and energy to the five towns and two villages included in this planning effort. To assist in community revitalization, this document inventories current conditions in the region, establishes a common vision and goals, and identifies priority projects that can be put to work to promote and enhance the economy. This is especially important to the recovery of the region after the 2011 Hurricane Irene. The Plan seeks to provide the participating communities with actionable strategies that can be put to work to create new economic activity. Priority actions reflect public and professional consensus as to what are the most important actions local governments and organizations can take to revitalize the region. Recommended projects include a wide variety of strategies including: new stream access sites enhanced linkages between streams, hamlets, and villages, improved signage, and methods to promote an institutional and organizational framework. Another important aspect of this plan is to collate many years of planning work that has already been completed into one place so that effective regional efforts can be promoted. This strategy incorporates the knowledge and creativity learned from a decade or more of excellent planning. Consequently, this revitalization strategy can be viewed as a comprehensive regional plan that weaves together, in one place, the data, maps, vision, goals, and creative actions from past and current plans and studies. Because this strategy reflects community consensus generated over many years, it will increase the region’s ability to market and promote itself to attract appropriate development. Appropriate development is that which respects the rich cultural and natural characteristics found here. The Department of State works with communities in the Catskill