TOWN OF WEST SENECA COMPREHENSIVE PLAN November 2005 (Amended October 2006) TOWN OF WEST SENECA COMPREHENSIVE PLAN Adopted: October 2006 ACKNOWLEDGMENT The Town of West Seneca Comprehensive Plan was made possible through the efforts of: Steering Committee Members: Christopher Osmanski, Joseph Ciancio, Paul Notaro, Joyce Mallett, John Kennedy, Nancy Lesakowski, Delores Mendolia, David Lawrence, William Czuprynski, George Montz, and Michael Krasner (In Memory of) Town Board: Supervisor Paul T. Clark, Deputy Supervisor Chris Osmanski, Councilman Vincent J. Graber, Jr., Councilman Craig J. Hicks, Councilwoman Christina Wleklinski Bove, and former Town Councilman Timothy Wroblewski. West Seneca Town Departments West Seneca Central School District Erie County and The Citizens of the Town of West Seneca Funding provided by the Community Development Block Grant Program (U.S.HUD), Erie County, and the Town of West Seneca TOWN OF WEST SENECA COMPREHENSIVE PLAN Table of Contents Introduction I. Existing Conditions A. Demographics i. Population ii. Housing B. Environmental i. Creeks and Watersheds ii. Floodplains iii. Wetlands iv. Water Quality v. Soils vi. Open Space/Greenspace C. Transportation i. Highway Network ii. AADT/LOS for Major Roadways iii. Transportation Improvement Projects iv. Public Transportation v. Air vi. Rail vii. Recreation Paths and Trails D. Cultural i. Educational Facilities ii. Parks and Recreation iii. Communities and Hamlet Locations iv. Historic and Architectural Resources E. Economic i. Workforce Profile ii. Commercial Activity F. Land Use/Zoning i. Existing Land Use Patterns ii. Land Use by Area iii. Existing Zoning Ordinance and Zoning Map iv. Other Land Use Controls G. Infrastructure i. Sewer ii. Water iii. Drainage and Flooding H. Public Facilities i. West Seneca Government ii. Departments iii. Organizations and Other Agencies iv. Town Facilities II. Vision: Goals and Objectives A. Initial Issues from the Town B. Public Participation Process C. Goals and Objectives III. Findings and Conclusions A. Demographic Projections B. Environmental C. Transportation D. Cultural E. Economic Issues F. Land Use and Zoning G. Infrastructure H. Public Facilities I. Relationship to Surrounding Communities and County Policies i. Erie County Guiding Principals for Countywide Land Use Planning ii. City of Buffalo iii. Town of Orchard Park iv. Town of Elma v. Town of Cheektowaga vi. City of Lackawanna IV. Opportunities / Constraints/ Ideas V. Recommendations and Implementation A. Zoning Ordinance B. Town Center C. Gardenville Heritage District D. Community needs i. Recommendation ii. Implementation E. Policies and Procedures i. Recommendation ii. Implementation F. Other Recommendations i. Recommendation ii. Implementation VI. Environmental Review VII. Appendices A. Public Participation B. Zoning Amendments C. Union Road Streetscape D. Other Sample Laws (separate document) E. Public Hearing Minutes and Public Comment Received (separate document) Figures Town of West Seneca Population Trends (1960 - 2000) Fig. 1 West Seneca Households (1980 – 2000) Fig. 2 West Seneca Age Distribution for 1990 & 2000 Fig. 3 West Seneca Households by Type (2000) Fig. 4 West Seneca Housing Units by Type (2000) Fig. 5 West Seneca Traffic Counts (AADT) Fig. 6 Schools Fig. 7 Parks and Playgrounds Fig. 8 West Seneca Historic Sites Fig. 9 2002 West Seneca Largest Employers Fig. 10 West Seneca Business Parks Fig. 11 Land Use by Category (2002) Fig. 12 Town of West Seneca Zoning Summary Fig. 13 Maps General Location Map 1 Watersheds Map 2 Environmental Features Map 3 Hydric Soils Map 4 Prime Farmland Soils Map 5 Transportation Map 6 School Districts Map 7 Community Features Map 8 Existing Land Use Map 9 Digital Orthoimagery Map 10 Generalized Zoning Map Map 11 Vision Maps Map 12 & 13 INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION What is a Comprehensive Plan According to New York State Law, a Comprehensive Plan provides a municipality with the “guidelines, policies, [and] standards . for the immediate and long-range protection, enhancement, growth and development of the municipality.” Section 272-a of New York State Law states: “Among the most important powers and duties granted by the legislature to a town government is the authority and responsibility to undertake town comprehensive planning and to regulate land use for the purpose of protecting the public health, safety and general welfare of its citizens.” New York State does not dictate what form a comprehensive plan must take, but suggests that it consist of written and graphic materials that identify the goals, objectives, principles and standards that the Town wishes to set forth for its immediate and long-term protection, enhancement, growth and development. There are many reasons for having an adopted Town Comprehensive Plan. A municipality’s Comprehensive Plan is the legal foundation for all zoning and land use regulation decisions made in the Town. While municipalities are given the power to regulate land uses within the community, it is understood that these decisions should be based on sound planning principles, and not be arbitrary or capricious. A municipal Comprehensive Plan, developed with public support and input, helps ensure that the Town’s land use regulations are built on a solid foundation and represent a consensus on the part of the Town’s residents. Modern comprehensive plans go beyond zoning issues. A Comprehensive Plan provides guidance toward the priorities and concepts of local residents regarding what they consider important to their quality of life. It establishes goals and objectives that reflect those priorities, and provides a set of recommendations and actions to help the Town achieve those goals. While there are recommendations that pertain to land use and zoning, other actions and priorities are also articulated. Another important purpose of a Comprehensive Plan is to put the community’s vision for its future on the record. Any development proposal or action, whether private or public, should take into consideration the Town’s vision as expressed in the Plan, and attempt to be consistent with these stated priorities. An adopted Comprehensive Plan provides an accessible and clear guide for entities seeking to undertake a project in the community. It provides them with a better understanding of what the Town is likely to approve and the types of actions that are preferred. It also provides the Town with greater leverage to have an effect on planning activities and programs instituted by other governmental authorities, such as the County or New York State agencies, who are required to take local plans into consideration. An adopted Comprehensive Plan shows a commitment on the part of the community toward a shared vision for its future. This commitment can be helpful in seeking governmental assistance for projects that help move the community toward that vision through the forms of grants. Finally, a Comprehensive Plan helps the community recognize what is important about your Town. It identifies what is important to protect, support and encourage, and what elements of your Town you would like to see improved. It provides a clear assessment of where you are now, vision on where you would like to be, and concrete recommendations and strategies to help you get there. Not all elements included in the plan will be achieved, but the Plan contains a source of potential solutions to problems or issues that may arise in the future. The Make-up of this Document This Comprehensive Planning document includes the basics of any comprehensive planning document. It includes information about the community (existing conditions – "Where the Town is Now"), an interpretation of those conditions (conclusions, and an interpretation based on strengths and weaknesses of the town versus the goals and objectives of the town), a visioning component (setting goals and objectives – "Where the Town Wants to Be"), and recommendations to achieve the communities' goals and objectives ("How to Get There"). Section I provides summarized information about the community (see appendix for additional data). Section II reports the vision section of the plan, articulated in a process and the setting of goals and objectives. This information is presented early because it guides the rest of the document. Section III begins the analysis of the Town's existing conditions, with Section IV continuing this analysis but more directly related to the vision of the community (a SWOT analysis). Section IV also includes the ideas generated during the comprehensive planning process that could be utilized in achieving the Town's goals. Section V takes some of the key ideas and expands upon them to make clear recommendations, and provides a methodology to implement these recommendations. Section VI reports the environmental analysis utilized to evaluate the ideas and recommendations of the plan, and to help complete the SEQR process. The appendices include information concerning the public meetings, zoning text amendments, a Gardenville Heritage Area Plan, and other samples of laws and ordinances to be utilized by the Town. How this Plan will be Utilized As defined in Section 272-a of General Town Law, the comprehensive Plan shall “serve as a basis for land use regulation, infrastructure development, public and private investment, and any plans which may detail one or more topics of a Town Comprehensive Plan.” The Town of West Seneca Comprehensive Plan was adopted by the West Seneca Town Board on __________________ and it shall be the policy of the Town of West Seneca to reference the Comprehensive Plan for all rezonings and infrastructure projects planned by the Town and proposals from other governmental agencies. A copy of this plan was provided to county and state agencies to assist with their plans and projects in the West Seneca area. For each budget year, the Implementation section of the plan will be referenced and actions, new laws and regulations will be incorporated into the plan for the coming year. SECTION I – EXISTING CONDITIONS WEST SENECA COMPREHENSIVE PLAN I. EXISTING CONDITIONS Introduction The Town of West Seneca is an established first-ring suburban community geographically located in central Erie County, New York.