Town of Brant Village of Farnham Master Plan August 2003 peter j. smith & company, inc. Buffalo, NY Nussbaumer & Clarke, Inc. Buffalo, NY Acknowledgements Master Plan Steering Committee Eugene Czyz, Chair Martin Rosiek Leonard Pero Terry Caber Anthony Krtanjek Town Board Samuel Chiavetta, Supervisor Ellen Bowman Eugene Czyz Martin Rosiek Dennis Rubeck Village Board Terry Caber, Mayor George Cordia Roger Edbauer Anthony Krtanjek Judith Pruett Consultants peter j. smith & company, inc. Buffalo, NY and Fort Erie, Ontario Nussbaumer & Clarke, Inc. Buffalo, NY August 2003 Town of Brant and Village of Farnham Master Plan Table of Contents Town of Brant and Village of Farnham Master Plan PAGE 1.0 The Plan .......................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................... 1 1.2 The Plan Defined ............................................................................................ 1 1.3 Why Do A Plan? .............................................................................................. 3 1.4 Implementing the Plan .................................................................................... 4 1.5 Adopting the Plan ............................................................................................ 5 1.6 Preparation of the Plan ................................................................................... 6 1.7 Goals, Policies and Actions ............................................................................. 8 1.8 Implementation Matrix ................................................................................... 24 2.0 The Communities .......................................................................................... 31 2.1 Population Characteristics............................................................................. 31 2.1.1 Changes in Population ............................................................................. 31 2.1.2 Age Characteristics .................................................................................. 32 2.1.3 Race and Ethnicity ................................................................................... 34 2.1.4 Urban and Rural Populations ................................................................... 34 2.2 Education Levels ........................................................................................... 35 2.2.1 Educational Attainment ............................................................................ 35 2.2.2 School Enrollment .................................................................................... 36 2.3 Housing ......................................................................................................... 37 2.3.1 Characteristics of Existing Housing ......................................................... 37 2.3.2 Housing Trends ....................................................................................... 50 2.3.3 Housing Programs and Suppliers ............................................................ 51 2.4 Findings......................................................................................................... 54 3.0 The Land ....................................................................................................... 57 3.1 Land Use ....................................................................................................... 57 3.1.1 Agricultural ............................................................................................... 58 3.1.2 Residential ............................................................................................... 59 3.1.3 Vacant ...................................................................................................... 59 3.1.4 Recreation/Entertainment ........................................................................ 59 3.1.5 Public Service .......................................................................................... 60 3.1.6 Commercial .............................................................................................. 63 3.1.7 Community Service .................................................................................. 63 3.1.8 Industrial .................................................................................................. 64 3.2 Land Use Regulations ................................................................................... 64 3.3 Future Land Use ........................................................................................... 71 3.3.1 Projections ............................................................................................... 71 3.3.2 Future Land Use Plan .............................................................................. 71 3.4 Findings......................................................................................................... 75 peter j. smith & company, inc. Nussbaumer & Clarke, Inc. i Town of Brant and Village of Farnham Master Plan 4.0 Agriculture and Natural Resources ............................................................... 77 4.1 Agriculture ..................................................................................................... 77 4.1.1 Significant Agricultural Areas ................................................................... 77 4.2 Natural Resources ........................................................................................ 83 4.2.1 Geology ................................................................................................... 83 4.2.2 Wetlands .................................................................................................. 83 4.2.3 Floodplains .............................................................................................. 84 4.2.4 Soils ......................................................................................................... 84 4.2.5 Topography .............................................................................................. 90 4.2.6 Scenic Vistas ........................................................................................... 90 4.2.7 Groundwater and Aquifers ....................................................................... 91 4.2.8 Watersheds .............................................................................................. 91 4.2.9 Surface Water .......................................................................................... 92 4.2.10 Wildlife ..................................................................................................... 93 4.2.11 Woodlands ............................................................................................... 94 4.2.12 Air Quality ................................................................................................ 95 4.2.13 Hazardous Waste .................................................................................... 96 4.3 Findings......................................................................................................... 97 5.0 Community and Cultural Resources .............................................................. 99 5.1 Educational Facilities .................................................................................... 99 5.2 Libraries ...................................................................................................... 100 5.3 Parks ........................................................................................................... 100 5.3.1 Evangola State Park .............................................................................. 100 5.3.2 Brant Town Park .................................................................................... 103 5.3.3 Steve J. Rauker Memorial Park ............................................................. 103 5.3.4 Memorial Park ........................................................................................ 103 5.4 Emergency Services ................................................................................... 103 5.4.1 Police Service ........................................................................................ 103 5.4.2 Fire Service ............................................................................................ 104 5.4.3 Ambulance Service ................................................................................ 104 5.4.4 Religious Congregations ........................................................................ 104 5.4.5 Cemeteries ............................................................................................ 105 5.5 Historic Resources ...................................................................................... 105 5.6 Findings....................................................................................................... 107 6.0 Transportation ............................................................................................. 109 6.1 Transportation System ................................................................................ 109 6.1.1 Multi-modal system overview ................................................................. 109 6.2 Vehicular System ........................................................................................ 110 6.2.1 Road Classification ................................................................................ 110 6.2.2 Designated Truck Route .......................................................................