HomeMy WebLinkAboutDiana Riesman Letter towards the creation of the comprehensive plan 04.17.2009.PDFTowards creating a COMpREHENSIVE PLAN
From: Diana Riesman
for the Village of Cayuga Heights.
17 April2009
Dear All.
With respect to our cuffent dual roles as trustees and members of the planning Board, Ihave continued to discuss with you the issue of the importance of a ComprehJnsive plan
for our Village.
As you know, by l1w the Village is required to have a version of a Comprehensive plan.
However, beyond the legal requirement to have one, I feel it is imperatirr"." begin theprocess of creating a Comprehensive Plan. This is about a vision and ideas for ourcommunity - especially our commercial center - and making sure we have a good graspof that vision as we move forward and things in the Village -hu.rg.
and evolv!. The
Comprehensive Plan is a changing and ever-evolving document. It goes hand in handwith zoning ordinances. In most municipalities, the-Comprehensiv" plun and. zoning
ordinances are constantly revised and revisited. We have no such document and ourzoning ordinances haven't been re-examined in well-over 50 years at least. That issimply no longer acceptable.
Last year, I spoke to a n-umber of people at the Town of Ithaca and the Village of Lansing
about comprehensive plans and, with community resident Carole Schiffmanlapproached
two professors who teach in City & Regional Planning at Cornell -- George Frarrtz, aVisiting Lecturer; and Rolf Pendel, an Associate Professor. While they eich teach
different classes, the nuts and bolts of what goes into a comprehensive plan comprise apart of their syllabi. I.ast Fall both gentlemen expressed anlnterest in iuyogu Heights
and potentially working with us.
Carole and I have recently heard back from Prof. Frant z, who re-iterated his interest
in working with us on the subject of Cayuga Heights. He has recently returred from NewOrleans, where, along with his students, he conducted some very relevant and neededprojects related to the re-building efforts there.
Prof. Frantz is preparing his courses for the Fall semester and would like to know if theVillage is interested in pursuing a Comprehensive Plan in collaboration with his ciassfor next Fall.
Here below is an excerpt (a composite of excerpts actually) of what professor Frantz satd,in an e-mail to Carole and me last year:
I can explain (to the Planning BoarcJ/Trustees) how the class would be organized anclwhat sort of product it could deliver. You ancl other community memb"r, ,on discuss theissues you wish the class to adclress. We can then clecide if thire is a good fit between theobiectives of the class and the needs of the community. riis includesTistory of theVillage and Corners, existing businesses , demographics, transportation including
p edes trian sys tems, exis ting z oning regs, infras iur]rr", environm ental res ources,resident input on the
-issues visioning and options for future. to develop a strategic plan
for the Corners to address the issue of how its futire is the neighborhiod retail center
for the community can be assurecl. One of thebenefits of such classes is that the studentscan present to the community a palette of ideas that can serve as a catalyst for furtherdis cussions and action.
villages and municipalities often spend upwards of $35,000 to $60,000 on their
comprehensive plans. It is possible we could work with Professor Frantz, class fbr anadministrative fee of about $5000. I think on many levels this would be a wonderfulplace to staft -- a hugely significant first step in starting to undertake the process
necessary to really look and examine our Village, and come up with u *.ll-thought outvision and plan for its future.
I look forward - as we move forward ourselves in the discussion of an independent
planning board -- to talking about the idea of working with City & Regionai planning
this coming Monday night at our meeting.
Any collaboration or movement forward on a comprehensive plan would come under theguidance of our planning board. Should we have an independint planning board in placeby eatly surnmer, that group could effectively work with Frofessor Frantzon the detailsof what is wanted and what our comprehensive plan should include to best serye ourcommunity's needs.
Many thanks for your time and consideration. I look forward to talking about thispossibility with you on Monday evening.
Warm wishes for a lovely weekend.
Diana