A nearly three-year in-depth look into the environment and its relationship with economic development has come to a close and the results should be beneficial to varying degrees across Genesee County.
That’s the perspective of Felipe Oltramari, Genesee County Planning Department director, concerning Smart Genesee/Green Genesee, an initiative that focused on the towns of Batavia, Alabama and Oakfield, and Village of Oakfield.
“It’s a scientific approach to looking at the natural environment – floodplains, wetlands – and its connectivity to development,” Oltramari said Monday. “This has enabled planners to view it as a system, and to come up with a ‘green’ road map for the county. It’s another layer that helps us make decisions.”
The planning department worked with Sheila Hess of CC Environment & Planning of East Bethany, Barbara Johnston of LaBella Associates Inc. of Rochester and Matt Ingalls of Ingalls Planning & Design of Fairport, as well as town and village officials, to study each municipality’s environmental and economic strengths and weaknesses, and come up with recommendations to support future growth, policy and zoning procedures.
Some of the “strengths” that were identified included natural resources, location, new infrastructure, low taxes and low crime rate, while some of the “weaknesses” were New York State policies, regulations, laws and taxes; transportation issues; competing land uses; and an aging population.
More than half of the project’s cost – in real dollars and in-kind contributions – came from a $175,000 grant from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.
The four communities along with the planning department, Genesee County Economic Development Center and New York Green Inc., a nonprofit organization that guides conservation and community development in Western New York, provided the remainder of the funding, Oltramari said.
Oltramari said the four communities involved in the NYSERDA project are the ones that will be affected the most by the development of the WNY Science and Technology Advanced Manufacturing Park in the Town of Alabama – which is preparing for the arrival of the 1366 Technologies solar wafer plant and the promise of hundreds of jobs.
“Each of the communities now has a map calibrated specifically for them,” he said. “Additionally, the towns of Batavia and Alabama have incorporated some of the committee’s recommendations into their Comprehensive Plan updates.”
(Toward that end, the Town of Batavia Planning Board has scheduled a training on SG/GG as it relates to its Comprehensive Plan for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday (Nov. 29) at Town Hall).
He noted that the SG/GG maps are serving as models for other communities, with the Town of Bergen and Town of Le Roy using some of its suggestions as leaders update their Comprehensive Plans.
SG/GG recommendations in the area of zoning pointed to a “hybrid” approach – using codes that maintain and protect the area’s rural character and natural resources.
The NYSERDA grant also provided energy audits of the communities’ facilities and vehicles, Oltramari said.
The Town and Village of Oakfield held public hearings on the subject in November. The Town of Batavia has scheduled a public workshop for 5 p.m. Dec. 7 and a public hearing for 7 p.m. Dec. 21 – both at Town Hall – while the Town of Alabama has scheduled a public hearing for 7:15 p.m. Dec. 17 at its Town Hall.
“Public hearings need to be held and then it is up to the local municipalities to decide if they wish to adopt any of the recommendations into their zoning regulations,” Oltramari said.
