2000-03-01
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H U D SON
RIVER VALLEY
GREENWAY
l(j\}.*,UN1TlfS CQUI'lc'\\
Local Adoption of Greenway Planning Compact
After the Greenway Council approves the regional Compact strategy, it will provide
to each local government a model local law. The local government may then adopt,
concurrent with a Type I SEQRA review, a local law stating that:
I. The community adopts Greenway Connections as the Compact;
2. As amendments are made to the Compact, the community will act to
accept or reject the amendments concurrent with the appropriate
SEQRA review;
3. As appropriate, amended or new land use regulations will be
consistent with the Compact;
4. Zoning and subdivision interpretations and discretionary actions
will be guided by Greenway Connections.
March I, 2000
CAPITOL BUILDING I CAPITOL STATION I ROOM 254 I ALBANY, NEW YORK 12224 I 518.473.3835 I 518.426-0330 FAX I ].80Q.TRAILS-92 I hrgreenwoy@ool.com
< ;<- . Daily Freeman ..
A Journal Register Company Newspaper
Thursday: March 9, 2000 . www.midhudsoncentral.com
Greenway
lauds effort
by Dutchess
. County Executive William Steinhaus says the
new 'Connections' program, which municipalities
still must vote on, will 'blur the geopolitical lines'
that can block a coordinated vision.
By WILLIAM 1. KEMBLE
Correspondent
TOWN OF ULSTER - Hudson River Vallev
Greenway officials lauded Dutchess County o~
Wednesday as the nation's first county to put
on paper a uniform set of planning principles.
The officials said the principles, known as the
"Greenway Connections" program, are a trail-
blazing effort to coordinate land-use goals
among diverse communities.
The program was adopted by the Greenwav
Council on Wednesday during a joint meeting with
the Greenway Conservancy at TechCity. The meet-
ing attracted about 85 representatives of the 90
communities served by the planning organization.
Greenway Council Executive Director David
Sampson said the Dutchess initiative, which
was released as a 70-page document, is impor-
tant because it provides a uniform set. of incen-
tives for communities that review projects
using Greenway guidelines for land use.
"The 1991 state legislation calls for Greenway
to develop a strategy among all the counties t~
work together on a voluntary basis and adopt
common planning principles," he said.
"Dutchess County is the first county to say
they wanted to do a regional compact plan ... and
they produced 'Greenway Connections,'" Samp-
son said. He called "Connections" "the first doc-
ument of its kind in the country that asks com-
munities to consider uniform guidelines for plan-
ning issues and new zoning changes."
Sampson noted the plan also may be the first
document that seeks to bring communities togeth-
er "through incentives rather than legislation."
Under the Dutchess program, incentives
would include:
. 50 percent matching grants of up to S5,OOO
for community planning projects.
. Giving higher priority ratings for larger
competitive state grants to Greenway projects.
. Grants covering as much as the entire cost
of planning and zoning changes to implement
items in the Greenway guidelines. .
Freeman phOto by Bill Madden
Dutches~ CO,unty Executiv~ William Steinhaus, standing, talks about the 'Greenway
Connectlo.ns program dU~lng Wednesday's meeting at TechCity. Seated, from left,
are TechClty owner Alan Ginsberg, Ulster County Legislature Chairman Daniel Alfon-
so and Heritagenergy President Abel Garraghan, a member of the Greenway board,
. Technical assistance with environment.al
reviews needed for projects that are consistent
with the guidelines.
· Legal assistance during disputes over land
regulations that are adopted using Greenway
assistance. ~.
Dutchess County Executive William Stein-
haus said "Greenway Connections" tries to be a
"best-practice kind of encyclopedia" for working
with projects proposed in each community.
"What we're attempting to do ... is blur the
geopolitical lines that often can serve as barri-
ers to cooperatively working together and coor-
dinating a vision for a community," he said.
Officials reported that of Dutchess County's
30 municipalities, only the town of Washington
was not a Greenway member.
Village, town and city boards will need to
. pass resolutions confirming their intentions to
follow the "Connections" program.
.~
BJITORIPJ. BOARD
RIChard K. Wo,or. publlshllr
Mar..r.U. A. Downey, u_UCuUw el.lllur
Dolor.. PInt", humall r~ourcer; director
Jahn Penney, editorial page edilOr .
J.IIm.. D.vld Audlln, assistant edlloriall.lllge editor
jpenney@poughkee.gannell.com "'Pctigh~e.ps \e
'44 TUeSDAy. MARCH 14, 2000 ~urml
mmJRIALS
Greenway guide
a great resource
Once again, Dutchess County is a leader when It
comes to planning wisely for de~lopmeut - it's the
first county in New York state to develop and win
approval for a strategic guide. Local communities would be
wise to put this guide to good use.
. Now that "Greenway Connections" has been approved
by the Hudson RIver Valley Greenway Council ani:! Conser-
vancy. towns and villages will be asked La incorporate It into
thei.!' zoning and plaiming lawts, . .
They don't have to; the guide is completely valuntary,
leaving commwlitlcs fi'ee to make their own p1mning deci-
sions. But they'd bo crazy to ignore such a wealth or good
Ideas. This SO-pllRe book is bursting with great ways to pre-
lierve natural and cultural resources. builCl economic devel-
opment, protect public access, and much 1lI0rC.
Earlier this month. the Town ufWashingtGnsigncd onto
the GreenWtly Compact - which means. according to
Greenway, every Dutchess County municipality is now a
member. The Village of New Paltz also joiried the Green-
way recel1t1y, joining the Ulster Cuunt;y towns or New Paltz,
Lloyd, Marlborough and Plattekill, and the Cit.yofKingston.
By signing the Greenway Compact, th811e cammunities
qualify Cor matching grClnts O1nd techni~llssistanee. But If
they adopt Greenway Connections as well,lhey a1:l0 qualify
ror fully funded planning llnd zuning grartls, priority ratings
for competilive state grants, streamlined environmental
reviews and legal protection on every local action consis-
tent with the Connections manual.
Book helps communities work together
The county's Department of Planning IU1d Development
staff deserves plenty of credit for spending two years deve]-
opmg the Greenway Connections guide, and County E.'(ecu-
tive William Steinhaus for l\rging a I'I!~onal pbi!osophy of
planned growth that is environment<llly frien~ Kudos go
as well to the Hudson River Valley Greenway. a regional
group that provides money and technical help to communi-
ties for planning and clcvelnping tourism projeclls.
With photos. text and graphics. the book 1ays ou~ pracU-
caJ advice on everything from bicycle llnd waiting trails to
promoting the arts and tourism. Practical ad'liee is includ-
ed 011 how to Avoid ugly commcrcfal strips ,2nd unappel!1ing
!;treetC:c:lpes.
The text strongly encourages thinking "outside the box"
- for example, by advising local communities to cooperate,
rather than compete On projeets. The Harlem Valley'S four
to\Vl'lS and two villilges. for instance. are praised for devel-
oping a joint strategy Cor protectini the huge aquifer from
which they o.U dnlw their drinking water:
If local town and village leaders get a copy afGreenway
Connections, the book won.tjust gather dust GIla shelf. It
will provide them with practical planning advic:8 foryears
to come.
Where to call
Community officials interested in the Greenway Connections
guide \0 sman development ShOUld contact on. arb following;
. Dutchess County Department of Planning and o...lopmenl,
27 High St., Poughkeepsie, N.V. 12601, (914)486{J6()().
. Hudson River Valley Greenway, Capitol Building. Capitol Sta.
lion. Aoom 254, Albany. N.Y. 12224. (S1S) 473-3835. .
. ~ .....
RECt1V~D rrs" 2 8 _
Peter Q. Eschweiler, AICP
36 Wilton Road PleaSantville. New Yert 10S'70-2000
Office: 914-747-1445 Fax: 914-747-7731
February 24, 2000
Mr. Barney McHenry, Chairman
Hudson Valley Greenway Communities Council
Capitol Building
Capital Station, Room 2S4
Albany NY l2224
Re: Endorsement of Dutchess County Greenwav Compact eJan
Dear Barney:
I write as chairman of the Greenway County Planners Advisory Council to forward the
endorsement of our group of the Dutchess County Greenway Compact Plan, as presented to us
by Roger Akeley and John Ouke at our December 7, 1999 meeting. When officially forwarded
to the Green~ay Council by Dutchess County Executive William Steinhaus, we recommend that
your Council take official action to ~ it as the rust of the sub-regional Greenway Compact
plans, pursuant to your enabling legislation.
Our group of county planners, from all of the counties in the Greenway, has followed the
development of this plan from its initial stages, subjecting it to peer review at its inception, at its
midpoint, and last December, in its near-fmal form. The competent county planning staff has
. prepared an excellent model Greenway plan that builds on the very successful Directions: The
Plan for Dutchess County of ten years ago, but concentrates now on the various objectives of the
Greenway program, and presents a series of design guidelines from wbich the municipalities may
choose to incorporate into their local planning processes. The weD-drafted text, the clear graph-
ics, and the attractive loose-leaf design of the report itself make it very Je8dable and easy -to fol-
low.
The Dutchess approach is very respectful of the Greenway tradition of "bottom-up" plan-
ning. The Plan is not didactic nor does it propose a "County" solution to the difficult planning
and design issues of achieving the Greenway's objectives. Rather, the approach presents clear
choices throughout - "good" vs. "bad" - and piesents guidelines that can be used by the munici-
palities to help change the planning process to achieve the Greenway principles. Some munici-
palities may choose to adopt or import these guidelines into their local maing or planning regu-
lations; others may wish simply to pass them on to developelS with the strong recommendation
that they follow them voluntarily. . .
It should be made clear that no attempt was made to develop this Plan under the rubric of
a Generic Environmental Impact Statement, as permitted under the Greenway statute for those
who wish to qualify their plans as exempt from further review UDder SEQRA (the State Envi-
ronmental Quality Review Act). That Greenway incentive is therefore not available in this case.
Nonetheless~ the Dutchess Greenway Compact Plan is a noteWorthy ~'"'Tte of a different type
of Greenway plan, with many features that will serve as models for the other Greenway counties.
We recommend your favorable action on the Dutchess Greenway Compact Plan.
~Wf
C..' ?g,d~b~ .
Peter Q. Eschwei1er. AlCP .
Chairman, Greenway County Planners Advisory Council