City of Glens Falls’ Comprehensive Plan
On April 14th at 7:20pm in Glens Falls City Hall, the Common Council will hold the first public hearing to hear comments and concerns about the city’s Comprehensive Plan. The document, and its appendices, is rather extensive, totaling 318 pages. But it is organized to ensure residents, elected officials, businesses, and city planners are able to peruse the community profile, vision, goals, and recommendations from all stakeholders. The last comprehensive plan, or Master Plan, was created in 1999, and over the past twenty-seven years, a lot has changed in the city.
The fifth section, titled “Future Land Use”, illustrates the potential for how the city will change thanks to the collaborative efforts of everyone that worked on this plan. One important aspect of this section is noted on page 198, stating, “while the names, locations, and associated recommendations of these character areas should not be interpreted as new zoning districts, they do provide a community-wide vision for development and substantial guidance for revising the city’s zoning code and map.”
Once this comprehensive plan is finalized, it will help provide a legal foundation for future zoning regulations, creates a framework for future developers, and assists the city’s planning department with finding grants. It also provides smart growth strategies to, “guide future growth in a way that prioritizes sustainability, equity, and economic prosperity in order to create more livable, environmentally friendly communities.”
Personally, the exciting areas of the map are along the South Street Extension and Pruyn’s Island. Titled, “Neighborhood Mixed Use”, it envisions a blend of residential, commercial, and community services that cultivate and expand the principles from Jeffrey Spek’s Walkable Cities book into Ward 5. The incredible work over the past ten years in the downtown corridor from the Downtown Revitalization Initiative has led to unprecedented growth in the city. With recent and upcoming developments on Pruyn’s Island, Haviland’s Cove, and the East End Rising Initiative, the future looks just as exciting to reinvigorate more areas of the city.
But the important aspect imbued throughout the plan is ensuring that the character and history of Glens Falls remain intact. The first section, titled “Community Profile”, details some of the historical background, regional context, and current status of the area. For those that want to dive into its fascinating history, there are plenty of resources, such as the Chapman Museum, Crandall Library Folklife Center, and Wayne Wright, our city historian.
If you are unable to attend either the April 14th or April 28th public meetings to voice your comments and be a part of history, send email to directorofplanning-zoning@cityofglensfallsny.gov using the subject line "Comprehensive Plan Comments" by May 1st.
