Step 1 - Comprehensive Plan Update

On February 3 - a workshop for the Town Board was held -- with the Supervisor, the Town Clerk, and two of the Council Members attended the Workshop (one was ill) - with 3 consultants from Leberge Group.

This is step 1 - which is getting data/facts together. The consultants mentioned some statistics -- but qualified those statistics by saying they were census figures that were out of date and need to be refreshed using the Town's tax data. But some preliminary highlights:

Town of Wappinger is the most dense town in the county, with the smallest footprint. The current housing stock is 60% single family, 40 % multifamily -- which is a very different profile than neighboring towns. The number of household with single individuals in increasing (but the base of those increases was not given.. so it is hard to judge the full impact). Household sizes have decreased, and house hold incomes have increased. - But again - these numbers all have to be revisted and confirmed with tax data.

The plan is that the consultants will prepare an addendum to the current comprehensive plan with this process, and in the meantime begin to work on getting grants to fund an update to the Town's Comprehensive Plan (last completed in 2010) - which will involve resident workshops and surveys.

The Board was asked to list the Town's Assets & Liabillities -- and so we were treated to the politican's view -- which in flowery language contradicted each other - The Supervisor advocating for more open space and other advocating more infrastructure and allowing more growth.

The Consultant mentioned that zoning code is meant to help people with predicablity in making investments in property and to help people with understanding the community character -- and keeping community character.

Members of the public also spoke.. thanking the board for the opportunity to participate and reinforcing that the current community character is very important to them and don't want to see signficant changes. It will be vital that the public continues to stay actively involved -- and be VERY specific about what kind of community they wish to live in, because our representatives are very good at using reflective listening to appear as if they agree with you....and the person who wants something very different and making it all seem like you agreed to it. For example... growth in infrastructure -- water systems, sewer systems -- seems on the surface as a good idea... however -- it enables development... which requires transportation, education, law enforcement, fire, EMT investments also.