Overview:

The meeting was held in the Charlton Freehold Church Academy to explain
- why Comprehensive Planning would benefit the town,
- what comprehensive planning entailed
- the mission, operating principles and proposed make up of the Comprehensive Planning Steering Committee
- the committee selection process, and most importantly
- to hear citizen comments, questions and concerns and respond.

Introduction:

Following the Pledge of Allegiance, the Town Board-selected Comprehensive Planning Steering Committee Co-Chairs, Steven Caine and Deborah Herrin, introduced themselves, provided their background and explained why they got involved in this process. Both Deborah and Steven moved to Charlton because they wanted their families to live in the unique environment Charlton offered. They thanked every Town Board member, all of which supported the start of the Comprehensive Planning Process. Charlton Freehold Church was also thanked for allowing the town to use its facilities.

Briefing: (See attached Slide Presentation which were used in the meeting.)

Comments, Questions and Responses following the Slide Presentation:

Question: Craig Kominoski of Swaggertown Rd asked when and where will the Steering Committee met?
Response: -Meetings will be at the Town Hall and they will be open meetings that the public can attend. Probably will be held once a month, but a person participating in a sub-committee could have to meet more often.

Comment: - Cheryl Doyle of Featherbed Lane stated the elderly farmers are worried about losing farmland

Comment: - Dan Dixon of Division Street Stated that Charlton needs to keep farms to preserve open space, need to keep farming alive in our town; .Farmers need tax relief

Comment John Vavasour of Swaggertown Road – appreciated the effort being made to plan for Charlton’s future and volunteered for the Steering Committee

Question: - Tom Bonner of Meadow Brook Lane asked if there was any funding for professional planning assistance
Response: We are looking into it very carefully through possible grants and have put in a budget request to the town.

Comment: Albert LaRue of Charlton Rd Stated strongly, you have to read the "fine-print" if you accept a grant because it may force you into some commitments you do not want.
Question and Comment: Dick Lupi of Beachwood asked, if we complete a Comprehensive Plan, will it bind us to any commitments or have consequences we may later find unattractive? Will we be required to include things we don’t want? If so it may not be worth the time and effort if there are such strings attached to grant funds.
Response: We agree and the committee will continue looking into it very carefully. After consulting with the Saratoga Planning Office, we can say with a very high degree of certainty that there are no specific commitments that are made by "a plan" and it can be changed whenever the required town democratic process is used.

Comment- Gerald Belisle of Stage Rd – Is a long-time resident of the town and believes this initiative is a great opportunity for Charlton. He volunteered to serve on the Steering Committee.

Comment- Dave Stafford of Peaceable Street – Stated when he first heard about this initiative his antennas went up. He relayed his experience working on the "71 Master Plan" and how when they introduced it to the community it caused an uproar. He noted when they first presented it to the public the committee had already injected in the plan a commercial center and a trailer park, and that they were the items that where the major factor in the town board not adopting the plan. He also said that although the plan was not formally adopted, elements of it were used as a basis for improving our zoning law, and that it has been very effective.
Response: - It was noted that those that worked on the last plan, put a lot of their time, energy and talents into the project and that despite it’s lack of formal adoption, parts of it have contributed to the quality of life we enjoy in Charlton today. It was also noted that possibly some of the resource analysis of the "71 plan" may still be useful today -- such things as the soils and topography don’t change. It was emphasized that this planning initiative was different from the ‘71 planning process. We will use lessons learned from the past effort. In ’71, the state prescribed what had to be in the plan, for example, a low cost housing area and a commercial center. There are no such mandates today. The townspeople, through expressing their needs and desires, will decide on what will be included in the plan. For this planning initiative, every possible effort will be made to get "up-front- input from citizens and keep them informed before presenting them a formal-recommended positions or plans. We feel citizens must be part of the evolution of the plans content, throughout the process.

Question: - Maggie Schmidt of Sacandaga Rd: Once a comprehensive plan is written can it be changed? She also asked if the recommended trailer park court and commercial center in the ’71 plan were mandated by the state.
Response: - Comprehensive Plan at its core is a plan and its content is never in cement. Though there is a period review cycle, the plan can be changed at any time through the democratic governing processes of the town. Those that worked on or were associated with the ’71 plan remember the low cost housing (trailer court) and commercial center as mandated items

Comment: -Norman McFarlane of Charlton Rd stated in strong terms that he moved to Charlton from Long Island to get out of a suburban environment and he did not want this effort in any way foster suburban type sprawl, and the life such environment fosters. . He stated that most people are here tonight because they are afraid .He feels that development pressures are on, must be very careful to avoid becoming a Clifton Park.
Response: Agreed.

Comment: Dawn Szurek of Swaggertown Road thought this initiative was a great opportunity for the town. She likes the participative process

Comment: Gerald Belisle of Stage Road -A long-time resident of the town and believes this initiative is a great opportunity for Charlton. He volunteered to serve on the Steering Committee.

Question: - Ken Crotty of Newman Rd asked what is the process for townspeople to monitor the progress of actions suggested in the plan. He was concerned that plan could be completed and then fall "into a black hole" and townspeople would not know what is happening or what is being done about plan recommendations.
Response: - It was noted that the goals and strategies outlined in a comprehensive plan offer a yardstick for measuring the progress of the plan’s recommended actions for implementation. Townspeople could and should insist on some type of reporting system to provide citizens feedback on how things are progressing. This could be done through the town newsletter or Town Website. The specifics of something like this need to be worked out, and should be done. A planning effort that is never implemented is a waste of town and citizen resources. The plan should be reviewed regularly and updated as needed

Comment: Suzanne Voigt of Dawson Rd Applauded Caine and Herrin’s efforts. Wants to see the plan identify quality places that people could enjoy .If Charlton implements a comprehensive plan that we will have access to a lot of funding sources we don’t have access to today. She also said that the plan was needed to get grants for conservation and preservation. She also stated that she knows of a town that was saved from sprawl by their comprehensive planning.

Comments Several town citizens commented that they like the traffic calming, safe bike paths and walking strategies surrounding towns have adopted.

Comment: John Morgan said the plan should look into public water. He also noted that we should not pick anyone for the Steering Committee who is trying to get on because they are a "single issue" proponent – one way or the other.
Response: Folks will be selected for the Steering Committee on the basis of their background and circumstance that should make them the best possible representative for the segment of the citizenry they come from.

Comment: Edith Schoene of Crane St suggested that the committee check out what other town’s thought about the master plan after its implementation
Response: Both Herrin and Caine agreed that this was an excellent idea and that we could benefit from other town’s experiences.

Comment: Marv Schorr: noted that when working for GE he was the project manager that oversaw the environmental impact statement of the Kesseling Site. At that time, Saratoga Planning and the Capital Region Planning made projections on population increases in our area, and in a very short time growth rapidly exceeded the projected numbers. He then said that all the evidence today points to increased development pressures on our town and that planning – although our Zoning Law is good – is definitely the right thing to do.
Response: agreed

Question: - Dawn Szurek asked about the questionnaire. What the criteria will be to ensure everyone gets a chance to participate in the town survey? How would a limited response like 25%-be dealt with?
Response: - Herrin responded, we aren’t that far along and that was an excellent point to consider. The committee still needs to learn more about this type of thing. The co-chairs believe it is critical to have an experienced professional involved in the creation and management of the questionnaire. Caine stated that it is well know that a poorly crafted or interpreted questionnaire can cause the entire effort to go off in the wrong direction. We need a good survey with excellent overall participation by our residents and to review the progress on the plan frequently.

Comment Dick Lupi Thanked the co-chairs for all the work they had put into the initiative so far. Fully supports the effort. Shared some of the history of the development of the ’71 plan and its relationship to our Zoning Law.

Question: Norman McFarlane Asked what plans New York State has and what do rural towns need to take in consideration.
Response: The steering Committee will need to address this as part of their analysis.

Question: Norman McFarlane of Charlton Rd asked about the map on display that was prepared by Capital Regional District Planning. He was concerned that it was a plan, because of the 2003 date and the things included in it. There were some lot-specific errors.
Response: This is a draft map, not a plan. It is a map based on the land use data the state has today. A baseline map should include contours, wetlands, soils and is not the same as a Zoning Map We need a baseline map of existing land uses (which will include uses that are grand-fathered).. It is key to have as a basis of knowing where we are; so we can move forward in planning and documenting Charlton’s preferences for the future. We need to make sure that the state, county and town land use data for Charlton is correct. Its difficult to do without a "DRAFT" discussion map like this to start with.

Question: - Bill Heilman of Charlton Rd also asked if we can utilize or reuse existing maps or data or do we need to start completely from scratch
Response: - We will use what is still accurate and relevant

Question: Bob Cromie of Route 67 Asked You must be able to implement a Comprehensive Plan. Is Zoning Law the only way to do it?
Response: - No, Zoning Law is only one of many ways to implement the vision, goals and strategies of a comprehensive plan. Other implementing tools are: voluntary gifts; obtaining grants for acquiring land, development rights, and easements for the preservation of farming and open space; new policies, programs and services; new tax schedules; budget reprioritizations; and modifications in the location or capacity of infrastructure. There are probably even other ways, not yet imagined, that can be used to reach our vision.

Question: Ken Crotty asked what the relationship between zoning and comprehensive planning is?
Response: Caine replied I am glad you asked we have handouts that describe that very question. . Fundamentally, one is a broad plan, that can be changed or modified and the other is a very specific law on land use, dimensions etc, which has associated penalties if not obeyed. Comprehensive plans should steer zoning. Any change to zoning requires a public hearing. Herrin stated that comprehensive plan backs up your land use tools of which zoning is one. Other governmental agencies must take a town’s comprehensive plan into consideration in regards to their potential plans for capital projects. A Comprehensive Plan also improves access to government and non-government assistance. Language in the plan regarding such things as community character can help in variance review determinations and future land use and community services planning

Question- Bill Heilman of Charlton Road: Would this planning take into account NY State plans and programs, regional issues, and what other towns on our borders may be planning? An example cited was the effects a possible interstate (that was once proposed to cross our town) could have, if not properly considered, dealt with and planned for.
Response-Yes. It was emphasized that prudent planning must also take into account all external factors that could affect Charlton. It was mentioned that Comprehensive Planning involves a periodic review that should take the latest information and data into account to ensure changes in programs, plans or any other internal or external factors, are accounted for. Having a comprehensive plan for Charlton would necessitate other government entities with capital projects to consider Charlton’s citizens preferences for maintaining its rural character..

Question: John Ivers of Peaceable Street wanted to know whom our liaison was with the Capital Region Planning Authority.
Comment: - John Ivers stated he was concerned with the Capital Region Planning Authority. He felt they were trying to make a lot of towns alike.
Response: Caine responded Deborah Herrin is our liaison and assure him that the Regional Planning Authority was a support agency providing access to data and GIS tools and not a policy formulating institution.

Comment: - Edith Schoene of Crane St insisted that this was an effort to bring commercial interests to the town. Also asked what organization or company was behind this effort?
Response: Caine and Herrin assured her the here that this was not the case. The townspeople would decide what went into the plan and that this initiative was started by volunteer citizens from the planning board because they loved the town’s unique character and want to work with citizens to help ensure its special places are preserved and the needs of the citizens are fairly addressed.

Some Comments After the Public Meeting

Comment: John Kelly is willing, as a website developer, to help with the town website – would do alternate domains and could set up a means for public comment on the issues. John is already a volunteer for the Steering Committee

Comment: Don Davis has concerns about the process. He says first we must be sure to "do no harm." He likes Charlton the way it is and he is concerned that if some of the suggestions made during the meeting were implemented, it would make Charlton "all-the-more" attractive and threaten what he likes now.
Response: A lot of people recognize the current beauty and attractiveness of Charlton and would like to build here. If no planning occurred, as it has in many rural areas, development pressure could result in growth patterns that spoil the features of Charlton we appreciate the most.

Comment: Guy Mitchell shared his family’s personal experience with the Town of Malta. They have land where the town has build infrastructure right next to. Malta told them they want their land preserved as a view shed. They could get top dollar for their land because sewer and water are next door. The town does not want them to sell, but what they are offering in return is much less than what developer would pay. The town also has not dealt with the in a forthright manner. Guy is a volunteer for the Steering Committee.
Response: We cannot stop people from selling their land. If they want to go for a grant or some other alternative to selling it for residential/commercial purposes, it is only fair to expect them to get a price they think the land is worth.

Comment: Peter Schrader said he would like the plan’s vision to say, "We would like Charlton to be place where our children can return to live." He feels the price of housing is getting so expensive that young folks, or those with modest incomes cannot afford to buy here. (Note: We have heard the same from some of our volunteer firemen.)

There were numerous compliments for getting this initiative underway.

Excerpts from a letter written by Betty Lou Wessel of Florence Ave, Charlton, NY

Letter to the Deborah Herrin and Steve Caine, CoChairs of Charlton's Comprehensive Planning Steering Committee, following the first public informational meeting on September 10, 2004

We have lived in Charlton for forty-eight years. My heart is filled with pride for the Charlton we all share. Charlton is a precious gem and all of us who live here are what give the gem its "many sparkling, glistening facets."

• Our young people with their vision, dreams and energy are precious and have gifts to contribute
  
• Newer folks have chosen Charlton because of its quaint New England quality. They want to protect it and furnish ideas so that we may preserve that quality.
  
• Our older folks are treasures that link us to our past and help us build a bridge to our future

I want us to be creative and innovative in finding the means to keep our marvelous small town flavor, the quaint New England texture and the rural character. We must use this endeavor to work together, to become united in the effort to achieve our common goals with respect, dignity and warmth.

I was so proud Sept 10, it was like and old fashioned town meeting… with hope and a determination not to let Charlton lose any charm or quaintness or become a victim of suburban sprawl. That must be our mission – to preserve the gem that is Charlton…

I hope you sensed the energy and concern that I felt existed. Last night, I thought it was inspirational."

Betty Lou Wessel of Florence Ave, Charlton, NY