The official Town project website, provided by MRB Group.
One of the many cultural resources that contribute to the quality of life experienced by residents in Waterloo, New York. Such resources are important considerations in the Comprehensive Plan process.
Welcome to the Official Site of the Town of Waterloo Comprehensive Plan
Supervisor Gary Westfall and the Town Board have initiated a public-
Meet the Committee…
Click here
For all public and general committee meetings, minutes are being taken and will be provided for review by the public on the “Plan Process” page of this website.
Plan Adopted: Town Board Thanks Committee for Hard Work
At the regular Town Board meeting held on January 23rd, the Waterloo Town Council formally adopted the newly crafted planning document entitled “Vision Waterloo: a Comprehensive Plan for the Future”.
The adoption followed a public hearing held in December, with minor revisions of the plan by the Town Board in response to comments received. The Town also conducted a formal State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR) process, allowing any neighboring communities or interested agencies the opportunity to make comment. The County Planning Board also reviewed the document and provided a response indicating its approval.
Part of the plan addressed the future of the Town of Waterloo. In its “vision statement”, the Steering Committee foresees a “safe, attractive and affordable residential community, where natural and historic resources are valued, and the rural atmosphere is balanced with a vibrant community center and strong retail and commercial businesses, all of which contribute to a significant quality of life for families, friends, and neighbors.”
In addition to consideration of land uses in the Town of Waterloo, several key issues were addressed, involving areas of focus recommended by the Steering Committee. These included agriculture, senior citizens, youth, property maintenance, business development, downtown, and environmental concerns. In accordance with recommendations by the State, Smart Growth principles were addressed and incorporated into the plan.
Seven objectives were identified by the Committee and for each a set of recommendations were made for plan implementation. A copy of the adopted plan can be viewed by clicking here.
The Town Board thanked the Steering Committee, and recognized the many hours volunteered by its members. Bob Rodger, Town Councilman, worked on the plan as liaison. He said he enjoyed the process, especially working closely with fellow committee members. “Everyone worked hard and did a good job -
Immediately after adopting the plan, the Town Board appointed a new committee to continue the planning activity and focus on a recommended review of Town Codes.
“We need to bring our Codes and Zoning into line with the Comprehensive Plan,” said Supervisor Westfall, who appointed Bob Rodger, Jim Cleere, Robert Dwello, and Carl Altemari to work with him and begin the review process.
The Steering Committee has been meeting for approximately two years to consider the characteristics of the community most highly valued, and how to protect and preserve what residents “would not want to compromise” for the sake of development. The focus thereafter was on identifying desired outcomes, and ways to support and encourage those results.
Public feedback has been a focus of the committee since receiving that directive from the Town Board at the beginning of the planning project.
Several opportunities for citizen involvement were included in the planning process:
- Open Meetings were established
- This website was established -
containing a portal for direct communication with the committee - An introductory meeting explained the planning process to interested residents
- A town-
wide survey was jointly conducted with the Village - Two public workshops were held -
to gather feedback - A Chamber of Commerce-
sponsored presentation provided additional feedback from business owners - Delivery of the draft to the Town Board included a PowerPoint presentation, which explained the planning process and key focus areas of the plan
- A formal public hearing
“Vision Waterloo: A Comprehensive Plan for the Future” was adopted on January 23, 2017.
Valuable Community Input Received So Far
Since launching the community survey last month, the Committee has received approximately 400 responses, an “excellent return” that exceeded many committee members’ expectations.
About 3850 surveys were mailed to residents of the community, including all households in the Town and Village. Some Village residents live outside of the Town of Waterloo, in the Town of Fayette. They were included because the Village is also conducting a similar planning process.
Town Supervisor Gary Westfall and Village Mayor Ted Young decided to combine efforts and share information -
The combined survey provided opportunities to share opinions on a number of issues of concern. It asked about community residents’ perception of local services and amenities, what types of growth would be supported, and what might be a vision of Waterloo’s future. It also invited input about energy use and community interest in alternative sources of energy. Results will provide the Village an opportunity to assess public interest in services that promote reduced consumption.
The Village’s portion of the survey focused on energy-
