The Village and Town of Athens are working together again to update the 2007 Town/Village Comprehensive Plan. In addition, the incorporated community of Sleepy Hollow Lake will be participating in the process.
The Comprehensive Plan expresses Athens’ vision. It also recommends actions to help achieve set goals. As a result, the plan acts as a road map to guide the municipality’s decisions related to future growth and development.
The plan covers a wide range of topics. These include, but are not limited to:
- land use
- agriculture
- historic and cultural resources
- population and demographic trends
- transportation facilities
- environmental resources
- open space
- utilities
- housing needs
- educational and cultural needs
- commercial and industrial development
- tourism and economic development.
During the 13 years since the original plan’s adoption there’s been significant demographic, economic, and environmental change in both the Village and the Town. And so, the Village, acting as lead agency, in conjunction with the Town, will lead a community-driven partnership to evaluate and update the 2007 Plan.
The update is part of a larger multi-year process envisioned for sustainable, inclusive development. And is funded in part from a grant from the New York State Hudson River Valley Greenway.
Like the original, the updated Comprehensive Plan will be developed in several stages. The Village board appointed a steering committee to oversee this process in conjunction with project consultants.
The first meeting of the steering committee is on Thursday, Jan 30th at 6:30pm in the lower level meeting room of 2 First St. (The public is certainly welcome to attend. Although this is not a public comment meeting). We’ll post information on all public events and each phase of the project here. You can also follow the Village of Athens on Facebook.