Town of Poughkeepsie 1 Overocker Road 845-485-3600 Phone Poughkeepsie, NY 12603 845-485-3701Fax Date: Wednesday, October 23, 2019 Time: 5:00 PM Location: Town Hall – 1 Overocker Road Purpose: Comprehensive Plan Committee Meeting #14 Comprehensive Plan Review Committee Attendance: Bill Carlos, Ann Shershin, Yvonne Laube, Carl Whitehead, James Challey, Daniel Salvatore, Jeffrey Renihan, David Silver, Maribeth Rubenstein (absent) Consultant Attendance: Bonnie Franson, Adriana Beltrani, Shachi Pandey Town Staff Attendance: Mike Welti, Kristen Taylor Members of the Public Attendance: None present

AGENDA ITEM NOTES TASK Welcome and Agenda Review Mr. Carlos and Mr. Welti called the meeting to order. N/A

Committee Business

Ms. Franson introduced new consultant attendees, Adriana Beltrani and Shachi Pandey. She explained that the consultant team has been working on getting data for the existing conditions report, including submitting a Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request to both Metro North and Amtrak to get ridership data for the Poughkeepsie Train Station, but Amtrak informed NP&V that there is a fee. It was agreed that Metro North is more important and will likely not come with a cost. Ms. Laube mentioned that Dutchess Outreach or Dutchess Tourism may already have some train data; NP&V will look into this. It was also mentioned that the Colleges may have data on visitors.

Contact Dutchess Outreach and Dutchess County Tourism for Train data

Recap of Town Tour

Ms. Franson asked the committee if they had any feedback about the field visit and expressed that she felt everyone learned something new about the community. Mr. Challey said that he had never been so far into the IBM development and hadn’t realized how much excess parking there was. Ms. Shershin and other committee members commented on the size of the Town, and Ms. Franson agreed, it’s both large in area and population. Discussion about “Vassar Dollars” where Vassar students can spend $200 on food at restaurants off-campus which is a benefit to the local economy.

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Discussion about IBM and the preparation of a campus plan. The Comprehensive Plan should be sensitive about this plan, perhaps the CPRC can invite representatives to discuss the campus plan at a CPRC meeting. IBM could be a partner if they are willing. The CPRC discussed the iPark 84 precedent at the old East Fishkill IBM site, but the scenario in Poughkeepsie is different because IBM does not appear to want to sell the campus and is still operating various business functions here. The CPRC sees a great deal of potential at this site, particularly because the surrounding infrastructure including roadways was constructed to support a fully occupied campus and has the capacity to handle far more traffic than at present - there is capacity both in terms of space and infrastructure to handle additional growth. Ms. Franson noted that the mix of uses may be different, as East Fishkill’s former IBM site has direct access to I-84, a major truck route. Ms. Franson discussed that part of the Comprehensive Plan could recommend methods to facilitate reuse of the site such as preparing a GEIS for its potential buildout or participating in the Build Now-NY program through the Empire State Development program. This program helps communities to prepare “shovel ready” sites for economic development. Other incentives for development might include provisions for expedited site plan review for the re-use of buildings or conducting facility studies or other studies that need to be accomplished before a developer can determine what a viable project might entail. It was mentioned that conducting a GEIS for major priority sites in advance may be a good way to start off. Ms. Laube asked if Ron Hicks or someone at the Economic Development Council may have any ideas. Mr. Welti offered to reach out. Mr. Welti also mentioned the Town of Colonie, which completed a study and GEIS for an area plan and mitigation fees were used to provide infrastructure. The Brownfield Opportunity Area program was also discussed as a method for obtaining funding to clean and reuse brownfield sites for development, though funding can be inconsistent and the process is not always expedient. Ms. Pandey mentioned the DRI program funding is prevalent at this time. Mr. Welti mentioned that Dutchess County is pursuing brownfield funds to conduct a brownfield analysis for the Schatz site – Dutchess County is the lead as the site includes land within the Town and City.

Reach out to IBM on status report and to gauge interest in engaging with CPRC See: http://ipark84.com/ See the Build Now program: https://esd.ny.gov/build-now-ny-program See the Colonie website: http://www.coloniepedd.org/geis See resolution: http://dutchessny.gov/ConCalAtt/2/2019163.pdf

Review of Community

Ms. Franson explained the intent of the Community Outreach Plan, to lay out the outreach process which

CPRC members to provide contact

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Outreach Plan includes a survey, public workshops and public hearings. It is important to communicate the process, and the stakeholder list will help to create a network of people that the CPRC can contact to get the word out about Comprehensive Plan related events and activities. Ms. Franson also explained that having two workshops for one topic, maybe one in the north part of Town and one to the south, and at different times, may be more accommodating to busy schedules. Mr. Renihan mentioned that the 2007 plan had meetings at all the local fire houses which seemed to work out really well. He offered the use of the New Hamburg fire department for upcoming workshops. Ms. Pandey introduced the idea of creating a logo or a marketing campaign to grab people’s attention. Other ideas from CPRC members and consultants included snacks, raffle tickets or door prizes, hosting an event or finding a sponsor such as the local radio station. BOCES has a culinary program and could provide refreshments.

persons to include on the list. NP&V will compile into a single stakeholder list to be used for email blasts, etc.

Discuss Public Workshops

Some members are concerned that there hasn’t been much follow up since the last meeting, they don’t want to lose people’s interest. Having a workshop in November may be difficult if the CPRC wants to present information to the community, as the consultants have not completed the existing conditions research. The CPRC generally agreed that the existing conditions should be farther along before having a workshop, but it was agreed that the consultants should prepare a short survey and facilitate a table at the upcoming Holiday Festival/ Eggnog Crawl on December 7th. This will engage the public in some preliminary questions and remind them that the Comprehensive Plan Update process is still ongoing. The next set of public workshops – focused on Vision and Goals – will be held off until early next year to allow additional time for preparation and for the committee and consultants to develop a strategy for encouraging greater turnout at the workshops. When asking about defining neighborhoods for purposes of some of the workstations at a workshop, it was determined that maps could zoom in on areas of the Town, but boundaries are not as important as ensuring the entire Town is captured, and residents can identify their neighborhoods on a map.

Consultants to prepare materials for the Eggnog Crawl and send to the CPRC in November for feedback

Next Steps

NP&V will share a dropbox link with today’s meeting materials. This will be where meeting materials and resources are stored

Meetings will be 2 hours going forward, from 5pm to 7pm.

NP&V will have a booth at the 12/7 Holiday Festival/Eggnog Crawl from 11 AM to 4 PM

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Thank you,

Michael A. Welti Michael A. Welti, AICP Director of Municipal Development The Town of Poughkeepsie gratefully acknowledges the State of New York for providing funding support for the preparation of its Comprehensive Plan. The opinions, results, findings and/or interpretations of data contained herein are solely those of the Town of Poughkeepsie and do not necessarily represent the

opinions, interpretation or policy of the State of New York.

NP&V will prepare materials for December 7th Saturday event and continue to work on the existing conditions report.

NP&V will send the CPRC materials prior to every meeting going forward.

CPRC members will review the meeting materials in detail, particularly the stakeholder list, and respond with comments before the next meeting.

Because of the holiday schedule, the next meeting will be held on December 11, 2019, at 5pm.

sharing information about the comprehensive plan update. This event will take place on the Vassar Alumnae Lawn. The next CPRC meeting will be held on Wednesday, 12/11 at 5 PM.

Public Comment No members of the public present. N/A

Adjournment Meeting adjourned at 6:30 PM.

The next CPRC meeting will be held on Wednesday, 12/11 at 5 PM.

Attachment A

Meeting Agenda

Town of Poughkeepsie Comprehensive Plan Review Committee (CPRC)

Committee Meeting #14 Wednesday, October 23, 2019 @ 5:00 PM

Town Hall Meeting Room Agenda

I. Welcome and Agenda Review

II. Committee Business a. Consultant Procurement:

Project scope refined and authorized at the 10/2 Town Board Meeting

III. Recap Town Tour with NP&V with whole CPRC

IV. Review Community Outreach Plan

V. Update on Inventory and Analysis

VI. Discuss and Set Public Workshop Date(s) for Vision/Goals/Objectives Workshop(s) VII. Next Steps

a. Next CPRC Meeting Date: Perhaps skip November and have one more committee meeting this year – December 11th?

VIII. Public Comment

IX. Adjournment

Comprehensive Plan Review webpage: http://townofpoughkeepsie.com/planning/cprc/index.html Committee email address: CPRC@TownofPoughkeepsie-ny.gov

This project has been funded, in part, by the Climate

Smart Community Grant Program, Title 15 of the

Environmental Protection Fund through the New York

State Department of Environmental Conservation; and

by a grant from the Hudson River Valley Greenway.

Attachment B

DRAFT Public Participation Plan

TOWN OF POUGHKEEPSIE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE

DRAFT PUBLIC OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT PLAN

10-23-19

This project has been funded, in part, by the Climate Smart Community Grant Program, Title 15 of the Environmental Protection Fund through the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation; and by a

grant from the Hudson River Valley Greenway.

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The following Public Outreach and Engagement Plan1 (“POEP”) provides a detailed description of the

participatory planning process and meetings that will be used to encourage participation by the public

and stakeholders in the preparation of a plan update to the Town of Poughkeepsie 2007 Comprehensive

Plan, which will also include a Sustainability Element as part of its goal to become a Certified Climate

Smart Community. The Town of Poughkeepsie is a large, unincorporated area located in Dutchess

County, NY, and encompasses approximately 8 miles of the Hudson River shoreline. Given the size of the

community both in terms of its geography and number of residents, the POEP must include effective

methods to solicit public comment from a wide audience on the plan update.

The overarching goal is to provide the Town with a Plan Update that will guide its future growth for the

next 10 to 20 years as a resilient, vibrant and sustainable community realizing its full economic potential,

and balancing economic development with open/green space preservation. The Town of Poughkeepsie

has in place already a robust participation framework to guide development of the Plan Update, and

that framework is described and incorporated into this Outreach and Engagement Plan. The below

describes that framework, as well as the public participation process going forward.

A. Background of the Outreach Process to Date

The Town of Poughkeepsie is updating its 2007 Comprehensive Plan to identify, and be consistent with,

a Town-wide Vision and updated goals of the community in 2019. The Town of Poughkeepsie created a

Comprehensive Plan Review Committee (CPRC) to oversee the process. The CPRC consists of 9

members, including members of the Town Board, Planning Board, ZBA, Historic Preservation

Commission, Recreation Committee and citizen members. The CPRC is assisted by the Poughkeepsie

Department of Planning staff which facilitate meetings and assist in ensuring the CPRC has the

information and resources necessary for its deliberations.

1. Town Website

The Town of Poughkeepsie has dedicated a webpage to provide the public with access to meeting

minutes and various map and document products that have been and are being prepared as part of the

comprehensive planning process. The website is accessed here:

https://www.townofpoughkeepsie.com/planning/cprc/index.html

2. CPRC Meetings

The Town of Poughkeepsie Comprehensive Plan Review Committee (CPRC) has been meeting for more

than a year as part of the update process. The CPRC has solicited significant input and interviewed

numerous stakeholders in the community, including members of the local fire districts, School District

Superintendents, various Town government department heads, and others as set forth in the meeting

notes that are available on the Town Comprehensive Plan Review webpage.

1 Also referred to as “community engagement plan” in the Work Plan for the Climate Smart Communities Program.

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CPRC Meetings

2018 CPRC Meeting Dates 4-25-18 6-27-18 7-25-18 8-22-18 10-24-18 11-28-18

2019 CPRC Meeting Dates 1-23-19 2-27-19 3-27-19 4-24-19 5-22-19 6-26-19 7-31-19 9-25-19 (Kickoff Meeting with Planning Consultant)

3. CPRC Preliminary Workshops

In addition to the above CPRC meetings, the CPRC held a series of workshops throughout the Town to

gauge how residents and stakeholders perceive existing strengths and weaknesses within the Town.

These workshops were held on September 26, 2018, October 9, 2018, and October 11, 2019, and asked

participants two basic questions2:

What do you like about living or working in the Town of Poughkeepsie; What is working, and

what should be protected or enhanced?

What problems/concerns should be addressed through the Plan? What can be done to improve

life in the Town of Poughkeepsie?

In summary, residents and stakeholders appreciate that certain areas within the Town are walkable, and

that the Town has many cultural assets such as historic sites and colleges which offer activities and

programming for residents and their families. Participants also noted the importance of the farmland

and open space within the community, and events such as farmers markets that bring fresh local food

into the community.

Participants were concerned about the future of development within the Town. Residents and

stakeholders want to see the vacant and underutilized buildings and properties scattered throughout

Town be redeveloped before development occurs on open spaces or “greenfield” land. Preservation of

existing open spaces and historic resources are important to the character of the community and

participants voiced this at the workshops. In addition, aligning the Town job and housing market with

economic market demand and ensuring the Town is headed toward a sustainable future are important

concerns of workshop participants.

4. Consultant Selection

Subsequent to the above CPRC workshops, the Town of Poughkeepsie CPRC received funding to

complete the Comprehensive Plan Update with Sustainability Elements through the Climate Smart

Community Grant Program and from the Hudson River Valley Greenway. The Comprehensive Plan

Update will consider how to balance the three “Es” of sustainability: Environment, Economy and Equity,

and will importantly engage with the Town of Poughkeepsie residents and stakeholders to solicit input

on ways to achieve this balance. In September 2019, the Town of Poughkeepsie Town Board approved

2 https://www.townofpoughkeepsie.com/planning/cprc/index.html

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the CPRC’s selection of Nelson, Pope & Voorhis, LLC, to further assist the CPRC in its functions, oversee

the public participation process on behalf of the CPRC, and to prepare the Plan Update. This Public

Outreach and Engagement Plan specifically addresses the public participation efforts to solicit additional

input, develop the Plan Update, and the role that NP&V will play in overseeing and facilitating public

outreach.

B. Public Outreach and Community Engagement Plan

The following summarizes the approach that will be utilized in order to engage the public and

stakeholders during the comprehensive planning process.

1. Town Website

The Town of Poughkeepsie will continue to dedicate a webpage to provide the public with access to

meeting minutes and various map and document products that have been and are being prepared as

part of the comprehensive planning process – the webpage will be operational for the length of the

comprehensive planning process. The website shall be accessed here:

https://www.townofpoughkeepsie.com/planning/cprc/index.html

Sustainability Links

In order to begin to educate the public about sustainability before the workshops, NP&V will provide the

Town with a series of links to resources regarding sustainability, sustainable practices and greenway

planning. These will be added to the CPRC webpage in the beginning of the process. Links could include

but are not limited to: the U.S. EPA Sustainability website (https://www.epa.gov/sustainability); the NY

Climate Smart Communities page (https://climatesmart.ny.gov/): the Dutchess County Compact

(https://hudsongreenway.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2018/05/dutchess-compact-2004-2014.pdf;

The NYSDEC Renewable Energy page (https://www.dec.ny.gov/energy/40899.html); and other useful

links.

2. CPRC Meetings

As stated previously, the CPRC is made up of nine members appointed by the Poughkeepsie Town

Board. The CPRC will continue to meet approximately once a month during the duration of the process

on their regularly scheduled 4th Wednesday of each month at 5 pm. Each meeting includes an agenda

which shall be posted on the Town website in advance of each meeting.

Consistent with New York State Law, the CPRC meetings are open to the public, and the CPRC allows

public comment at the beginning or end of every meeting. In addition, the Planning Department Staff

and Planning Consultant will be present at meetings to assist in facilitating the meeting agenda.

The role of the CPRC is to act as the primary decision-making body for the Comprehensive Plan Update

and to provide direction to the research and outcomes of the document. The CPRC, in coordination with

the Planning Department Staff and Planning Consultant, will advise on preferred public engagement

techniques, workshop dates and locations that are best suited for the public and stakeholders. The CPRC

will also assist in preparing a list of stakeholders that will be contacted during the public outreach and

engagement process.

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It is anticipated that the plan will be drafted by May 2020 and that the Town Board will adopt the Plan in

October 2020.

The CPRC and Planning Consultant have programmed nine (9) committee meetings (in addition to a

Kickoff meeting) prior to recommending the draft Plan to the Town Board. The below outlines tentative

dates and meeting topics:

September 24, 2019

Kick-off meeting for introductions, review of the work plan and schedule.

October 25, 2019

Review of draft Community Outreach Plan and preparation for visioning workshops.

November 27, 2019 (Likely to be rescheduled)

Review of existing conditions, preparation for visioning workshops.

December 25, 2019 (Likely to be rescheduled)

Review visioning workshop outcomes, discuss vision, goals and objectives.

January 22, 2020

Expand discussion to recommendations for the Plan; Prepare for sustainability workshops

February 25, 2020

Continue recommendations discussion and preparation for sustainability workshops

March 25, 2020

Discuss sustainability workshop findings; review drafted plan sections

April 29, 2020

Review draft plan sections.

May 27, 2020

Final review of draft plan, prepare for CPRC public hearing to Town Board and Public.

It is expected that the CPRC will execute the following outreach initiatives:

Online Survey

Two public workshops focused on visioning

Two public workshops focused on sustainability and plan concepts

Two public hearings to solicit public comment on the draft Plan.

In addition, the CPRC will identify and engage stakeholders through direct and indirect outreach such as

through personal telephone calls and emails, and through indirect media outreach. Potential

participants will be identified and a contact list maintained during the project: private businesses and

business associations, residents and home owner organizations, neighborhood associations, educational

facilities and organizations, transportation agencies, religious organizations, civic and non-profit

organizations, social clubs, environmental groups, cultural & higher educational institutions, community

groups, and governmental agencies and departments. For a full list of stakeholders, please see Appendix

A.

3. Email Blasts and Notice Postings

Working with the CPRC and Planning Department Staff, NP&V will create a list of contact persons with

email addresses that will receive notification of the online survey, public workshops, public meetings

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and hearings, it is anticipated that these contact persons will then forward these notifications to their

networks.

Flyers with workshop dates and QR codes linked to online resources will also be posted at strategic

locations throughout the Town, with those locations determined in consultation with the CPRC.

4. Online Survey

The CPRC will oversee the creation of an online survey which will be administered to Town residents and

stakeholders. The online survey is intended to expand the public’s access to the comprehensive

planning process and provide its input electronically. The online survey is especially geared toward

those members of the public which may find it difficult to attend public meetings as a result of

employment and/or other commitments. A survey can be accessed 24 hours, 7 days a week, and

provides flexibility in providing responses. The CPRC will work with the Planning Consultant and

Planning Department Staff to develop the survey:

Demographics. Questions will likely include broad demographic questions to get a snapshot of

the respondents, where they live, how long they have lived in the Town, etc.

Questions. The CPRC will determine the types of questions to ask and will seek input on those

planning issues that the CPRC believes requires public input.

Survey availability. The survey will be made available at the Town Comprehensive Plan Review

webpage. It may also be shared through flyers or informational cards with QR code links, and at

public workshops.

Notice of survey. The CPRC will determine the method of advertising the survey’s availability

and timeframe for responses. The CPRC will consider methods to maximize notification

including posting flyers and notices with agencies and at locations including but not limited to:

o Posting notice in the Poughkeepsie Journal

o Posting notice on a Town-sponsored Facebook page, if available

o An email blast to key organizations

o Posting flyers at key community facilities, the New Hamburg train station, the library,

and other locations through the Town.

o Other methods of advertising

Results. The results of the survey will be summarized and posted on the Town website.

5. Public Workshops

Four (4) public workshops will be held open to the general public and will target participation by a wide

cross-section of the community. There will be a minimum of four (4) public workshops encompassing

two (2) general topics: Town Vision and Goals, and Sustainability and Plan Concepts.

Advanced Publicity

Workshops will be publicized in advance to the Town of Poughkeepsie community through press

releases, announcements, individual mailings and email blasts. Identified stakeholders (Appendix A) will

receive direct invitation by email-blast. Notice about the workshops will be posted on the

Comprehensive Plan Update Committee website. Flyers with workshop dates and QR codes linking to

online resources will also be posted at strategic locations throughout the Town. Reminders will be

emailed to all stakeholders approximately one week prior to the workshop.

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Workshop Format

Each workshop will begin with an introduction to the Comprehensive Plan Update process, including

project updates and other background information necessary to create context for the workshop. Public

input will then be gathered through a variety of methods such as facilitated discussions, breakout

sessions on specific topics, dot voting and comment boards. Handouts will be prepared for each

workshop which outlines the agenda, and questions to consider in preparation for discussion. Future

meeting dates and times will be advertised as well.

Attendance lists will be maintained, and the consultant team will prepare written notes to capture the

essential findings and summarize the participants input. Photographs and presentation materials will

also be used as part of the workshop record. All notes and summary findings will be posted on the

Comprehensive Plan Review webpage.

Workshop 1 and 2 – A Vision for the Town of Poughkeepsie

Workshop 1 and 2 will have the same format and topics, but will be held at two different locations to

ensure accessibility for Town residents and stakeholders. The workshops will be arranged so that a

series of workstations are made available for participants to circulate around the room and provide their

input at each workstation. The benefit of this arrangement is that participants can provide direct input

at each workstation, and no one person can monopolize discussions. In addition, workstations tend to

be less intimidating to those persons who may be reserved and hesitant to provide their input.

Session 1: Location, Date, Time

Session 2: Location, Date, Time

The following workstations will be set-up to solicit public comment.

Workshop 3 and 4 - Sustainability in the Town of Poughkeepsie

Workshop 2 will focus on sustainability and climate change. The CPRC and consultant team will begin by

updating the public on how the Comprehensive Plan process relates to sustainability, and present

baseline conditions on sustainability to the Town such as existing initiatives in the Town to reduce

greenhouse gas emissions and mapping areas within the Town susceptible to flooding. The CPRC will

introduce planning concepts for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the public will be engaged to

prioritize opportunities for issues covering both mitigation and adaptation such as improving energy

efficiency, incorporating green infrastructure, and encouraging smart growth practices to reduce

community greenhouse gas emissions.

Session 1: Location, Date, Time

Session 2: Location, Date, Time

6. Public Hearing on Draft Comprehensive Plan Update

As required by Section 272-a of the New York State Town Law, when a comprehensive plan is overseen

by a Committee, the Committee is required to hold a public hearing on the draft Plan. Consistent with

NYS Town Law, the CPRC will hold a public hearing to present the draft Comprehensive Plan Update and

solicit public comment. Notes of the public comments will be made available on the Comprehensive

Plan Review webpage.

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7. Public Hearing on Draft Comprehensive Plan Update

As required by Section 272-a of the New York State Town Law, subsequent to the draft Comprehensive

Plan Update being forward by the CPRC to the Town Board for its consideration, the Town Board shall

hold a public hearing on the draft Plan at which time members of the public may comment on the

document. A stenographer will be present to record any public comments made at the Town Board

public hearing, in order for the Town Board to assess the comments and make any revisions to the

Comprehensive Plan Update it determines is required.

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APPENDIX A

TOWN OF POUGHKEEPSIE STAKEHOLDERS

Stakeholder/Organization Contact Person Contact Info

Educational Institutions & Large Employers

Vassar College

Marist College

Dutchess Community College

Mid-Hudson Regional Hospital

IBM

School Districts

Spackenkill School District

Hyde Park School District

Arlington School District

Poughkeepsie School District

After School Programs

Religious Groups & Local Nonprofits

Town Committees

Conservation Advisory Council

Historic Preservation Committee

Recreation Committee

Town Services

Water Department

Sewer Department

Building Department

Highway Department

Regional Stakeholders

Cornell Cooperative Extension

Dutchess County Planning Department

Riverkeeper

Hudson River Estuary Program