Come to the Hurley Comprehensive Plan Hearing

The Comprehensive Plan is wending its way through the approval process. The Town Board holds its required public hearing Monday night, March 19th. You can read the draft plan here. One of the papers listed an old, unusable email address for comments. If you have comments please send them to the Town Board or post them here. (You can send them to me, too, if you want. Thanks to so many of you who helped put the plan together. There are some great photographers among you. I appreciate your generosity letting us use your photos on the site. I'm glad it's finished. I hope to see you Monday. Ruth Wahtera, Chair

Hurley Comp Plan Published Finally!

The plan is finished and has been officially submitted to the Town Board. The County Planning Department has it in-hand to review. The Town Board will schedule hearings shortly. The plan hasn't been moved to the new Town Website but you can review it here.

Rail Trail Update & Survey

Three Reasons to Complete the Rail Trail Survey

1. Survey feedback strengthens our grant applications.

2. Your responses help us set priorities for expanding and enhancing the Trail.

3. By responding you let us know the time we spend improving the trail is appreciated. That keeps us going.

So, please complete the survey and forward the survey link to your friends and neighbors in case they don't subscribe to this newsletter. Rail Trail Survey

Complete the survey NOW! Five minutes of your time --

Happy New Year! Did you make a resolution to get more exercise this year? Do you use the Rail Trail as your exercise venue of choice? How often? How would you like to see it improved?

It may be winter, but the weather is still mild and we see many of you out on the Rail Trail. Meanwhile, we're huddled over our computer screens putting together grant applications to extend and enhance the trail.

Help us convince funders that the Rail Trail is a vital part of our community by completing this brief survey now. It will only take five minutes, but it's invaluable information for us.

What's Up on the Trail? It has been a busy year for the rail trail - and it's been great seeing so many of you out there. During 2006, we tamed the weeds on the twelve berms (planted hillocks), thanks to the help of many organizations and clubs who volunteered their time.

Most of the berms have now been adopted by volunteer groups. Come Spring, flowers will begin to sprout. Signs have been placed on the adopted berms - pass your thanks on to these organizations and families.

The Hudson Valley Greenway has designated the trail a "countryside corridor" and provided a grant to assist the Town in placing interpretive signs along the paved portion of the trail. The finished signs arrived in November and will be installed in April, 2007. These signs will inform trail users about Hurley's historical, environmental, and agricultural heritage.

Eagle Scouts built the new kiosk and six benches. Brendan Nugent (kiosk and two benches) and Wyler Gins (four benches) raised the funds to buy the materials and led volunteers in the construction/installation of their projects. Paul Esposito has begun installing mileage markers along the rail trail as part of his Eagle Scout project.

NYS Senator John Bonacic committed to provide a partial grant to build an additional parking area near the Russell Rd. intersection. We now need to find a sponsor for the remaining funds necessary for this task.

Please take five minutes to show your appreciation and support by completing the Rail Trail Survey before you head out for your New Year's Day walk.

All the best for the New Year,

Wally Cook

Hurley Rail Trail Chair

Review the Rail Trail Section of the Comprehensive Plan You can read the pages that address the Rail Trail at this link.

Hurley Comp Plan Rail Trail Recommendations

Freeman Info on Comp Plan Incorrect

Oh, I feel like everyone will come to the Saturday meeting upset with me for giving wrong information in the paper. But I never talked with the Freeman, HONEST. You can't get a copy of the plan at Town Hall. You will be able to get a summary of the plan Saturday at the meeting. You can't see the plan on the new (or the old) town website. The old one is static. The new one is under construction. You can see the draft, which is still being edited, on the worksite. My apologies for the confusion. Please let others know. Thanks, Ruth

Comprehensive Plan Public Hearings Scheduled

Pass the word along, please. We're holding public hearings on the draft plan on Saturday morning, August 26th, at 10 am, and Thursday evening, August 31, at 7 pm. If you want to start reading the draft plan (I'm still editing and adding resources and images) you'll find it here. It will be moved to the new town site later this week. In the past we've held one meeting in West Hurley and one at Town Hall, but due to the lack of air conditioning in West Hurley, Mike Shultis arranged for both meetings in Old Hurley.

Where is that Comp Plan?

I know, it's July and we were aiming to finish in June. I won't bother to explain; it's too personal to be relevant to you. But I am making progress. I'm working on it full time now. (I worked on it full time for a bit in May, too, but just couldn't get it finished.) I'll keep you posted. Ruth Wahtera

Smart Growth Toolkit on-line - great browsing

How to Use This Toolkit This is a really nice site about the tools communities can use to shape the growth of their town. Look at the slideshow section. It includes clear, illustrated powerpoints of zoning techniques. If you'd like to know more about the range of zoning and planning techniques other communities are using, you'll like this site. Thanks to the state of Massachusetts who put it together as a resource for their communities.

Rail Trail Work Party-Sat. June 10

Free tomorrow morning? Rail Trail work party, 9:00 am to get the last two berms covered with wood chips. Just show up with your shovels and rakes. Or go shopping at the Hurley Heritage Society's Barn Sale, Saturday and Sunday.

Vision for the Future

Where do we hope we'll be in 2026? Here's a draft the committee thinks captures the Town's sentiments. What do you think? Today (2026) we enjoy living in a community that has maintained its beauty, charm, and neighborliness. Although our population has grown, more than 60% of our land is still open space. [In 2005, 79% is open space] Our efforts to balance protection of the environment and the rights of property owners through creative land use policies has been successful. The rich history of the Catskills, our stone houses, and the Maverick Center inform the design of our new construction. New pedestrian and bicycle paths connect residential areas with town services and recreation. Our children can move safely about the town despite traffic. Neighborhoods encompass a richness of diversity and a culture of neighborly support. Our visitors enjoy our history, the out-of-doors, our antique and crafts shops and our annual festivals. We consider ourselves fortunate to live here.

Photos for the Comp Plan

I forgot to ask -- do you have photos, or could you take digital photos, of Hurley locations we discuss in the comprehensive plan? Do you know someone you could ask? (for love, no money) Things we could use -

• Examples of Hurley's history
• Rural character and environment
• Route 28 Overlay deterioration
• Samples of current housing stock and developments
• Safety issues
• Transportation/roadway illustrations
• Home businesses
• Logging
• Unused light industrial district buildings
• Parks/ball parks/recreation areas
• Cornfields and bluffs
• Reservoir
• Scenic roadways and view corridors
• Storm water run-off and flooding problems
• Smoke from open burning
• Senior citizen gathering or individual portraits - with permission
• Schools
• Main Street
• Maverick
• Design Standards at work - maybe Hurley Ridge Market
• Tourism destinations
• Traffic hotspots

Got the idea?

Send pictures or inquiries to me at wahtera@adhoccopy.com

Thanks,

Ruth Wahtera

Traffic, Transportation, Road Network

Any comments on transportation? The County is currently studying 209 but their preliminary feeling is that it is adequate for the next 20 years, with the possible addition of left turn lanes. Route 28? A collector/connector system needed between Van Dale and 375? A connector road between Lucas and 209? Another bridge across the Esopus somewhere between Wynkoop and Marbletown - recommended in the 1969 plan. Other?

Design Standards - applied to what, by whom?

Dennis described communities developing design standards for commercial development, streetscapes, residential developments. The Open Space Plan recommends design standards for scenic roads (eg fences, signs) and view corridors. Hurley currently has no design standards. What do you think?

Town Center - Where is it?

Dennis Doyle has raised the question - Does Hurley need a town center? We've been discussing a connector road between 209 and Lucas Ave. One was proposed in the 1969 Comprehensive Plan. It could be developed with a town center in mind. What would we want located there, if we had one?

Smart Growth - Where?

We know that Hurley will grow over the next two decades. Where do we want that growth to occur? In the early '90's, the town adopted zoning changes with the expectation that growth would occur in the R-1 and R-2 areas. (Primarily the eastern portion of West Hurley and most of Old Hurley. Can anyone post a zoning map?) Does that still work?

Housing Affordability

Post your thoughts about housing affordability here--

• Would you like to see affordable housing integrated into any/every new development?
• What groups would you like to see have priority on the available units? Hurley residents? Elderly and disabled? Town employees? Civil servents? Young families?
• What percent of the median should we be targeting?

Comprehensive Plan Issues

Dennis Doyle raised a lot of issues last night. We'd like your feedback. I'll start message threads on each of the topics so we can keep the discussion about each focused. To summarize some of his points for those of you who weren't there -

• Change will happen, so shape it however you can.
• Ulster County will grow by 40,000 - 80,000 by 2030. Hurley will probably absorb about 1800 of that growth.
• In 1998 a household at 100% of the median income in Ulster County could afford 63.5% of the homes on the market. In 2004, that dropped to only 28.2% of the homes. (The median income in Hurley in the 2000 census was $51,055)
• Local communities have more control over how that growth occurs than any other level of government, if you use the tools available
• The more specific (he used the term precise) a comprehensive plan is, the more useful in controlling or shaping that growth. And, the more controversial.
• Think long term but focus action steps on the immediate
• Hurley, by state mandate, must accommodate a fair share of below market housing. We need to establish a way to do that. We can determine how and who gets priority.
• Design standards are a useful way to ensure the on-going 'character of the community.'

Those were some of the things I took away from the presentation. How about you?

IMPORTANT PUBLIC MEETING 7 pm Thurs, May 18 Hurley Town Hall

All Hurley residents are invited to attend this meeting sponsored by the Hurley Conservation Advisory Council (C.A.C.) to learn how the proposed Groundwater Protection Plan for Old Hurley will help preserve the quality and quantity of our town's water supply. We hope to see you there. Your Conservation Advisory Council

Join us for this meeting - Predicting and Planning for Hurley's Future

Monday, May 22, 2006 7:30 pm Town Hall

The Town of Hurley Comprehensive Plan Committee has arranged for the staff from the Ulster County Planning Department to discuss the challenges that confront Hurley and the County as we grow into the next decade and beyond. • Population Growth • Planned Development Options • Employment and Business Opportunities • Water and Air Quality • Managing Traffic • Real Estate Values and Aging in Place Join us on Monday, May 22nd when the Ulster County Planning Department presents their projections to the Hurley Town Board and the Comprehensive Plan Committee. This meeting sets the stage for reviewing and adopting the Comprehensive Plan. We expect to publish the plan in June. Then the adoption process starts. The Committee will hold public hearings and send the draft to the County Planning Board for review and comments. Then we forward the plan to the Town Board. They must hold their own public hearing before taking action. On the 22nd - regular Town Board business from 7-7:30 pm. The balance of the meeting will focus on the future. We hope to see you there.

Paul Hakim in Limbo

click on link to read full Daily Freeman article of 3/22/06 by Donna Cafaldo

Hurley Town Board Seeks to Replace Paul Hakim, Head of Planning Board

(click on link for entire Freeman Article) Town Planning Board Chairman Paul Hakim will no longer be a member of the board he has served for 12 years and chaired for three if a resolution introduced by town Supervisor Michael Shultis Monday night gains approval.

Shultis wants to replace Hakim as the Planning Board head with newcomer Laurel Herdman.

A possible move to replace Hakim has been a focus of speculation since a new Democratic majority, led by Shultis, took over the Town Board in January.