From the Supervisor ...

TOWN OF CLARENCE
SUPERVISOR'S COLUMN FOR JUNE 2009
Vision, Mission, and Goals

Our Town's vision is one of green spaces, historic places, and caring faces. From there, our Town's mission flows forth. You can see the mission statement posted throughout Town Hall. Our mission is to provide a high quality of life to the residents of the Town, by protecting the public's health, safety, and general welfare, preserving the Town's rural and historic character and accomplishing this as a team with residents in a cost effective and efficient manner.

Our mission is broken down into goals we want to achieve. As set forth in Master Plan 2015, our goals are:

1. Preserve and protect the open character of the Town through the development of an open space plan.
2. Maintain and promote the historic character of the hamlets of Clarence center, Clarence Hollow, Harris Hill, Swormville, and Wolcottsburg as well as historic landmarks not located within these districts.
3. Develop an official map that identifies future public service infrastructure upgrades.
4. Preserve existing greenspace through the redesign of land use regulations and design guidelines.
5. Maintain the Town's strong youth and recreation programs and park facilities in proportion to growth.
6. Maintain a high quality school system.
7. Provide consistent enforcement of land use regulations.
8. Adopt an orderly and balanced growth plan which protects existing residential areas.
9. Coordinate planning efforts on a regional basis.

Our Town has been recognized for its planning vision and efforts as we received the 2006 Outstanding Planning Award for Public Education from the American Planning Association (jointly with the Town of Amherst) and the 2009 “Preservation Leadership” award from Preservation Buffalo Niagara for the Town's historic preservation law.

Master Plan 2015 is our Town's land use constitution. Like a constitution, it is capable of being amended. The amendment process is not an easy one.

An annual public hearing is held to gather input on Master Plan 2015. At that time, recommendations for changes to Master Plan 2015 can be made. The Town's practice has been to refer all comments from the annual public hearing to the Planning for further study and recommendation.

Comments at the public hearing have generated recommendations from the Planning Board to the Town Board to amend Master Plan 2015. This year, we have two recommendations. Under New York State law, the Town Board must hold a public hearing on the Planning Board's recommended amendment within 90 days of receiving it.

Both proposed amendments relate to a stretch of Transit Road. On July 8, 2009, we will consider changing the classification of 8035 Clarence Center Road to entirely commercial and changing the zoning classification along Transit Road between Roll and Clarence Center Roads from Major Arterial to the more restrictive commercial, which has been the Planning Board's recommendation for the last two years.

When it comes down to it, the Town Board must decide whether these proposed amendments are in keeping with the vision, mission, and goals of the Town of Clarence.