At its latest meeting, the Plattsburgh Common Council reviewed proposed local laws that would modify management and zoning of the city’s harborside area.
City officials scheduled two public hearings to review proposed laws in advance of their deliberations.
The Harbor Management proposal, or Local Law P-2, would regulate the speed and mooring of boats and create a Harbor Manager, or Harbormaster, position.
The second proposed law would amend zoning to create a waterfront zoning overlay that would “provide special controls to guide land use and development within the waterfront areas.”
During a work session, Ward 6 Democrat Jeff Moore questioned the viability of the proposals.
“I don’t understand why this isn’t being done with a full review with the whole zoning update group,” Moore said. “I think it should go through them also. On the other one, the harbor management, I see a lot of unenforceable items in it. A lot of, I would just say, ridiculous items.”
Senior Planner Elisha Bartlett explained that the proposals would allow the city to better protect its waterfront areas beyond the base zoning.
“Which is sensible because as you get closer to the waterfront areas and the riparian areas, both areas have a higher degree of sensitivity,” noted Bartlett. “So it’s not to take the underlying zoning away in those areas. It’s to add additional layers of protection while allowing additional ability to develop those areas. And without a harbor management law it’s up to the state to manage. So if somebody is dumping something in the lake and we see it happening we have no ability to enforce it directly.”
“The DEC does that,” countered Moore. “You just make a phone call.”
When the proposals came up for a final vote, councilors passed one and rejected the other.
Democratic Mayor Chris Rosenquest tried to explain the purpose of the Harbor Management measure to a perplexed Ward 1 Democrat Julie Baughn.
“I, I don’t know how to have a discussion because I don’t, I’m not yes. I’m not no. I’m not, I don’t, I don’t even know the questions that I have,” Baugh said. “I have read everything that she sent us and I just, um, I don’t know.”
“One of the biggest things for us is local control,” explained Mayor Rosenquest. “Local control over our waterfront. Local control over, you know, how people are using our waterfront or how people are developing near and on our waterfront. That’s what this is about.”
The Common Council defeated the measure on a tie vote.
They then passed the harborside zoning overlay after Baughn received clarification from planner Bartlett.
“Now this is the overlay that is tied in with the new zoning that’s going on right now!” Baugh said.
“It’s the overlay that gets layered on top of the existing zoning,’ replied Bartlett.
Councilors also passed a final Local Waterfront Revitalization Program.
