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Troy Introduces Draft Comprehensive Plan

Troy's city seal
Lucas Willard
/
WAMC

The City of Troy is working on a new central planning document. WAMC’s Southern Adirondack Bureau Chief Lucas Willard reports it would be the first Comprehensive Plan approved in the city in decades.

The last time the City of Troy approved a Comprehensive Plan was 1962.

More than a half-century later, Troy Mayor Patrick Madden announced in his State of the City address in January that a new draft comprehensive plan had been completed.

Madden said the first step toward approval of the 122-page document is its presentation to the city’s planning board.

“Following that it will be presented to the city council for review and approval,” said Madden. “Completion and acceptance of the Comprehensive Plan will trigger a rewrite of our zoning ordinance beginning this summer as well as the development of design plans for the north end of Riverfront Park, the marina, the Green Island Bridge gateway, the Ingalls Avenue riverfront park, and the North Troy boat launch greenway, which runs between 123rd and 125th streets along the Hudson River.”

A special meeting of the city Planning Commission to review the document that had been set for this week was rescheduled to February 21st because of snow. It will then go to the city council and be subject to a public hearing.

Work on the Comprehensive Plan began under former Mayor Lou Rosamilia and continued under the current administration after Mayor Madden, a fellow Democrat, stepped into office in January 2016.

City Planning and Economic Development Commissioner Steven Strichman said initially the plan in development was focused on larger projects.

“It didn’t address all of the neighborhood issues. Troy has unique neighborhoods that really are what make up the city and the focus was on the larger redevelopment issues. But there are quality of life issues that need to be addressed as well,” said Strichman.

Though the mayor highlighted a few of the larger projects in the document in his State of the City address, Strichman says it includes initiatives of all sizes.

“For instance, in the Little Italy neighborhood, connections up into Prospect Park. Traffic calming. Areas where sidewalks need to be improved…”

Strichman said a focus has been put on mobility in a city he calls the most walkable in the Capital Region.

Several public meetings were held and a steering committee was developed to put together the document now up for review.

Under state law, zoning laws must adhere to a Comprehensive Plan.

Republican City Council President Carmella Mantello is looking forward to reviewing the document.

“This plan is long, long overdue,” said Mantello.

Mantello said she wants the plan to put a focus on neighborhoods and will call for four new public forums to gather input from neighborhood residents.

Lucas Willard is a reporter and host at WAMC Northeast Public Radio, which he joined in 2011.
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