OPEN SPACE PLANNING IN CENTRAL NEW YORK - SUNY-ESF

OPEN SPACE PLANNING IN CENTRAL NEW YORK - SUNY-ESF

OPEN SPACE PLANNING IN
CENTRAL NEW YORK
OPEN SPACE PLANNING IN
CENTRAL NEW YORK
• Presented by Richard Smardon, Ph.D.
• Professor/Chair Faculty of Environmental
Studies at SUNY/ESF
• Taught open space course for 6 years with
John Felleman
• Member of Save-the-County Land Trust for
20 years plus twice past president
OPEN SPACE PLANNING in CNY
• Outline of Presentation
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Why do open space planning? functions/values
What should be inventoried: data needs?
What planning process should be used? and
Who should be involved?
What tools and resources are available?
What are other communities doing?
Who are the potential partners?
What happens after ownership?
Why do open space planning?
• Growth control - an issue for some areas
• Public health and safety,eg. floodplains and
coastal areas subject to storm damage
• Biodiversity protection-fauna, flora, habitat
• Recreational access for residents & tourists
• Community character protection - includes
historic, cultural and aesthetic interests
North American Greenways
• Connecting open space &
habitat
• Multi-nodal transportation
• Aesthetics and recreation
• Air and water quality
maintenance
• Urban climate amelioration
• Supported by some government
programs and private land trusts
What should be inventoried?
which functions did you choose?
• Data on land development/infrastructure $
• Spatial mapping data: floodplains,water
bodies, wetlands, watersheds
• Spatial data on flora, fauna, habitats
• Recreational facility location/usage data
• Historical, cultural and aesthetic landscape
spatial and perceptual data
Example of infrastructure inventory
Example of open space inventory
• Biological diversity
inventory from
Rhinebeck, NY
• Involved exhaustive
biological inventory of
the town area
What planning process?
• Open space planning as part of
comprehensive plan?
• Multiple purpose open space planning ?
• Or single purpose open space plan?
• How to structure the process?
– Expert driven rational process
– Consensus based participatory process
Visioning Process for the Onondaga Creek
Sub-Basin Revitalization Plan
Get acquainted
with the Creek
•Tour the Creek
•Understand the 8
segments:
•Functions
•Uses
•Values
Review the
‘State of the
Creek’
•Water quality and
quantity
•Climate and physical
effects
•Soils, vegetation, and
wildlife
Perform the
visioning process
steps
•Discover critical
elements
•Analyze their
compatibility
•Explore alternatives
•Evaluate and refine
•Develop plan
Open space planning process?
• NY guide for local
open space planning
• Addresses open space
planning alone or as
part of comprehensive
plan
• Also addresses many
of the tools in NYS
Who should be involved?
•
•
•
•
•
•
Local government?
State government?
Non-government organizations?
Local citizens?
Partnerships?
All of the above?
What tools are available?
• Acquisition of fee
simple or development
rights
• Voluntary easements,
covenants, gifts and
donations
• Taxation policy:
– Ag districts, forest tax
law + local reduced
assessments
• Local regulatory
–
–
–
–
Zoning
Site plan approval
Subdivision
Cluster
development/PUD
– SEQR- critical area
designation
Financing open space implementation
• Local sources
– Dedicated revenue
– Local bond acts
– County/local capitol
funding
– Gifts and donations
– Partnerships with land
trusts
• State/Federal sources
– Environ.Protection
Fund
– Clean Water/Clean Air
Bond Act
– Clean Water State
Revolving Fund
– Federal Programs
What are other communities doing?
• Burlington, Vermont
• Saratoga County, New
York
• Rhinebeck, New York
• Other examples of
greenspace planning
around the country
Burlington,Vt. Open Space Plan
Saratoga Co. Open Space Plan
Rhinebeck, NY - open space as part of
the comprehensive plan
Example: North American Biodiversity Plan
•
Chicago Wilderness: Biodiversity
Recovery Plan
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
1: Executive Summary
2: Values of Biodiversity
3: Biodiversity Challenge
4: Assessment Processes
5: Terrestrial Communities
6: Aquatic Communities
7: Endangered/Threatened
8: Preserving land/water
9: Management, Research &
Monitoring
– 10: Education/ Communication
– 11: Role of Key Players
Visited trails and Greenways
Towpath, Erie Canal,
OH
Visited trails and Greenways
Natural Trails, Portland metropolitan area, OR
Visited trails and Greenways
Center for Wooden Boats, Blueways in Seattle, WA
Visited trails and Greenways
Urban Greenways, South Plate River, Denver, CO
Open space planning in CNY
• Manlius has already enacted key legislation
• Could utilize sorting of priority open space
functions and values
• Could utilize prioritized sorting of key open
space areas/properties
• Then look at tools available to protect these
areas with strategic partnerships
Manlius Greenspace Coalition
Land Trust Alliance
STC-local land trust
STC-local properties
More STC Properties
Trust for Public Land
The Nature Conservancy
Onondaga Nation
Smart Communities Network
Practical Issues after ownership
•
•
•
•
Monitoring and maintenance
Fostering stewardship -who does it?
Whose liability?
Examples of physical management issues
–
–
–
–
The dam at Austin Wildlife Preserve
Access improvements-trails, signs,etc.
Clean up
Vegetation/habitat management
Instilling stewardship is key!