Lake Placid, North Elba adopt Comprehensive Plan

LAKE PLACID | The Town of North Elba and Village of Lake Placid have finally both adopted the joint Comprehensive Plan. After spending a few years collecting public input through focus groups, open houses, planning workshops, and online surveys, the Community Development Commission (CDC) — a team of elected officials, marketing professionals, and community members — developed this official document that describes the community's goals and outlines specific plans to achieve them. "[Sometimes], when comprehensive plans get written, they get adopted, and then they end up on the shelf," said Dean Dietrich, a CDC member who was the co-chair for the last comprehensive plan, which dates back to 1996 and was last updated in 2014, in a previous interview. "We wanted to avoid that problem, so that's why we created this group to make sure that the plan stayed at the forefront." With assistance from Larissa Read of Common Ground Consulting, LLC, and the SE Group, a Burlington, Vt., planning, permitting, and design firm that specializes in working with mountain communities, the group identified key values and stressors for the area. The top values included its scenic beauty and striking views; winter sports and other recreational activities; open space and access to wildlife; small-town feel and sense of community; and schools and families. The top stressors were a lack of good-paying jobs, affordable housing, access to healthcare services, public transportation, parking, and a sense of community, as well as the high cost of living, aging infrastructure, and impacts of climate change, including warmer winters. These values and stressors informed the CDC's recommendation of actions the town and village can consider in the future. "When I first came here in the 1980s, we were worried about open space, visuals, and — most importantly — the overall character of the town," Dietrich said. "Luckily enough, there are still a lot of people here who really care about this community, and now, we have a comprehensive plan that reflects that." Some potential recommendations listed include aligning future land use with community goals for housing, economic vibrancy, climate resilience, connectivity, and scenic character; supporting efforts to educate and share information about climate change and sustainability with locals and visitors; incentivizing the development of affordable and workforce housing; maximizing the positive economic and social impact of tourism and large-scale events on the community white minimizing disruptions to residents; making upgrades to pedestrian, bike, and other multi-modal transportation infrastructure throughout North Elba and Lake Placid; promoting attainable childcare and healthcare options for residents and visitors of all ages; and supporting transparent and well-communicated decisions among ORDA, the town, and the village. The purpose of the Comprehensive Plan, in general, is to provide a roadmap for preserving and enhancing Lake Placid well into the future. "This is not like a binding contract; these are just potential projects based on community input," said Community Development Director Haley Breen in a previous interview. "It's like a checklist that we're going to work through over time." The full 189-page document is available online. To view it or for more information, visit northelba.villageoflakeplacid.ny.gov.

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Lake Placid, North Elba adopt Comprehensive Plan

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