Keene citizen groups unveils community master plan

KEENE | Citizen representatives for the Town of Keene unveiled a proposed remake of the town master plan over two evening meetings, one that tackles some of the thorniest problems facing many Adirondack communities, from child care to short-term rentals. The plan was notable not just for the content, but for how it was produced. Instead of paying an outside consultant, the town surveyed residents to find their top issues of concern, then formed citizen committees to analyze how they could best be addressed. The categories residents most wanted to see examined included child care, hiker management, achievable housing, senior care, and short-term rentals. Taken together, these issues paint an insightful mosaic of Adirondack life: As communities age, they need to attract younger people in order to thrive, but the basic family infrastructure of child care and homes that are affordable — or any homes at all, really — are sorely lacking. More unique to Keene is the blessing-and-curse surge of hikers and vacationers, which is essential to the local economy, but a nightmare for hamlet neighborhoods and any resident unfortunate enough to need a gallon of milk from Stewart's on a holiday weekend. Both informational meetings, held outdoors at the Town Pavillion, attracted about 50 people who mused about Keene's future. The meetings included some telling moments. One resident said she and her husband have two rental properties, one long-term, the other short-term. She said they would prefer that both be long-term, but that New York's high taxes force them to make a short-term rental out of one because it generates far greater income. Some wondered if affordable housing was even possible in Keene, where just about every property that isn't owned by the state is already developed. So would Elizabethtown and Lewis become "Queens and the Bronx" to Keene's Manhattan? The study group on short-term rentals, meanwhile, recommended the town enact a law similar to Lake Placid's, which would be "an opportunity to gain some basic control," said committee leader Fritz Sabbow. That proposal seemed to be generally well-received but did attract some pushback from those concerned about increased government regulation. The property shortage was evident in a presentation by Katherine Brown, director of Little Peaks Preschool, who said the school wants to expand, and has the funding to do so, and has plenty of demand for its services, but as yet has not been able to nail down a suitable location. Nor can many people who want to live in Keene. Of town residents surveyed, three-quarters said they know of someone who wanted to move to the town, leading planning volunteers to suggest small, town-supported housing developments, and rehabs of existing homes with affordability in mind. Melissa Eisinger, leader of the Achievable Housing group, said the pandemic has changed the dynamic even more, as urban residents seek a more rural and less cramped lifestyle. But a lack of living quarters and services are roadblocks to new blood. What housing there is, is often priced too high for young families to afford. Perhaps predictably, that has created a demographic weighted toward older residents. Jeannie Cross, whose committee focused on senior care, said Keene has a median age of 50, and a quarter of its residents are over the age of 65. That will increase the need, already strained, for services available to people who are not in need of nursing home care, yet not entirely independent. Cross said the town was blessed with good local health care and encouraged board members to seek opportunities that could benefit multiple generations. "If you build a trail that's friendly to seniors, it will be friendly to a little kid," she said. The outdoors, of course, is Keene's bread and butter, but Peter Slocum, group leader of the recreation committee, said it's an area where the town does not control its own destiny. "We're in this beautiful forest preserve, and we're in this little town in the middle of it, and we have very little control over what happens to us," he said. One area the town does control that is likely to generate spirited debate is Marcy Field, a scenic airstrip with a to-die-for view of Noonmark and the Great Range that's used primarily for events and as a staging area for hikers taking a shuttle to The Garden trailhead. There's some division as to whether the field should be left alone or expanded with more parking and visitor information opportunities. The entire plan, rich in ideas and statistics, can be accessed at townofkeeneny.com and by scrolling down to the Strategic Planning Committee link.

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Keene citizen groups unveils community master plan

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