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Planning board backs application for Erie County funding to support townwide zoning rewrite
Summary
The Cheektowaga Planning Board voted to recommend that the town board seek Erie County funding to implement a comprehensive-plan action: a townwide zoning rewrite (or a smaller phased rewrite focused on the Galleria Thruway District) to update land-use standards and public outreach capacity.
The Cheektowaga Planning Board voted to recommend that the town board apply for Erie County funds to support implementation of a 2021 Comprehensive Plan action calling for a townwide zoning rewrite.
Dan Young, the town planner, read a letter before the board stating that town board members Brian Nowak and Anthony Flipsky seek to file an application for County of Erie funding to enact the comprehensive-plan action that calls for a zoning rewrite. Young said the funding, if awarded and leveraged as a local match, could be used to pursue additional state and federal grant funding or, if not leveraged, to complete a smaller rewrite focused on the Galleria Thruway District.
Young described the rewrite as a comprehensive process that would analyze existing zoning districts, build standards appropriate to different housing-stock eras, and include substantial public outreach. He told the board the last major zoning update was in 1992 with a municipal code amendment in 2008 and several smaller amendments since then.
On outreach, Young said the intended funding would likely be used to hire a consultant, cover staff time, and potentially license a public-engagement software platform (referred to in the discussion as “PublicInput”) that supports multilingual outreach via voicemail, email and online surveys. Young said the platform would allow residents to respond in their native language and that responses would be collected and returned to staff in English for analysis.
Young told the board the proposed alternate option — should the county funds not be leveraged into a larger grant pot — would be to pursue a more limited zoning update specifically for the area the comprehensive-plan calls the Galleria Thruway District, which Young outlined on the meeting map.
A planning-board member asked whether the rewrite would be townwide or parcel-specific; Young said the preferred approach would be townwide. He explained that the town board would ultimately vote on any final amendment and that referendum could be an option. After discussion a motion to recommend seeking the county funding and pursuing the comprehensive-plan action passed with the board answering “Aye.”
