Planning board records edits to pages 174–179 of joint comprehensive plan on sidewalks, zoning and trails

At its Feb. 5 meeting, the Joint Comprehensive Planning Board for the Town of Richland and the Village of Pulaski reviewed and recorded edits to pages 174–179 of the 2022 Revised Joint Comprehensive Plan. The changes clarify recent sidewalk work, pedestrian priorities, district descriptions and several editorial and policy references.

Key edits recorded by the board include: the map on Page 174 will remain and the bottom paragraph is replaced to note a sidewalk completed in 2024 that connects the Pulaski Middle/Senior High School complex and the Selkirk Housing Development to the village’s existing sidewalk network; language calling for continued work on pedestrian infrastructure was retained and strengthened. The section describing commercial areas was revised to note two commercial districts—an original historic district and a newer district along Route 13, with growth influenced by construction of Route 81.

On Page 175 the board directed deletion of a portion of the image caption and replaced the last paragraph with a sentence calling for additional trees and benches to improve pedestrian amenities; Figure 15 was renumbered to Figure 14 and a clarifying insertion of 'is needed' follows the word 'infrastructure.' Page 176 received editorial adjustments to improve clarity, including deleting a sentence in the third paragraph and minor word additions.

Page 178 edits remove a reference to the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Main Street Four Point Approach and replace a cross-reference to 'Figure 19, page 208' with wording that certain areas are 'being compromised.' The minutes record that references to CDBG and USDA were crossed out and the plan text now directs that zoning districts should be reassessed to determine whether they meet current housing demands.

Page 179 adds 'assisted living' to a paragraph and reformats a subsection into bullets identifying active priorities: extend sidewalks from the Elementary School along Hinman Road (the minutes note a narrow right-of-way that presents a safety concern for pedestrians, particularly children); pursue linkage of the north Salmon River walkway with a revitalized 'Black Hole scenic area' and back to Bridge Street, continuing sidewalks west along Lake Road; explore a pedestrian/bike path along County Route 5 to Port Ontario with interpretive signage (citing sites such as Douglaston Farm, Brown’s Landing/Cemetery and Bethel Church); pursue trails through coordination with Selkirk Shores State Park using the abandoned railroad bed; and work with DOT and DEC to continue Salmon River Greenway trails under the I-81 bridges on the river’s north bank.

Under New Business the minutes note a 'Planning for Growth' program announced in the Tug Hill Times intended to help communities prepare for anticipated economic activity associated with Micron, an expansion by Chobani and the Tech Hub; registration is $20 if completed by March 20. The minutes also record a Village Tree Committee meeting on Feb. 12 at the Pulaski Library with Atlantic States Legal Foundation representatives to finalize planting sites; ASLF obtained grant funding for the village project. The board approved the prior meeting minutes and adjourned at 7:17 p.m.; no formal vote on the plan text changes is recorded beyond those editorial updates listed in the minutes.

The next meeting is scheduled for March 5, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. in the Snow Memorial Building.