On Monday, January 14, the village board hosted a public outreach seminar and workshop with Fairweather Consulting, a New Paltz based group that specializes in initiating "strategic change" for communities, to help boost local economies and stimulate growth. Held in the Ellenville Government Center one hour prior to the biweekly village board meeting, the workshop allowed Peter Fairweather and his associate Tim Weidemann an opportunity to present the demographic, environmental and economic research they've done and their suggestions for the village's comprehensive plan to members of the village board and the residents who attended the workshop. The group also distributed a survey with over 30 questions to attendees, giving them the chance to provide feedback to Fairweather's suggestions. The survey has also been included in this week's edition of the Ellenville Journal -- You may also take the survey online.

In a phone interview conducted before the meeting, Fairweather discussed the several assets the village possesses, citing the village's small businesses that contribute to the village's downtown area. In addition to that, Fairweather also counts the village's potential to cater to outdoor recreation seekers and its proximity to the Shawangunk Ridge and Sam's Point as a possible means for economic growth.

What is a Comprehensive Plan? According to New York State law, a Village Comprehensive Plan is "the materials, written and/or graphic, including but not limited to maps, charts, studies, resolutions, reports and other descriptive material that identify the goals, objectives, principles, guidelines, policies, standards, devices and instruments for the immediate and long-range protection, enhancement, growth and development of any incorporated village or city." — New York State Consolidated Laws A comprehensive plan is intended to set the overall direction for growth and development in the Village. Once adopted, the plan becomes the legal basis by which the Village creates or amends its zoning ordinance. — Fairweathergroup.com The village's comprehensive plan is a set of guidelines that will help define the future of Ellenville. Included in Fairweather's presentation were goals that the comprehensive plan will attempt to achieve, which include the strengthening of the village's "ethnic and economic diversity," and to "provide economic opportunities for existing residents and newcomers in tourism, niche manufacturing, specialty retail, services and the arts."

"The place has got great bones," said Fairweather. "There are places that need a little fixing up and patching and mending, but the basic amenities that are there would really be the envy of a lot of other communities in the northeast."

During the presentation, Fairweather identified four "catalytic areas," which he believes hold great potential for Ellenville's future: South Main Street (Route 209) between Warren and Hillcrest; the industrial parcels west on Clinton Avenue; the commercial parcels around the Ellenville Depot; and the Berme Road Park and the area behind the highway garage, along the old Smiley Carriage Road.

The possibilities for these four locations, according to Fairweather, range from extending the downtown business district, continuing to blending commercial and residential zoning in Ellenville's abandoned manufacturing sites while utilizing green-building techniques, and creating camping facilities for nature enthusiasts.

One of the main concepts that appears in nearly every aspect of the suggested plans is "overlay zoning," which would create mixed-use zoning in areas that are already defined as either commercial or residential. This is similar to the work-live artist loft spaces the village created last year and is currently being utilized by ColorWorks, a dye making facility.

A new comprehensive plan for Ellenville may seem long overdue, as the last time the village approved a plan was in 1960, when, according to Village Manager Elliott Auerbach, the area's leading industry was a handkerchief factory. Now, more than forty-five years later, Auerbach sees the work the group has done over the last four months, talking with residents and business-owners to identify the areas needs and strengths, as just right for Ellenville.

"It's trying to build a plan on what we already have here, and then how best to define each one of those areas for future development, whether it's residential development or industrial development," says Auerbach. "It's probably one of the most organically-grown comprehensive plans that I've ever seen, in the sense that it's not top-down, it's bottom-up."

The details of Fairweather Associates' suggestions can be found on the portion of their web-site devoted to the Ellenville project, www.fairweathergroup.com/Ellenville.

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