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The Lansing Town Hall was filled almost to capacity with residents who got a chance to share their vision for a town center.  Representatives of Holt Architects and Trowbridge & Wolf Landscape Architects, which the Town has hired to work with the Town Center Committee, chaired the meeting.  After a short presentation the floor was open to suggestions from residents.

"We hope to be able to develop, over time, a plan of consensus," said architect David Taube.  "This first meeting is very important.  It is about us presenting our observations, and throwing back to you what you have already done over the last ten years, which has been considerable.  Then we want to hear from everybody what they think a town center is all about."


Taube was joined by his associate Miles Cigolle and Trowbridge & Wolf's Peter Trowbridge and Kimberly Michaels.  Michaels, a landscape architect, began the evening with a presentation showing research the firms had done, and examples of how a town center could develop in Lansing.

"We are here tonight not to show you a plan of what your town should be," she said.  "We are here to talk about what you have right now, to show you some different ways that we've looked at it over the past couple of months, and then get your feedback on that and open a dialog about what your vision is for a Town Center."

She said that after studying zoning, where residential building meets farmland, traffic patterns, and other factors, the group has concluded that the land across the street from the Town Hall is the best location for a new town center.  The New York State legislature removed deed restrictions last October on the 146.831 acre parcel.  Those restrictions limited use of the land to recreational purposes and for town hall or community center buildings.  The legislation opened the way to using the land to develop a mixed-use commercial and residential town center.  With the lifting of the restrictions Lansing will have to pay the state for the land, but Deputy Town Supervisor Connie Wilcox says that the deal will be fair and reasonable.

The architects stressed that there are no plans to spend money on infrastructure or building at this time, but that careful planning will make the Town ready to jump on funding opportunities when and if they become available.  Trowbridge noted that state and federal grants often appear unexpectedly with very little time for municipalities to prepare applications and supporting documentation.  He said that with careful pro-active planning Lansing will be able to take advantage of these opportunities as they arise.  He noted that community consensus is important in getting these grants, and that is why now is a good time to begin the process.


Residents voiced a variety of ideas, but there were some recurring themes.  Many wanted a small grocery, and businesses like a doctor's office, Laundromat, a community center, arts center, a semi-permanent farmers market structure, and Internet café.  Several spoke of walkways and bicycle paths that would join the town center with Myers Park and the Lansing schools, and perhaps The RINK as well.

One of the values Michaels stressed was featuring Lansing's heritage in a mix of the old with the new.  She cited the Rogue's Harbor Inn and noted that Lansing Funeral Home is a good example of how a farm house from Lansing's past had been given new life as a local business that retains the historical flavor of the town.  Resident James Mason even suggested moving some of Lansing's historical buildings such as the Ludlowville schoolhouse to the new site to be repurposed for commercial or community use.

Trowbridge kept notes on all community members' ideas for future consideration by the architects and the committee.  Committee chair Kathy Miller says that resident feedback is not limited to public meetings, and her committee wants as much input from residents as they can get. 

"If people felt they didn't have time to speak out, or they didn't want to speak out they can e-mail the Town," she says.

Contact information for committee members is on the Town Web site .

Taube said that the architects and committee will digest the input they received and begin to shape a plan.  Two more public meetings are planned as the planning process continues.

"It's an exciting process," he said.  "When we're all done we should end up with a big vision and a little start."

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