Archive: Opinions

The other shoe dropped on December 13th at the Lansing Town Board meeting

In between their calming statements of:

"The plan is a guide, but not a law" and that "it would not be a matter of rushing changes to zoning and planning." And "Is it set in stone? No."

Town Board and Planning Board members admitted that:

"Once you adopt it are you supposed to refer to it when you do your subdivision reviews and your local laws, and your policies? Yes." and "The Planning Board and this town needs to update zoning maps, and the land use ordinance. We can't do it unless the Comprehensive Plan is finalized. We are anxious to get moving on this."

Planning Board Chairman Tom Ellis even stated "This starts the new year in a new direction." That will be bad news to many residents, who cited Lansing's "rural character" as the number one reason for living here in the Comp Plan survey.

Underneath all the fancy Form Based rhetoric, the Town of Lansing is slated to become that urban sprawl anathema — the suburban "bedroom community."

The EPA defines public participation as "involving the public to ensure their concerns are considered throughout the decision process," "consulting with the public to obtain their feedback on alternatives or decisions," and "empowering the public by placing final decision-making authority in their hands."

And further cautions:

"Meaningful public participation requires much more than simply holding public meetings or hearings or collecting public comment."

Yet "simply holding public meetings" and "collecting public comment" is all that our Town government is willing to allow.

Ironically, the meeting included Town Supervisor Ed LaVigne stating "there is plenty of opportunity for the public to weigh in built into the process, including public meetings and required public hearings."

New York State Town Law states:

"The participation of citizens in an open, responsible and flexible planning process is essential to the designing of the optimum town comprehensive plan."

Lansing Town government has made a mockery of the findings and intent that the New York State Legislature enacted in Town Law - TWN § 272-a:

By the Town's refusal to acknowledge that "Among the most important powers and duties granted by the legislature to a town government is the authority and responsibility to undertake town comprehensive planning" and by consistently downplaying its importance, and calling it only a guide.

By the Town's refusal to "to assure full opportunity for citizen participation in the preparation of such proposed plan" thereby showing their intent to control the planning process.

By the Town's refusal to fulfill its responsibility in the "development and enactment by the town government of a town comprehensive plan . . . in the best interest of the people of each town" by creating a plan that will destroy the rural character of the town, decrease the quality of life, and increase the tax burden on its own residents.

The Town has demonstrated a willful disregard of the findings and intent of both the New York State Legislature and New York State Town Law.

While Lansing's residents push for participation [and answers to their questions] the Town pushes back with meaningless hearings, repeated statements of the plan's unimportance, and even with irritation and anger at this sign of opposition — all the while continuing to move forward towards getting approval.

As more and more residents take notice and try to break the closed circle of planning and approval, the Town is intransigently working towards a quick approval from the county and a sprint to get the new zoning and land use laws enacted.

The transparency of Lansing's town hearings are no more than an illusion, it's a barrier that allows residents to see what the Town decides, but not to participate in that decision. Our place is to be educated to accept, never empowered to change.

Apathy and ignorance are the tools of a self-serving bureaucracy. The Lansing Comp Plan's Community Vision Statement begins: "The Town of Lansing is a rural community" — let's keep that vision, and build a plan around it.

Sincerely,

Doug Baird
Lansing, NY

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