Empire continues master plan addendum work

By Ross Boissoneau

Sun contributor

A series of surveys and public meetings this summer in Empire has been followed by joint sessions of the village council and the village planning commission. The task: to involve interested parties in the creation of an update to the village’s master plan, to set it up for the next five years and potentially beyond. While master plans are used to provide long-term vision and guidance, it is necessary to update them as circumstances change, whether that is area business, housing, land use, utilities, or transportation.

Maggie Bacon, a village trustee, street administrator and master plan committee member, says the process has been guided by Elise Crafts of Placecraft, Brad Lonberger of Place Strategies, as well as Shannon Morgan and Jill Ferrari of Renovare Development. She said the process sought to bring people together rather than focus on areas where there have been disagreements, such as a village-wide sewer system or short-term rentals. Instead, surveys and meetings looked at what village residents valued about Empire. “Rather than talk about hot-button issues, it was (about) ‘What do you like, what do you not like? What do you value?’

“What came out (as values) was natural resources, neighbors, knowing neighbors, connectivity – social and physical. What it says is we need more sidewalks, more paths. How to connect the New Neighborhood, M22 village, etc.,” Bacon said.

At the most recent meeting on Sept. 19, Lonberger reiterated those three guiding principles which were used: managing growth, making connections and supporting natural areas. He wanted to be sure people understand that this process is not an attempt to change the village’s master plan, but to update it.

The process has served to indicate areas where residents, the council, and the planning commission see a need to address concerns. By concentrating on what residents value and would like to see, it can also address hot-button issues in a way that is more global. Ferrari calls it an ecosystem approach, where they acknowledge issues and potential solutions don’t exist in isolation but alongside and affecting one another.

“The master plan touches on economic development but doesn’t provide a roadmap. We’re using real life properties to show what could be next,” said Lonberger. That includes housing, mixed-use building, and the preservation of historic buildings such as the old hardware store and livery on the corner of Lake Street and Niagara Street.

Lonberger said proper planning can also focus on creating opportunities for both housing and businesses to grow. A large part of the Sept. 19 meeting centered on how to position Empire as a desirable place to work as well as to live, and how to attract both those segments to the village. Suggestions included creating an industrial and/or training park to attracting those interested in home businesses, from professions such as diverse as art, law, plumbing and consulting.

Morgan said flexibility is the key, rather than using language that could potentially eliminate options for business or residents. “You have to address the perception that Empire doesn’t want business,” she said.

Previous surveys also suggested that residents favor the creation of a specific type of business that would attract more people to the town. When it was suggested that it must have been a grocery store where people could get fresh food, Ferrari said that was not the case. “The thing that gets people excited is a microbrewery,” she said. Others pointed to the success Frankfort has enjoyed since Stormcloud Brewing opened its doors.

The plan was to have a draft document by the end of September which would go to the planning commission for review. After any modifications suggested by the planning commission, it would then go back to the village council, with further public hearings before final adoption.