58°
Town Administrator Penny Paderewski went over the details in her report in the Feb. 12 New Castle Town Board meeting.
“The establishment of the steering committee is the first step in the process of the update of the development plan,” she said. “The purpose of the steering committee is to give general direction to the update process and connect the project to various elements of the going-ons within the community, which will be represented by the members of this committee.”
Those members are the following:
- New Castle Town Supervisor Susan Carpenter, a former Planning Board chair.
- Tom Curley, current Planning Board member.
- Bob Kirkwood, former Planning Board chair.
- Erik Nicolaysen, former Town Board member and lifelong resident of New Castle.
- Maud Bailey, former League of Women Voters president.
“This committee will help guide the Master Plan update process,” said Paderewski. “It will be the final sounding board for the updated plan document prior to submission to the Town Board for review and acceptance.”
Responsibilities specific to the New Castle Steering Committee will include the following:
- Review of the master plan process timeline and scope (for example input regarding the appropriate time to begin public outreach and education).
- Identification of subgroups such as housing, transportation, public services and members of those subgroups to concentrate on subject specific goals and objectives.
- Review of the background studies being produced by Westchester County.
- To review, participate and provide input in relation to the “commercial study” that has come to light given the commercial proposal at Chappaqua Crossing.
“The committee that has been chosen well represents the town and is ready to start its work with our planner, Sabrina Charney Hull,” said Paderewski. “Sabrina informs me that the group will get together shortly to begin its important work.”
New Castle residents already seem to be intrigued in regards to how the steering committee will operate in relation to the public, as resident Bill Spade already voiced concern to the Town Board as to how the committee was selected without public involvement in its Feb. 12 meeting.
Further developments from the steering committee and master plan updates are not expected to come into focus until the County’s background studies are completed, has been tabbed with a target date of August or September 2013.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Chappaqua and receive free news updates.
