After five years, the village Board of Trustees will gear up to review its comprehensive plan—which guides the future development of the village—in an attempt to update and steer Mamaroneck toward a brighter and sustainable future.
According to new village Trustee Victor Tafur, a Democrat, the review will serve as a reckoning for just how successful the plan has been in implementing its vision.
“We want to review and add to the document in a way that keeps things alive,” he said.
Tafur, who worked on the latest version of the village comprehensive plan adopted in 2012, has made updating the document a priority since taking office earlier this month, and said that so far, getting other board members on board has been easy.
Mayor Norman Rosenblum, a Republican, who oversaw the last revamp in 2012, which modified a 1986 version of the guiding document, said that keeping the village’s development doctrine fresh is just “a good idea.”
“It’s the same concept as the [Local Waterfront Revitalization Program],” said Rosenblum, referring to the village’s newly revamped waterfront development doctrine. “A lot of things can change in five years.”
According to Rosenblum, residents and volunteers of other village committees will soon come together and have a say in updating the comprehensive plan, after such a group is selected to serve on a committee by the Board of Trustees. That process is expected to occur in the coming months.
Among the possible areas for expansion, Tafur said, could be introducing more sustainability measures; taking into account the village’s new and improved LWRP; and making sure the village continues to excel in preserving its natural environment.
As for whether or not the village has been successful in adhering to the vision outlined in 2012, Tafur said there is still room for improvement.
“There’s still work to be done,” he said, adding that the review will provide an opportunity for more reflection. “It has been an important document. It has helped guide us but it needs some fine-tuning.”
Among the top priorities listed in the villages last iteration of the plan are retaining the villages historical character; expanding a retail base; developing workforce; and preserving the character of the village’s neighborhoods in addition to preserving wetlands and water quality of the Long Island Sound.
Tafur said the process of reviewing the plan will likely begin in the coming months after the Planning Department reports back to the village board on just what progress was made on the 2012 comprehensive plan.
From there, Tafur said, the review will be open to the public.
