Waterfront Focus Moves From Planning To Implementation

By Sara Herrmann
The focus is moving from planning to implementation for the Westfield-Ripley Waterfront Opportunity Plan. The third and final public meeting on the plan was held last week. The Waterfront Opportunity Plan is a joint comprehensive planning effort involving the Towns of Westfield and Ripley working in conjunction with planning consultants Behan Planning Associates with assistance from the Chautauqua County Planning Department and support from the New York State Department of State.

The process has included public workshops to elicit input from community members and other stakeholders. The stated goal of the Westfield-Ripley Waterfront Opportunity Plan is to capitalize on the area’s unique offerings, including it’s natural beauty, emerging wine industry, historic village and hamlet and outdoor recreational opportunities in order to encourage planned growth and economic development while preserving the character of the waterfront area.

Town of Ripley Supervisor Peter Ryan last week stated that the resulting plan reflects a considerable amount of effort and input. “This sets the stage for a perfect departure point to do some really great things,” said Ryan. With input from stakeholders, the plan identifies “Opportunity Areas” which are geographic areas or specific waterfront resources that were examined in-depth. The opportunity areas include the Route 5 Corridor, Barcelona Harbor, Ripley and Ottaway Beaches, the 20-Mile and Chautauqua Creek Gorges and marketing and tourism efforts. Each area was studied and strategies were developed to enhance the natural attributes of the areas. The Rt. 5 strategies, for example, include the protection and maintenance of the agricultural and open space character of the area, the promotion of agricultural businesses, providing for more unified and consistent signage and slowing traffic to make the corridor more pedestrian and bicycle friendly.

Lawrence Bice of Behan Planning Associates presented the final draft of the plan at last week’s meeting. “The strength of the plan,” said Bice, “is that it’s both specific and conceptual. It’s a plan with its ear to the ground.” Bice noted that the successful implementation of the Waterfront Opportunity Plan will require a partnership of private and public interests to create a “positive synergy”.

Overall reaction to the plan was favorable. Particular attention was paid to a list of Priority Actions included in the plan. Priority actions were identified as those actions that have the potential to accomplish a key planning goals and set the stage for future actions. The priority actions include, among other things, the dredging of Barcelona Harbor, providing and improving water and sewer services at Barcelona, providing public swimming facilities at Ripley Beach and developing a 1st Street “Harbor Village” at Barcelona. There was a general consensus at the meeting that dredging Barcelona harbor is an important first step and that increased access to the waterfront is key.

The next step in the process is the official adoption of the plan by both municipalities, which will open up grant funding opportunities. Initial implementation will include the continuation of catalyst projects such as the Dudley Breed landscaping study for town property currently underway at Barcelona, the commencement of new catalyst projects and ongoing private investments.

The plan can be viewed on the Town of Westfield website under the Town News section.