North Tonawanda, NY — North Tonawanda’s last master plan for the city was developed in 1990, and by all accounts, it’s spent a lot of time on the shelf.

The city is currently starting the process of developing a new master plan, which is meant to guide development in the city in many ways, including zoning and land use.

The challenge is getting the master plan to matter.

Lumber City Development Corporation Economic Development Coordinator Chuck Bell spent two years working for a land use planning firm as a consultant, he said. He’s now tackling a master plan from the city’s point of view.

“It’s a blueprint for how you want the community to develop,” Bell said. “Zoning is a huge part of that. That’s the best way to dictate development.”

Zoning issues that arise in the city can be guided by the master plan in the future in order to make a decision, LCDC Executive Director Jim Sullivan said.

A city’s master plan can also be a major asset when seeking grants, Sullivan said.

“As a community development person, the first thing you refer to with a lot of grants is the master plan,” Sullivan said. “Many grants are based on what you’re putting in your master plan.”

A master plan should be re-visited annually, and it should be re-examined thoroughly every five years, Bell said.

The last master plan failed to make much of a difference for a variety of reasons, according to officials. The old plan was too generic, Sullivan said.

North Tonawanda Assistant City Attorney Bob Sondel held the same position for the city when the last plan was developed. The previous plan didn’t take off because it failed to account for what already existed in the city, Sondel said.

For instance, some industrial sections were set to be residential sections in the previous plan, he said.

“Who’s going to knock down a factory to build a house?” Sondel said. “That’s kind of impractical.”

In the past, people made a wish list for the city without considering the practicality of the goals, Sondel said.

A plan already exists for the downtown area of the city, including Webster Street, Oliver Street and Main Street.

The current land use in most of those sections are zoned commercial or residential, while the downtown redevelopment plan calls for future land use in the area to include more mixed-uses.

The downtown redevelopment plan won’t be pushed onto the back burner when the new master plan is completed, Sullivan said. The existing downtown plan will be worked into the master plan.

Though no firm has been selected yet to be the developing consultant for the city’s master plan, the LCDC has recommended Bergmann Associates.

Bergmann Associates is a consulting firm representing Wal-Mart in North Tonawanda.

The LCDC sent out eight request for proposals to various Western New York consultants to develop the plan and received four bids. Bergmann Associates had the lowest bid, at $45,000 to $47,000.

Two other bids were estimated at more than $70,000. The city has $50,000 set aside in this year’s budget for a master plan.

One of the main factors that led LCDC to recommend Bergmann Associates was the work of Andy Raus, who formerly worked on the downtown redevelopment plan with Clark Patterson Associates, Sullivan said. Raus now works for Bergmann Associates.

Of course, the Wal-Mart connection was not lost on city officials when Sullivan recommended the group at last week’s North Tonawanda Common Council meeting.

Officials questioned a possible conflict of interest, considering Bergmann Associates’ connection to Wal-Mart in the city, but were not convinced there would be a conflict. The council may vote on the recommendation Tuesday night.

Any possible conflict can be nullified by a strong steering committee, Sullivan said.

A steering committee will be formed to guide the master plan process, Sullivan said, adding he hopes to put a variety of city residents on the committee, including people involved with planning, zoning, business and the environment.

Such a committee could establish standards which could ask Bergmann Associates to take a lesser role in the area where the proposed Wal-Mart would be, Sullivan said.

As the plan moves forward, there may still be some skepticism as whether or not it will make an impact in the city. North Tonawanda Mayor Larry Soos has seen projects and plans fall by the wayside before, he said.

“It’s only going to work if the council, the mayor and the people are on board,” Soos said.

That being said, Soos is optimistic the city will create a plan worth following this time around.

“It’ll work,” he said. “You just have to get everybody to embrace it and make it happen.”

Sullivan expects the plan to be fully developed and implemented within the next 12 months.



Master plan Milestones

North Tonawanda’s master plan is expected to be developed and implemented within the next 12 months. The consultant will take various steps before the plan is formally adopted by the city.

- Project Initiation Meeting — Consultant to meet with members of planning commission and master plan steering committee.

- Community Assessment and Analysis — Consultant to assess existing conditions in city.

- Community Survey — Consultant to meet with steering committee to develop community survey that can be mailed to households.

- Policy Development — Consultant to list community goals for plan based on steering committee recommendations.

- Focus Group Meetings — Consultant to hold meetings with key stakeholders in community.

- Land Use and Policy Workshop — Consultant to work with steering committee and public to examine current land use.

- Implementation — Consultant to devise implementation approach and address zoning code changes and modifications to subdivision regulations.

- Draft Plan Development — Consultant to develop plan that incorporates community feedback during planning process.

- Draft Plan Review — Plan to be reviewed by planning commission and public.

- Final Plan — Consultant to attend council meeting for plan adoption.