PORT JERVIS – A two-and-a-half-year endeavor of research and citizen input paid off with adoption of a Comprehensive Plan for the City of Port Jervis. It is the first update in four decades.
The update project is funded, in part, by a grant from the New York Department of State.
The common council unanimously adopted the plan Monday night.
Planner Robert Murphy, of the Albany firm of Barton and Loguidice, presented a final overview. He said there are four top-level goals.
“Downtown revitalization. Connections to the waterfront; this being funded by the local waterfront revitalization program. Those two were definitely the key goals. We also had a goal placed on stabilizing neighborhoods, around the city, not just downtown and having resilience and efficient infrastructure.”
Murphy noted lots of discussion on the economy, attracting investment, creating jobs and housing. He said it all emerged from a series of 15 committee meetings and four workshops. He called it a plan that “reflects the entirety of Port Jervis.”
Councilman-at-Large David Bavoso urged adoption. He said this is a major stepping stone for the city, with the next step to follow soon.
“Now that the plan is in place, the next step is finishing off the update to the zoning code, which is a comprehensive update to that code. That is well underway. I am expecting that we should be able to adopt the new zoning code before the end of this year.”
Bavoso thanked Murphy, the mayor, fellow council members and city officials for their work on the plan, and citizens for their input.
Mayor Kelly Decker said they would like to think they are good for the next 100 years, but that the city should be prepared to revisit the comprehensive plan anytime there is a need.
