Public awareness campaign for Village comprehensive plan underway, meeting May 9

Northport Village officials are halfway through the development of a new comprehensive plan in which the board and a designated committee will establish official land use policies for the Village, while presenting goals and a vision for the future. To do so, Village officials and committee members are gathering community input with both a survey and a public meeting to be held Thursday, May 9, from 7 to 9pm at the American Legion. 

The public awareness campaign for the Village’s comprehensive plan is number ten on a list of 19 items that must be completed as part of the initiative’s official process, Assistant to the Mayor Don Tesoriero told the Journal. The expected completion date for all items is March 31, 2025. 

Engineering firm Nelson, Pope & Voorhis was hired in June to work with the Village on the comprehensive (or master) plan on a consulting basis. The firm developed the public awareness campaign, which includes a survey for anyone who lives, works, owns property, or goes to school in Northport Village. The online survey (also available in paper form at Village Hall) asks about perceived strengths and challenges of the Village, available housing options, recreational opportunities and suggestions for improvements to public spaces, among other topics. The survey also requests comment on a draft vision statement. About 200 surveys have been submitted to date; entries are welcome until May 31.

The next step of spreading public awareness is the comprehensive plan public workshop that will take place this Thursday. The meeting will be made up of several workstations, including those dedicated to getting information and offering feedback on issues related to the Village’s parks and recreational areas, traffic and zoning. There are also stations focused on discussing the Village’s strengths, needs and opportunities. It will be an informative “knowledge transfer” to the community, Tesoriero said, with consultants from Nelson, Pope & Voorhis and committee members present to share information, answer questions, and receive input from participants. 

Data from the survey and public meeting will be gathered, distilled and then factored into the Village’s goals while finalizing the plan. It’s likely that a follow-up public meeting will take place, Tesoriero said, to share gathered data and how it will be used to move forward. 

The comprehensive plan public workshop will take place on Thursday, May 9 from 7 to 9pm at the American Legion located at 7 Woodside Avenue in Northport Village. Participants do not have to attend for the full two hours; they are able to visit information tables of their choice, at their own pace.

The comprehensive plan survey can be found here.