Town
of Richford
Comprehensive
Plan (also known as “master plan”)
A
comprehensive plan consists of the materials, written and/or graphic
including but not limited to maps,
charts, studies, resolutions, reports, and other descriptive material that
identify the goals, objectives, principles, guidelines, policies, standards,
devices and instruments for the immediate and long-range protection, enhancement,
growth and development of the municipality. (New York Chapter 418 of the
Laws of 1995 amending Town Law &272-a.)
Why prepare a comprehensive plan? First, all towns in New York State are obliged to have an up-to-date plan as the legal foundation for any land use regulations. Second, and more importantly, a thoughtful plan, based on public input and a positive perspective for the future, can help set priorities for coordinated action by the Town officials, staff and volunteers. The following updated comprehensive plan provides guidance to those interested in Richford --- including Town residents, property owners, businesses, organizations and prospective businesses and/or investors --- about our history, our current conditions, and what we prefer as a future.
Town Profile
Richford is the northernmost town in Tioga County, with a population of 1170 in 2000 (U.S. Census data). The town encompasses 24,428.8 acres of which 4,721.9 is owned by the State of New York (Tioga County Real Property Office-2002). State land ownership constitutes 19.3% of the land area. The majority of land (approximately 75%) is in forested land cover, and approximately 15% is devoted to agriculture. The road system includes 47.64 miles of town roads, 3.02 miles of county roads and approximately 15 miles of state roads.
The Town’s topography is extremely hilly, and most development and agriculture are in the stream-side valleys. The soils are predominately of the Volusia and Lordstown series, which have limited ability to sustain intense development.
Town Vision
Richford is a small, rural town located at the
center of two well-traveled New York State highways (79 and 38). Richford is rich in history, being the
birthplace of John D. Rockefeller and, at one time, famous for its Clark’s Seed
Potato Farm.
About one fifth of the land in the Town of Richford is owned by
the State of New York, which allows for the natural beauty of its forested and
wild lands to be utilized by the public.
Like many small towns in upstate New York, Richford is intent on balancing preservation of its rural character with developing economic opportunities for its residents.
The Town vision is to foster smart growth and
development that will protect the natural beauty and rural atmosphere of
Richford while increasing economic expansion.
This comprehensive plan promotes development of businesses,
parks, tourism and cultural facilities, and restoration of historic buildings, and preservation
of the natural landscape and environmental integrity of the Town.
This plan was prepared using several resources to obtain information about the needs and concerns of residents. A questionnaire (see copy in Appendix A ) was mailed to all Town residents in the summer of 2000. Nearly 21% of residents replied. (see summary in Appendix B). Additional information came from observations by the Planning Board members, conversations with residents and responses made by residents attending an information meeting conducted by Thoma Consultants for the Tioga County REAP (Rural Economic Area Partnership) in Richford in the summer of 1999 (see summary of responses in Appendix C). In addition, two public hearings were held in spring and fall of 2002, which provided local residents the opportunity to make additional input to the plan.
Residents
have expressed a desire to 1) preserve our rural environment; 2) develop
healthy growth to enhance the tax base; and 3) find cooperative ways to work
with other municipalities, and the county, in an effort to provide needed
services at a minimal cost.
The
recreation facilities in the town are Rawley Park and the Community Center,
both located in the Hamlet of Richford.
Both of these facilities can be used free of charge for non-profit,
community events, and for a fee for private events. State land is excellent for hunting, fishing, hiking, and other
related recreational activities. Anglers have easy access at numerous points to
Owego Creek, and the Finger Lakes Trail traverses the northern part of the
Town. With over 4,700 acres of State
land, residents and visitors can freely hike along developed trails or traverse
trail-less areas.
The
public survey showed that residents are in favor of enhancing existing recreational facilities and developing
additional park space and nature trails.
Some respondents would like to see a
better playground/park and possibly basketball courts and/or a public swimming
pool. In addition, Clark’s Seed Farm, a
large piece of privately owned, currently vacant land in the northern part of
the Town, is a prime spot to encourage development of recreational facilities.
v
Encourage
the creation of more recreational opportunities for the Town.
v
Enhance
Rawley Park through addition of playground equipment and construction of
playing space (i.e. basketball courts).
v
Petition
the State of NY to develop hiking/cross country skiing trails and camping
facilities on State land in Richford, and to open land for additional
recreational opportunities.
v
Encourage
the development of Clark’s Seed Farm for recreational use.
v
Encourage private development of campground
facilities.
v Cooperate with
the Tioga County Tourism Department in developing recreational resources
including grants.
v Encourage
development of a playground and picnic area at the Graded School.
The
annual Potato Festival is a community-wide cultural
event held every September in Richford to celebrate the historic significance
of potato farming in Richford. The
Richford Historical Society oversees the renovation and restoration of the
Richford Graded School, one of the original schools in the town. This two-story building adds historic charm
to the town and offers visitors insight into how rural schools were operated in
the 19th and 20th century. Richford shares library services with the Town of Berkshire
through the Berkshire Free Library, a member of the Finger Lakes Library
System.
v Encourage owners of historic
buildings to apply for restoration grants.
v Work with Tioga
County Council on the Arts to create cultural programs in Richford.
v Locate financial
support for the Richford Historical Society.
v Encourage
festivals in Richford that include music/performing arts.
v
Apply for funding to support the Berkshire Free Library.
v Petition the State of NY to
develop the John D. Rockefeller birth site and land around it for public use.
The
need to increase recreational opportunities for youth has been recognized at
numerous town forums. Some recreational
activities are offered by local organizations and
schools, but transportation, especially for rural youth, is an issue. Most recreational activities are hosted by
the Richford Fire Department Auxiliary, which sponsors activities on most
holidays and “Kiddies Day”, an annual event targeting local youth. The auxiliary recruits local teens for ideas and insight into what children of all ages are interested
in. The local health center sponsors a
summer youth recreation program. The
town has some facilities that could be or are being used for planned youth
activities: Rawley Park, the Graded
School, churches, fire station, and community hall.
v
Encourage
youth-oriented festivals in Richford that include music and/or performing arts.
v Partner with the state,
county and local youth organizations to create more recreational employment
opportunities for the residents of Richford, especially teens.
v
Encourage
the Town to select and develop a site for a future youth center.
v Encourage the
Auxiliary to continue their outreach to local youth.
v Encourage the
local health facility to continue its youth outreach program.
v Find ways to increase
community support, input, and participation in youth-oriented activities.
The
Newark Valley School District serves the majority of students in the Town, with
some Richford students also attending Ithaca, Whitney Point, Dryden, and
Marathon School Districts . For most children this involves a lengthy bus ride,
and distance from the school may limit some of the children from participating
in extracurricular activities, which makes development of local recreational
activities a high priority (see above).
Older students taking occupational/technical studies are provided
transport to Broome-Tioga BOCES,
located in Binghamton.
Richford
is located near eight universities, colleges and institutions of continuing
education in central New York. Five
universities and colleges are within 30 minutes (Cornell University, Ithaca
College, Tompkins-Cortland Community College, Tompkins-Seneca-Tioga BOCES and
SUNY-Cortland) and three are within 45 minutes travel time from Richford
(Binghamton University, Broome Community College, and Broome-Tioga BOCES).
Informal educational opportunities are available through several agencies located in Owego (the County seat), including Cornell Cooperative Extension, Tioga County Chamber of Commerce, and the Department of Economic Development and Planning.
The Berkshire Free Library provides a variety of services including computer resources, books-on-tape, reference material, and special collections.
v
Establish
a committee to determine how the Berkshire Library can better serve Richford
residents.
v
Reactivate
Bookmobile service to Richford.
v
Contact
and work with Tioga County Cooperative Extension and other agencies to determine
how their programs may serve local residents.
v
Explore
if there is sufficient interest for programs for those wanting to establish a
home business or for those already operating a small home business, and if
there is, locate funding for and implement such a program.
v
Determine
if there is sufficient community interest in an after-school activities program
(computers, sports, homework assistance, etc.) to be conducted locally, and if
there is, locate funding for and implement such a program.
With
the exception of two free weekly Pennysavers (Town and Country and Dryden
Shopper), no single communication medium covers the entire Town. Delivery in all the mail boxes in the Town
resulted in the Town Board selecting the Town and Country Pennysaver as
the official Town newspaper.
The
survey indicated that respondents felt that they did not know what is going on
regarding Town Board business. To
address this concern, a Town newsletter was started in January 2001. This free newsletter is mailed to all Town
residents, and provides information on Town Board meetings, upcoming events,
and names and telephone numbers of all Town officials.
Notices
of meetings, church dinners and other town activities are posted in various
places in the hamlet, including the post office, health center, community
center, churches, and the local convenience store.
Publicizing
Town Board or any community activity involves notifying the Binghamton Press
& Sun Bulletin, Ithaca Journal, Owego Pennysaver, Tioga
County Courier as well as the Town and Country Pennysaver. Several radio and four television stations provide service to the community.
Cellular Communications services are available in portions of the town by several providers
v
Continue publication of the Richford Quarterly
newsletter, to inform residents about local activities, encourage community
interest, cooperation, and activism, and expand volunteerism in the town.
v
Encourage
development of a Richford website, linked to the County website and updated
periodically.
v
Encourage
availability of high speed Internet service.
Health care is available at the Northern Tioga Center for Family
Health through Lourdes Hospital. Lourdes
Hospital is planning to create the Hubbard Resource Center on land donated by
Ward Hubbard, adjacent to the existing Health Center. This will provide additional space for community services. The
residents who responded to the survey would like to have a drug store, and
dental and eye care offices located in the community. This would help the community, as residents would have local
access to prescriptions and other medical necessities. The emergency health care service
(ambulance) needs support in hiring and/or training volunteer EMT’s to provide
emergency care to the people of the community.
The fire station needs to be renovated and expanded, and fire trucks
need to be replaced.
v
Encourage
development of local health care services for dental and eye care.
v Attract a drug
store to the community.
v Develop a mobile
prescription service with other communities and the county.
v Stimulate
volunteerism for emergency services
v Develop a
transportation system for those who have difficulty getting to the health
services.
v Encourage the
community to support the development of the Hubbard Resource Center.
v Encourage the
town to help pay for the training cost of EMT’s.
v Recommend that
the Fire District budget include reimbursement to EMT’s and fire personnel for
work time lost while providing emergency health care.
v Apply for
funding for a new fire station and related equipment.
Housing in Richford consists primarily of single family houses and
manufactured homes, and a few multi-family units within the hamlet. Outside of the hamlet, there are single
family homes and manufactured housing, and one mobile home park. There is no
organized senior living center, nor any organized low/moderate-income
housing. As Richford is so close to
several colleges, it has the potential to attract rental units for college
students and others who desire a rural atmosphere.
The public survey showed that most
respondents felt the condition of their dwellings was adequate. They were satisfied
with property conditions, and felt that property values were staying the
same. About 36% of the survey
respondents would like to see the population of Richford increase, but don't
want to see more mobile homes or mobile home parks. Over half of the survey respondents indicated that there was a
need to develop senior housing.
New York State building codes and Town regulations should be enforced
for all housing. Housing should be such
that residents are proud of their town and new people would be encouraged to
move to Richford.
v
Encourage
the development of a senior citizen housing development in or near Richford.
v
Encourage
the Town Board and other Richford community groups to obtain grants and assistance
from the state and federal sources for senior and low-income housing.
v
Encourage senior citizens to state their housing needs to make
sure their needs are met.
v
Encourage
residents to maintain and improve their homes.
v
Encourage
fire protection programs.
v
Work
with Federal, State and Local governments on any grants or programs available
to repair and improve existing housing for Richford residents.
v
Encourage
the Town Board to offer incentives for such improvements.
v
Have
an annual town clean-up day.
Richford
hamlet lies at the junction of NY State Routes 38 and 79, giving access to
Dryden (north), Owego (south), Whitney Point (east) and Ithaca (west). At Whitney Point, there is access to
Interstate 81, and at Owego, there is access to Interstate 86 (Route 17).
The
Town Highway Department is responsible for the repair and maintenance of 47.64
miles of local road systems. The crew
consists of one elected superintendent and four full-time employees. The Highway Department is the largest
category in the Town budget. There is a
good working relationship with the Berkshire and Harford local highway
departments, with sharing of equipment and personnel as needed.
Tioga
County Public Transit, also called T-Tran, provides local public transportation
along NYS roadways, serving destinations in both Broome and Tompkins County,
including Cornell University, community colleges in Broome and Steuben
Counties, and Robert Packer Hospital in Sayre, Pennsylvania. They have a service called Dial-a-ride which
goes to all homes in the county, provided that the customer makes arrangements
the previous day.
Tioga
Transport, Inc. serves the area from Newark Valley to Ithaca including Cornell
University, through an affiliate with T-Cat, which is Tompkins County’s
transportation service. Routes used are
NYS 38 and 79.
Fares
are reasonable for those who need regular commuting to employment or educational centers, but are not practical for casual
use. Monthly reduced rates are
available.
The
Owego-Harford Rail line runs through Richford but only serves businesses. No public rail transportation is available.
v
Continue
renovating two miles of unpaved roads
to stone and oil each year.
v
Continue
the present working relationship with neighboring towns and explore new options
to make maximum use of resources to save costs.
v
Have
the Highway Superintendent report on a periodic basis to the Town Board on any
changes needed on the roads.
v
Conduct and implement an inventory of condition and maintenance
needs of town roads.
v Provide local
bus service at reasonable rates to help seniors and young people access
community activities and services.
v Provide
transportation to local airports and bus terminals in Ithaca, Binghamton, Owego
and Elmira.
v Consideration
should be given to expanding the Owego-Harford Rail line to accommodate tourism
and public services.
v Encourage
residents and community groups to participate in the Adopt-A-Highway Program.
v Support an
east-west connecter road that will enable travel to be easier and more direct
from Spencer/Candor to the Towns of Richford, Berkshire, and Newark Valley.
Richford is the northernmost town in Tioga County. It contains a total of 24,428.8 acres, 19.3%
of which is owned by the state. Much of
the township is very steep and hilly, or in the flood plain. The two main roads (Routes 79 and 38)
generally follow along the valleys and streams. Residents of the town enjoy living in a rural setting with a small
town atmosphere. Many like to hunt,
fish, hike or ride horses. New
development needs to preserve the small town image and protect the
environmental qualities of the town.
Development is not encouraged on steep slopes or in the flood
plains. Land uses include residential,
agricultural, commercial, forests, state lands, part of the Finger Lakes Trail
and a small park.
Recommendations
v
Preserve
agricultural land.
v
Preserve
surface and subsurface water quality by maintaining wetlands and streams and
minimizing erosion into these areas.
v
Develop
and improve existing public areas (parks).
v
Preserve
historic areas.
v
Maintain
and manage forests for recreational purposes, watershed capabilities and
encourage management of woodlots for timber, wood products and wildlife.
v
Develop
a site plan review for industrial and commercial development projects.
v
Develop
a Subdivision Ordinance.
v
Update
Local Laws and Town Codes.
v
Encourage
new development in areas near existing utilities and services, following ‘smart
growth’ principles.
Economic Development
Survey results indicate that Town of Richford
residents value their rural environment, and the natural beauty of what used to
be an agricultural township. They
appreciate the comparative freedom and peacefulness of their current
environment.
However, they would like to expand the tax
base. Survey respondents indicated an
interest in economic development including
small business development, senior housing, water and sewer services,
enhancement of public transportation, and the development of tourism,
especially on NY State land.
Recommendations
v
Collaborate
and/or consolidate services with Tioga County and neighboring towns to
facilitate the expansion of tourism, small businesses, loans, grants and
development, so as to maximize the local tax base.
v
Work
cooperatively with the Tioga County Department of Economic Development and Planning, Industrial
Development Agency (IDA), and the Local Development Corporation (LDC) on
planning, business development, and retention needs.
v
Attract suitable small business services and home
based enterprises.
v Encourage
enforcement of codes and land use ordinances.
v Maintain
the agricultural base and encourage farm-based businesses.
v Work
cooperatively with the Tioga County Cornell Cooperative Extension Office on
agricultural business development.
v Utilize
the local rail line more extensively for tourism and freight.
v Develop
a volunteer committee to plan community projects.
v Develop
a feasibility study for the possible creation of a public sewer/water system.
v Encourage
high speed Internet access.
Agriculture
The nature of agriculture in Richford has changed
over the years. Small farms which could
be farmed by horse drawn machinery are rarely profitable today. To be economically viable today’s farming
must fill a special niche market or be done on a large scale.
Richford, with its narrow valleys, open land on
hillsides, heavily forested hills, state owned land, and other land unsuited
for agricultural purposes (brush land, wetlands) is limited in the amount of
land available for agricultural pursuits.
Currently, there are dairy farms, a certified
organic farm, and several part time operations where local residents are
raising beef, sheep, hay and horses.
Land in the North Tioga Agricultural District as of 2002 was 2,592
acres. Flooding from Owego Creek and
its tributaries is a problem for some agricultural areas and in the hamlet of
Richford. There is considerable logging because of the amount of forested land
in the Town of Richford.
Recommendations:
v Encourage
the preservation of agricultural land.
v Develop
a program to control the flooding of farm and other land by Owego Creek. This program could be similar to the one being
developed to control the Catatonk Creek in the Spencer/Candor area.
v Encourage
local land owners to apply for agricultural district status as appropriate.
v Encourage
the local school system to inform youth of the many occupational opportunities
available in agriculture.
The
town of Richford is a rural community rich in natural features, with forested
hillsides and open stream valleys. The
town would like
to expand the tax base using ‘smart growth’ principles while protecting
the natural and historical features that give the town its character. This can be accomplished by attracting small
and mid-sized businesses, maintaining existing businesses and farms, attracting
new residents, and providing incentives to current residents to improve the
quality of life in Richford.