FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May
3, 2019
City of Kingston to Host
Public Meeting on Open Space Plan
City seeks input on draft plan recommendations
KINGSTON,
NY -- The City of Kingston will be hosting a public informational meeting to
present a draft of the new City of Kingston Open Space Plan on May 14, 2019 at
6pm. The public are encouraged to attend and give input on the Open Space
Plan’s recommendations and priorities.
The
Open Space Plan identifies strategies to preserve, protect and enhance existing
natural areas; protect water quality and natural habitats; create and enhance
access to local parks, historic and cultural resources; and promote more
sustainable development. The public meeting will have a presentation of the
ideas developed through the planning process and will allow for a discussion of
projects and priorities before the plan is finalized. The draft plan is
anticipated to be finalized and adopted later this spring.
The
City of Kingston and the Kingston Conservation Advisory Council with the
Kingston Land Trust have been working, with the help and guidance of the
public, to develop the Open Space Plan. An initial public workshop was
conducted last fall to collect public input. As the next step, the city is
inviting the public to attend the Open Space Plan public meeting to review the
draft plan, consider its recommendations, and discuss priorities.
This
planning effort is building upon the findings of the Natural Resource Inventory
(NRI) and Open Space Index (OSI), completed by the city late last year, which
resulted in a comprehensive mapping of all natural and cultural resources
within the city. The Open Space Plan is utilizing this mapping data to have an
informed public discussion about areas of the City which should be preserved,
and how to best protect local resources.
“This
is the critical time now for our community as the Open Space Plan is coming to
fruition,” said Julie Noble, Environmental Education and Sustainability
Coordinator. “This is the culmination of
so much time and effort to really understand what incredible natural resources
the City has, to now go this critical next step to prioritize and create a plan
for our future.”
“I want to thank my staff, Julie
Noble for her leadership, and the volunteers on the Conservation Advisory
Council, who have worked so diligently on this project to protect our open
spaces,” said Mayor Noble. “This is important work that will affect the beauty
and longevity of our community for generations to come.”
Open Space Plan Public
Meeting
Tuesday, May 14
6:00pm
City Hall, Council Chambers
A
representative from the consultant team, Behan Planning and Design, and City
sustainability staff will be in attendance to present materials and facilitate
the discussion. Funding for this project has been provided by the New York
State Department of Environmental Conservation, Hudson River Estuary Program.
For more information, visit www.kingston-ny.gov/nri