Resources – Community assistance

Here is a variety of online sources for planning and land use information, training, events, publications, funding and other community assistance, particularly for New York State and the Hudson Valley. We are actively archiving resources from our Land Use Workshops and have planning links that include comprehensive plans, zoning, and codes for towns throughout the county. We’ve also included recommended links for organizations that provide useful information for community development and planning.

PLANNING LINKS

• American Farmland Trust
  Information on food, farming, farmland protection and related policy issues.  Fact sheets include Planning for Agriculture, Cost of Community Services Studies.
  • New York Agricultural Landowner Guide. American Farmland Trust
  • Planning for Agriculture in New York
• Center for Watershed Protection
  Information on watershed approach to planning. Downloadable resources on stormwater management and low impact development.
• Dutchess County Planning and Development
  Planning resources including model subdivision regulations, the ‘Centers and Greenspaces’ guide to regional smart growth planning, and the ‘Plan on It’ newsletter series.
• eCode360° Municipal Codes
  Source of municipal codes online, indexed and searchable.
• Empire State Future
  Information and press links to information on smart growth issues in New York State.
• Farmland Information Center
  Extensive, well-indexed national clearinghouse for information about farming and farmland protection, co-sponsored by USDA NRCS and American Farmland Trust.
• Farmscape Ecology Program
  County-based research and education program devoted to the interaction of agriculture and the natural environment.  Online research and newsletter, activities and events.
• Hudson River Valley Greenway
  A clearinghouse of resources on many planning related topics, from agriculture to zoning, and funding sources.
• Hudsonia
  Research, education, training resources in support of planning for biodiversity.
• National Park Service Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program
  News on community-led conservation and recreation projects with helpful tools and weblinks, and information on applying for technical assistance.
• NEMO (Non Point Education for Municipal Officials)
  Information and resources for communities and land use decision-makers focused on the relationship of land use to water quality. Website based at the University of Connecticut, part of a national NEMO network.
• New York Planning Federation
  Statewide membership organization that promotes sound planning practices through education programs and web resources like model ordinances. Co-sponsor of the New York Municipal Insurance Reciprocal Land Use Training Program for Local Government Officials, an online certification program through Pace Land Use Law Center.
• New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Mapping Gateway
  Mapping resource for accessing NYSDEC environmental resources data online without GIS capability.
• New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Hudson River Estuary Program
  Technical information on Hudson Valley habitats, water resources, and funding sources for municipalities.
• New York State Department of State, Division of Local Government Services
  Sources for municipal board trainings and other links of interest to local governments including smart growth, funding programs, helpful publications (e.g. “Conducting Public Meetings and Hearings”).
• New York State Department of Transportation, Smart Planning
  Resources related to land use and transportation from the perspective of smart growth, including funding opportunities, and tools such as “A Checklist for Proposed Development Projects in Your Community.”
• Northern Dutchess Alliance
  Alliance of Northern Dutchess County towns to cooperate on regional planning issues.  Periodic workshops on planning topics.
• Northwestern Connecticut Regional Planning Collaborative
  Land use planning resources with helpful links on topics such as affordable housing, farmland preservation, ridgeline protection, wind energy case studies, that can apply outside the region.
• Orton Family Foundation – Planning resources and a selective process to assist and engage communities.
• Parks & Trails New York
  Resources for development of new parks and trails including technical information, publications and grant programs.
• Planners Web
  Searchable web journal on planning and land use.
• Rockland County Comprehensive Plan
  Rockland County has undertaken a comprehensive plan effort to guide county government planning as well as town and village planning for the next 10 to 20 years. It is intended to “build on and be consistent with existing town and village plans”. The Draft Plan is now available for review. You may find it interesting to see what a county level plan can address. Many issues that our towns grapple with in comprehensive plans require broader attention on a regional or county level.
• Smart Growth Online
  Online newsletter, organized by state, with links to related resources.
• Tompkins County, NY Vital Communities Toolbox
  Brief, clearly written descriptions of planning tools indexed by planning objective.
• USDA Web Soil Survey
  Easy-to-use mappable soils data without needing GIS capability.

COLUMBIA COUNTY LINKS

• Columbia County, New York Homepage
• Columbia County Real Property Tax Service
• Columbia County Tourism

Municipal Codes

E-Code Library

Columbia County Municipalities – Codes & Planning Links

Town of Ancram, NY

• Town Laws
• Adopted Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Revisions
• Conservation Advisory Council
• Agriculture & Farmland Protection

Town of Austerlitz, NY

• Comprehensive Plan Oversight Committee
• Applications, Codes & Laws

Town of Canaan, NY

• Canaan, New York: Zoning Law and Subdivision Regulations
• Canaan’s Strategic Plan

Town of Chatham, NY

• Comprehensive Plan
• Ag Plan
• eCode360
• Village of Chatham

Town of Claverack, NY

• Comprehensive Plan
• Philmont, NY

Town of Copake, NY

• eCode360

Town of Gallatin, NY

Town of Germantown, NY

Town of Ghent, NY

• eCode360

Town of Greenport, NY

Town of Hillsdale

• Comprehensive Plan
• Local Laws and Resolutions
• Natural Resources Committee Aquifer Study
• Hamlet Plan

City Of Hudson, NY

• Comprehensive Plan
• City Charter/Code

Kinderhook, NY

• Comprehensive Plan
• Town Code
• Official Homepage
• Village of Valatie, New York

Town of Livingston, NY

• zoning
• zoning map

Town of New Lebanon, NY

• Comprehensive Plan
• eCode360

Town of Stuyvesant, NY

Town of Taghkanic, NY

• Groundwater

Regional Land Use and Planning Documents

• Hudson River Estuary Program – NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation
• Conserving Natural Areas and Wildlife in Your Community – NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation
• New York Agricultural Landowner Guide – American Farmland Trust
• Planning for Agriculture: A Toolkit for Towns and Counties
• New York State Open Space Conservation Plan
• 2010 Statewide Trails Plan