'Lewiston's Next 10' setting stage for future

Town begins process for comprehensive plan update

By Terry Duffy

Editor-in-Chief

The Town of Lewiston kicked off the process for its long-awaited comprehensive plan update in a public workshop for residents last Thursday, Feb. 26, at the Lewiston Senior Center. Titled, “Lewiston’s Next 10,” the project sets the stage for the town’s next steps.

Visitors learned that Lewiston’s comprehensive plan was last addressed in 2011, but it was never actually finalized by the town back then. Fast forward to 2025 and addressing today’s growth challenges, Supervisor Steve Broderick and Town Board members approved for the Wendel Group of Williamsville to update the document in mid-2025.

Development of “Lewiston’s Next 10” comprehensive plan is expected to have its focus in the areas of planning and zoning; agriculture/farming; and economic development over the next 10 years.

•Zoning and planning will consider such research areas as permitting history/trends, zoning review and current land use. Potential recommendations include easements/incentives; updated codes/laws; and refining land use vision maps.

•Agriculture/farming will focus on current agricultural districts; economic feasibility; green spaces/open space; and regional agriculture plans. Potential recommendations include reducing the cost of farming; increasing agriculture opportunities; and protecting farmland from development pressures.

•In economic development, targeted areas include the economic drivers; economic mobility and the cost of living. Potential recommendations include business support endeavors; attracting employers and policy that adapts to change; and maximizing key development sites in the town.

The Wendel plan is expected to be finalized toward adoption by the town in November.

Unfinished work

Nina Ballou, a Wendel planner, said that Lewiston, essentially, is combining its unfinished work of past plans with the hopes of creating one complete document this time around.

“It’s a little bit confusing,” she said of the previous attempt in 2011. “In the Town of Lewiston, the last time a comprehensive plan was actually adopted was between 1999 and 2000. It was kind of written in the ’90s and then adopted in 2000. And then in 2011, there was an initiative to do an update to that plan, not a full rehab of that plan, but just an update. That project was never actually adopted. So, what we're doing is, we're kind of combining all three of those efforts: The 2000 version, the 2011 version, and now today's version (is) to create one comprehensive document that the Town of Lewiston can lean on for the next 10-ish years.

“And then, in about 10 years, we'll say, ‘OK, break it all down and start all the way over and make a new plan.’ ”

Ballou said the town is now in the information phase.

“Tonight is gathering what those complaints are, understanding what is the problem, and what is the need,” she said. “Then, we’re going to take all that feedback and the research that we’re doing. Then we’re going to start the next six months from now developing those solutions” into a plan.

“The real point of today is to hear from all of you. I’m holding on to a lot of the results for a bit, because we’re going to go into that planning phase,” Ballou said of residents’ feedback from the workshop.

Wendel reps will then begin their work on a “basic report in the next few weeks” derived from the workshop.

Setting guidelines

Joining Ballou were Wendel reps Katie, a GIS analyst in charge of mapping; and Corrine, also a Wendel planner who specializes in green energy.

Corrine, who oversees municipal solar among other planning areas, commented on Lewiston’s experience. “I’m aware you guys have a couple of solar projects here, and I know there’s different opinions of different people” when it comes to welcoming solar and accepting its presence in the town.

“Solar is kind of tricky because it depends on (the location of) your substations. How much power you can have in the substations determines how much power (and where) solar fields (are) going to be in your town.

“You’re really not supposed to outright ban solar,” she said. “You try to zone them (in) some places. Ideally, they go on a landfill, brownfield type of thing. … If it’s zoned properly, the town (typically) accepts that. I’m a fan of putting solar on brownfields and areas like that. Developers are going to look at wherever they can connect to the grid.”

Considering the nearby Lake Ontario Ordnance Works Site as one such potential location, she said, “That would be awesome. We don’t want them on farmland unless there’s a farmer who really can’t make their living (otherwise). Most folks don’t want it. (Use) zoning to determine where the town wants it” is the best approach.

She suggested Lewiston use its new comprehensive plan as useful tool in the future: “The comprehensive plan isn’t going to be like a set-in-stone law, but it can give some guidelines, however the town wants to do it.”

Ballou said, “One of the major components of this plan, (in the face of economic development), is that we want to preserve and enhance the rural and agriculture nature of the Town of Lewiston.

“We’ve been talking about a couple different ideas to make farming and agriculture more viable, so that farms (can) hold onto their land” rather than sell properties for solar or battery storage-type operations in the town. “We are working to come up with different solutions.”

Among Wendel’s ideas is the use of overlay zones in determining zoning criteria.

“They’re kind of creative ways to have two kinds of zoning that puzzle piece together,” Ballou said.

She called a greater use of outdoor recreation and conservation overlay zones as being one possibility for Lewiston as the plan is developed.

“I’m not sure how it would affect a housing development, but it would encourage the kind of uses that are complimentary to agriculture and discourage ones that aren’t,” Ballou said. “So, maybe it would discourage subdivision-style housing that are smaller or multi-family and encourage (alternatives) like larger residential plots.”

“Something like that is where our brains are,” she said.

For more information and updates on “Lewiston’s Next 10” project, visit the Town of Lewiston’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/townoflewistonny.gov) or contact Building Inspector Ed Zimmerman at 716-754-8213, ext. 243.