Town of Galway

 

 

Comprehensive Plan

 

Adopted August 2002

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table of Contents

 

Introduction   1

 

Community Values   3

            The Community Survey   3

            Planning Workshop   6

 

Population, Economic and Housing Profiles   13

            Population Data   13

            Age   14

            Population and Age Issues   15

            Educational Attainment of Residents   16

            Income   16

            Housing Data and Costs   17

            Housing Issues   20

            Comparison of Demographics   21

            Employment Data   22

 

General Characteristics of Galway   25

            History  25

            Physical and Environmental Features   27

            Transportation   30

            Recreational Facilities   33

            Educational Facilities   34

            Public Safety   36

            Municipal Facilities   38

            Land Use   40

 

Goals and Strategies   47

            Environmental Resources   47

            Land Use   48

            Transportation   50

            Recreation   52

            Education   54

            Public Safety   54

            Municipal Facilities and Services   55

            Economic Development   57

            Housing   58

 

Addendum         59

 

Map Index         60

 

Introduction

 

In 1970, a Comprehensive Development Plan was completed for the Town and Village of Galway.  This plan included a survey and analysis of existing physical, social and economic conditions; identification of trends and future needs; and offered a development plan for land use, traffic, community facilities, and public utilities.  To a large degree, the current Town of Galway zoning was developed as a result of this plan.  However, the plan projected conditions through 1990.  The “life-time” of a comprehensive plan is 15 to 20 years.  Therefore, a review and updating of the plan was overdue.  It is important to keep a town’s comprehensive plan up-to-date.  Such plans are not meant to be static.  Rather, they should stay current with the issues and needs of the community.  There was a need to take a fresh look at the town, determine how or if it has changed, and what residents want Galway to be like in the next 15 years. 

 

In order to accomplish this update, the Town Board of Galway formed a 13 Member Comprehensive Plan Committee in 1999.  This group was charged with developing a new plan to guide the future growth and development of Galway.  The Comprehensive Plan Committee, met at least monthly, and with help from a planning consultant, conducted an organized planning process that included significant input from residents. The planning process included: organizing several subcommittees based on planning topics; developing and implementing a resident survey; preparing background studies, gaining additional public input from two planning workshops; preparing a series of maps and surveying existing land uses and conditions in Galway; outlining issues to be addressed by the plan; defining goals and recommendations based on identified problems, opportunities and public comment; and presenting the draft plan to the public for comments.

 

The issues, goals and recommended strategies outlined in this plan are based upon studies of information and data gathered about the Town of Galway, as well as the input of hundreds of Town residents.  The Village of Galway is not included in this Comprehensive Plan even though  some data about the Village is presented.  Specific sources of information used to prepare this plan include:

 

gGalway Community Survey (August 1999).

 

gPlanning Workshops (Summer 2000) and Youth Workshops at Galway Central School (December 2000).

 

gBackground studies of land use, population and economic profiles, housing, community facilities, transportation, recreation and educational resources, public safety programs, and environmental conditions of the Town.

 

gAnalysis of the regional growth patterns and trends that have, and will continue to affect the area’s growth.

 

gInformation and perspective from the Comprehensive Plan Committee, which was appointed by the Town Board to develop this plan.

 

gInformation from the planning consultant.

 

gPublic Attendance at monthly Comprehensive Plan Committee Meetings.

 

Acknowledgments and Funding Sources:  This comprehensive plan was funded through grants from the Saratoga Economic Development Committee, and the Town of Galway.  This project was also funded in part by the Rural New York Planning and Preservation Grant Program administered by the New York Planning Federation with the support of the J.M. Kaplan Fund and the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.

 

Town Board Members: Aileen E. Donnan, Supervisor; Sue Sutch, Mike Tilson, Bill Topper and Paul Rulison, Council members.

 

Comprehensive Plan Committee Members: Sheelagh Baily; Peter Bowers; L. H. Buhrmaster; John Buhrmaster; Donald Clemens, resigned 12/00; Robert Eaton; Ruth Gerardi; Dan Nagle; Lo Ann Sanders; David Schapperjahn, resigned 10/00; Steven Singer; Councilman Michael Tilson.

 

Planning Consultant: Nan C. Stolzenburg, AICP, Principal Planner, Community Planning & Environmental Associates, Berne, New York.

 

Mapping and GIS Data Analysis: Michael Buser, AICP, Planner, Community Planning & Environmental Associates, Berne, New York

Community Values

 

The Community Survey

 

In 1999, the Town of Galway Comprehensive Plan Committee prepared a community survey that was distributed to Town residents.  This survey was designed to get feedback from residents and landowners on a variety of questions concerning the future of Galway. Three hundred forty seven people returned their surveys out of a total of 1541 sent.  This return represents a 23% return. Seventy percent of those who returned the survey were full time residents living in Galway between 10 and 50 years.  Participants represent landowners owning a wide variety of parcel types and sizes.  Slightly fewer people responded who own between 10 and 50 acres of land compared to other sizes.  A majority of participants do not work from their home (75%), and most commute 10 to 30 miles to work (67 people commute 10 to 20 miles, 55 people commute 20 to 30 miles).

 

What did people say? 

 

People were asked to rank various factors that about the Town of Galway: Those characteristics, ranked from most important to least important were:

 

Youth programs

Recreational facilities

Community beautification

Expanded zoning requirements such as development restrictions

Road condition

Open space preservation

Superior school system

Emergency services

Environmental protection and clean water

Low taxes 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When asked about the current level of satisfaction with town-owned roads, 45% said they were satisfied, 29% were somewhat satisfied, and 23% were not satisfied.  Seventy-one percent also said that they would not be in favor of increased taxes for more road paving.  For the most part, the majority of participants were not in favor of tax increases for municipal services.  The exception was for emergency services.  About half of participants were in favor of tax increases for funding emergency services however.

 

The survey explored what types of recreational facilities are desired.  The following six recreational types were ranked, in order of preference.  Picnic areas received the highest rank (.86), followed by x-country trails (.8), playgrounds(.72), biking areas (.72), and ballfields (.66) followed by “other”(.20).  A slightly different emphasis is seen however, if these recreational activities are organized by how many “1" votes they received by participants (with one being the most important).  This shows that x-country trails were the most important (61, “one" votes), followed by playgrounds (54), ballfields (46), picnic areas (43) and biking areas (28).  The order of preference for those receiving the most “two" votes were: biking (68), picnic (44), playground (43), x-country (40), ballfields (30).  Finally, the order of preference for those receiving “three" rankings were: picnic (55), x-country (44), ballfields (40), playground (36), and biking (27).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other ideas were provision of a pool, ice rink, tennis court, basketball court, gym/spa, skateboard area, and nature trail.

 

Participants of the survey listed the following factors as being what they liked the most about living in Galway (in order from most common to least common response):

 

Rural and small town atmosphere;

quietness and peacefulness;

the friendly people and community;

Galway Lake;

low taxes;                                            

good schools;

the central location of Galway;

privacy;

open areas and spaces;

the lack of development;

the beauty of the area;

the open spaces;

clean air;

a safe place to live;

the library;

a good government; and

local stores and churches

 

The  top three characteristics people liked the most about living in Galway were: the rural and small town character; the friendly people, community and neighbors; and the quietness.

 

Participants also listed the following factors as being what they liked the least about living in Galway (in order from most common to least common response):

bad roads;

lack of services, jobs, stores (especially a pharmacy) and recreational opportunities;

the amount of time it takes to travel places;

high taxes;

too much traffic;

too much new development;

barking dogs;

lack of vision and planning;

snow removal problems;

inconsistent zoning and enforcement;

the school;

NYS DEC wetlands;

lack of lake access for residents;

the demise of farms;

junk cars; and

mobile homes (location of, number of, or other issue related to mobile homes)

 

Overall, the things that were liked least about living in Galway were the long commute and distance to shopping and services, the lack of services, shops, and recreational facilities, traffic and speeding, bad roads, and high taxes.  Of all the items mentioned that are lacking in Galway, recreational opportunities was the most frequently cited “missing” factor.

 

The survey explored what type of commercial development people feel should be encouraged in Galway.  Agri-businesses and home occupations were the most favored type of commercial development desired.  Other choices, from most favored to least favored were: light industrial, “other”, convenience stores, service stations, large/small malls, and fast food.  52 ideas were offered for the other category.  The most frequent “other” response was a pharmacy, followed by a grocery store.

 

Regarding land use regulations, 54% of respondents indicated that they were in favor of more restrictive land use regulations while 46% were not in favor.  Slightly more than half of the respondents felt that they would favor increasing lot requirements, and about half were in favor of no changes.  For those that did favor increases, more were in favor of increasing the lot size than increasing frontage requirements. Eighty percent of respondents want to see Galway stay predominantly as a rural residential area at about the same levels as seen today.  Fifteen percent however, desired to see the Town become more rural.  5% desired a more suburban setting.

 

When asked if the Town should increase protective measures, 84% of respondents indicated that one or more areas needed increased protective measures from the Town.  About 55 people felt that no changes were needed (16%). Of most concern (those items receiving the most responses) were better protection from junk cars and mobile homes.  Multiple dwellings, billboards, and building and zoning codes , in that order, were also listed as needing increased protection.  Historic preservation, adult entertainment, followed by trash disposal, and commercial design standards were felt to need additional protection by about 17% and 23%, respectively.

 

Most people who responded felt that emergency services in Galway are adequate.  Seventy-four percent felt that there is adequate police protection in Town, 77% felt that there is adequate ambulance service, and 87% felt that there is adequate fire protection. 

 

Finally, people were asked to identify what they felt was the single most important action the Town of Galway should take in the future.  Most of the participants answered this question and these responses generally fall into five major categories.  Although there were some other responses offered, the predominant responses were:

 

"Maintain the rural characteristics of Galway, including its’ physical beauty.

"Limit or control development.

"Provide for stronger and more protective zoning and land use regulations.

"Keep Galway just as it is now.

"Additional recreational activities are needed.

                                                                                               

 

Planning Workshops

 

During the Spring and Summer of 2000, two planning workshops  were held to gain further insight into how residents of Galway feel about the strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities in Town.  Additionally, five separate workshops were held in December, 2000 for high school seniors at Galway Central School.  About 80 people attended the first session, 74 people attended the second one, and about 100 students attended those held at the high school.   The second summer session had a majority of participants from the Lake District.  During all sessions, participants worked together in small groups to identify the most positive and negative characteristics of Galway.  Additionally, they were asked to identify ideas that could be implemented to minimize or mitigate the negative characteristics and to maintain or enhance the currently existing positive ones.  An analysis of the workshops showed that there were few significant differences between how the full-time residents and summer residents feel about Galway.  The results from the youth workshops are also summarized below.

 

The following table illustrates the top negative characteristics of Galway identified at these workshops.

 

 

The following suggestions were offered by participants at the two workshops to minimize the negative features perceived in Galway:

 

Municipal Services and Facilities

 

Many suggestions offered to mitigate or eliminate some of the negative issues in Galway relate to encouraging the Town to enhance waste disposal and clean-up efforts.  These included ideas for paying for extra trash pick-up,  investigate costs and set up a waste transfer station in Town, or at least offer containers for construction debris, metals and mixed trash.  It was suggested that the “Old Austro” site is available now for a transfer station because the scales and facility is in existence.  Junk car solutions included collecting and selling junk cars for scrap metal, have the Fire Department use them for drills, have the Town arrange for removal, have a stronger zoning ordinance, limit the number per property, and introduce fines.

 

Communication between the Town and residence was a major area of concern.  Many people suggested that communication could be enhanced by having two town meetings per year, a sign at Town Hall that can indicate topics to be talked about, regular newsletters, use of a web site, and better distribution of mailings to include all year-round and seasonal residents. 

 

To increase participation in local government, it was suggested that there be enhanced outreach to the community in the form of a welcome wagon, a web page, better use of school & town newsletters, recruitment of more seniors as volunteers, increase  personal contact with people in the community, hold a volunteer social get-together and arrange for speakers at existing organization meetings.

 

Other suggestions offered in the area of municipal services and facilities included taking more time for long term planning, have better enforcement of dogs, allot money for big items such as clean-up and education, and place a Town Hall sign at the entrance to the facility.

 

Transportation

More enforcement in speed zones was felt to be an important step needed to control traffic speed.    More money allotted to the highway department, through taxes and/or grants was suggested by many to help bring roads up to better standards.   Other suggestions for local roads was to prioritize road maintenance, inform and involve the public in such decisions, do a five year plan for road improvements and plan to finish whole roads rather than sections of roads. 

 

Mowing of shoulders and at intersections was suggested to help on low-visibility roads. Alternative ways to mark roads for safety should be explored by the Highway Department.

 

Land Use

Several suggestions were offered to enhance the business climate in Galway.  These were to encourage adaptive reuse of existing buildings for start-up businesses, to develop a chamber of commerce that includes both the Town and Village and to develop a small business district near the Town complex.  Some suggested that a major pharmacy be recruited to establish a satellite store that could be open for two or three days per week or run a part-time pharmacy at the medical office. 

 

Regarding lot size in Galway, many felt that the Town needs to develop stronger density controls to protect rural character. Some felt that lot sizes should be at least doubled.  Clustering of houses was suggested to keep open space.  Some suggested a stronger zoning ordinance relating to mobile homes.  Local zoning was suggested to limit access to the highway and encourage Town ownership of land to protect it.  There was also a suggestion that lake area access be controlled through zoning and make those roads public roads.

Recreation

To overcome the lack of a central community center, some suggested that the Town use existing facilities to help reduce expense and that the Town reimburse the School for use of the building as a recreational center.  Others suggested that the Town  build a multi-purpose facility.  Alternatively, one suggestion was to/ attract a fitness center satellite in Town such as a YMCA.  A community center was suggested to have a computer room where people could socialize and use the Internet, a swimming pool, year-round basketball courts, upgraded athletic facilities, ice skating rink, and after school, extended week, and summer programs.  Some suggested initiation of an inter-generational program that could include a homework club, encouragement of art and culture and programs like “Big Brother-Big Sister”.  An alternative to building a swimming pool was to initiate a cooperative venture between the school, Town and Lake Association and have the Town purchase a piece of property with lake frontage for this purpose.

 

To increase the availability of youth activities, it was suggested that areas be paved for roller-blade activities, that Galway have a paid director for the youth commission and recruit more volunteers to supervise (especially tap into local senior citizens). 

 

Environment

Some were concerned about the state of private septic systems in Galway.  To protect water quality, some suggested that there be another round of septic testing with Adye pills@ around the lake, and that there be better guidelines developed for maintenance.  Regarding the Kesselring Site, it was suggested that there be an agreement between the Town and the Federal government that will identify the control and disposition of the property and to set up mechanisms of keeping the Town informed on the activities on the site.  Ground water testing around the perimeter of the site was also suggested.

 

 

The following table illustrates the top positive characteristics of Galway identified at these workshops.

 

 

Many of the suggestions offered by participants to enhance or maintain what is currently seen as positive attributes of Galway were similar to the suggestions made above.  The following is a summary of those suggestions.

 

Land Use

To enhance or maintain the positive features in Galway, participants suggested that zoning be changed to offer incentives to protect farming, such as use of conservation easements, increasing lot sizes, requiring a buffer space between houses and farms, and use of land trusts.  Suggestions to protect open space include use of clustered housing, green space fees, obeying wetland laws, regulating clear cutting, mandatory clustering, no cul-de-sacs, and buying development rights.  Other zoning suggestions include allowing guest houses on lots with a minimum size of five acres, increase front line setbacks, requiring landscaping of commercial buildings along with visual screening and architectural requirements.  Additional education on zoning, building criteria, and enforcement are suggested topics for the town newsletter. 

 

It was suggested that local laws pay more attention to noise levels of commercial uses, dog barking and restricting off road vehicle access to private lands.  A registry of local businesses and business people, including services was suggested to enhance the business climate in Galway.

 

Public Safety

Enhance ambulance access, initiating a neighborhood watch program or safe houses for children to go to in need, building a state police sub-station in Galway and continued support for the Fire and Ambulance services were the suggestions to maintain the quality of these programs.

 

Municipal Services and Facilities

In order to enhance communication in Galway, participants suggested that the Town have a regular newsletter with a calendar of local activities, hold regular town meetings, and develop a web site.  People who currently volunteer for service should be more formally recognized and there should be more effort to personally contact potential new volunteers.  The Town should provide services that fit into the rural atmosphere.  Finally, in order to preserve the quality of life in Galway, it was suggested that the Town enhance junk car removal programs and provide better garbage/junk removal. 

 

Recreation

To enhance existing recreational programs, it was suggested that a community center be developed for all ages, and expand the library.

 

Education

The school system can be enhanced by providing more maintenance of existing buildings and by including a recreational facility for the community on school grounds. 

 

Transportation

To enhance the road network, it was suggested that more money be provided for equipment and materials, that brush be cut in front of signs, and that more signs be placed indicating points of interest.

 

Environment

Suggestions to maintain or enhance the environment were to keep Galway Lake private, and to plan a watershed area to control pollution.

 

 

Results of Youth Workshops

 

The youth were asked to brainstorm what they would like Galway to be like in the future.  Most of the responses can be categorized into three major areas: activities; stores and restaurants; and community character, services and housing.  The table below illustrates the top responses from each of the five sessions held at the school. 

 

Activities: The students concentrated most frequently on activities that they feel are currently lacking in Galway.  The most common response was that Galway needs a community and recreation center with specific activities for teens. Some of the specific activities mentioned included more trails for hiking, dance clubs, skateboard parks, arcades, more parks, a pool, skating, billiard hall, movie theater, and YMCA style recreation facilities.  They brainstormed an average of 15 different activities during each workshop.

 

The most favored types of retail and restaurants desired in Galway were a mall, fast food style restaurants, a better grocery store, and Chinese food.  Some youth however, felt that more locally owned, small businesses were needed.  Many of the retail needs identified by the students are those typically found in urban and suburban areas.  An average of 14 ideas per workshop were generated.

 

Students came up with a long list of community character and service needs during the workshops.  While activities and retail needs seemed to be foremost on their minds, students identified about twice as many needs related to community character and services.  An average of 28 ideas per workshop were generated.  The top answers included the need for more apartments, fixing up old buildings and roads before constructing new, having well maintained roads and sidewalks, more access to Galway Lake, and keeping Galway quaint and small.  Some students indicated that they felt it is important to maintain historic buildings, and keep the area small, as long as that can be balanced with new, needed conveniences.  In this topic area, students felt that maintaining the current rural character, keeping Galway quiet, and protecting natural resources were important. 

Needs Identified By Students  (Most common responses)

 

Topic Area	Class 1	Class 2	Class 3	Class 4	Class 5
Activities	Football team, Community center, Bigger public library, More trails, Gym and dance clubs	Parks, Dirt bike, Track, Pool	Skating Rink, Pool, Skate park, Tourist attractions, Bike Trails	Concert hall, Skate park, Arcade, Billiard hall, Clubs	Recreation center, Teen center, Movie theater, Pool, Basketball court
Retail Needs	Fast food, Little shops, Wal-mart type store, Coffee shop	A mall, Fast food, Bigger grocery store, Record store	Chinese food, Bigger grocery store, Sporting store, More stores	Small businesses - not large chains, Wal-Mart, Another diner, Coffee shops, fast food	Fast food, Mall, Bigger grocery store, Gas station
Community Character and Services	Better roads, Better snow plowing, Not too much development, More open and flexible town	More apartments, Keep Galway as is, Clean up trailer parks, Don’t put houses close to road, More day care centers	Fix roads, Keep rural, Better phone service, Flowers, Keep quiet	Community center, Better roads, Public access to Lake, Keep old with new conveniences, Keep historic buildings	No large commercialization, Better roads, No subdivisions, Large housing lots, Stay residential in nature.

 

 

Population, Economic, and Housing Profiles[1]

 

Population Data

 

 

Data Source: United States Census of Population and Housing, 2000

 

Trends: The Town of Galway experienced a loss of population in the early 1900's and gradually increased between the years of 1920 and 1950.  The 1950's saw a 24% increase in population, followed by a 43.5% increase during the 1960's.  Population increased about 20% during the 1970's. Between 1980 and 1990, the population increased about 9%.  It grew at about the same rate between 1990 and 2000.  That is quite a bit higher than many other rural upstate New York Towns, but mirrors growth in many Saratoga County towns.  Many Saratoga towns are expected to continue to grow 10% or higher between the year 2000 and 2010.  The number of households in Galway are projected to increase from current levels to 1,493 households in the year 2030.  The Village of Galway is not projected to grow.  With a projected 2.59 persons per household in 2030, the population level can be estimated to be about 3867 people.  That is an 18.4% projected increase over 40 years. While projections are often unreliable, all trends in Saratoga County indicate that population increases will continue, and Galway should expect growth to expand by at least 9% over the next decade.  Other demographic trends show increases between 1980 and 1990 in the number of households (18% increase), in families (12%), and in the number married couple families (11%).  There has been a large increase in the number of female-headed households in Galway (a 42% increase).

 

Table 1: Population Data (Data Source: United States Census of Population and Housing, 1990)

 

 

Table 2: Population Changes 1980 to 1990 (Data Source: United States Census of Population and Housing, 1990)