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Hamlet Plan

The Northern Hamlet Master Plan
Bridging Our Futures Together

Click here for the Northern Hamlets Master Plan - Preliminary Findings

Thank you to the 111 residents who took the time to complete and submit their responses to the Northern Hamlet Master Plan survey. It began on May 24 and ended on September 30, 2022. Residents may submit additional comments regarding the Northern Hamlet Master Plan to the Town clerk by email or mail.

The Town of Skaneateles is undertaking the Northern Hamlet Master Plan to develop a roadmap for the communities of Mottville and Skaneateles Falls. The plan offers a unique opportunity to plan for growth while protecting our most valued natural and cultural resources. Through a community-driven process, the resulting plan will reflect a unified vision that provides a path forward now and in the future.

Located in northern Town of Skaneateles, the Hamlets of Mottville and Skaneateles Falls are a hidden gem that maintains a quaint character and a unique sense of place. The Hamlets have largely been defined by the presence of HillRom (formerly Welch Allyn) as a regional employer, and continue to evolve with neighborhood uses such as the Skaneateles Brewery, Willow Glen Café, and the Mottville Consignment & Emporium.

The timing for the development of the hamlet plan is intentional. The Town of Skaneateles has identified the northern hamlets as a top priority to explore future growth opportunities that leverage the community’s unique location, proximity to a growing regional employer, and its wealth of open space resources. This planning process will lead to the first Town plan solely focused on the hamlets, utilizing updated data to identify trends that have occurred over the past decade. The community will be integral to the process, providing critical feedback on the vision, goals, and strategies, as well as the approach to future land use considerations, policies, and the highest and best uses for our public spaces. This will ultimately help guide future decision-making, capital investments, and programmatic initiatives for the Town of Skaneateles.

The Northern Hamlet Master Plan will investigate traditional and innovative tools and strategies to address town-wide issues and opportunities, such as:

Natural Resources
Parks, Trails, and Recreation
Historic Preservation
Housing and Residential Growth
Economic Development
Transportation and Infrastructure

Message from Janet Aaron, Town Supervisor:

“The Town of Skaneateles is excited to undertake the first Northern Hamlet Master Plan for the hamlets of Mottville and Skaneateles Falls! This process presents an opportunity to assess how and where growth will occur while protecting our most critical assets. We look forward to engaging the residents to identify new ideas and creative approaches to planning for the hamlets that respect their history, character, and community. On behalf of the Town of Skaneateles Town Board, we sincerely appreciate your feedback and look forward to working with you through this process.”

WHAT IS A HAMLET PLAN?

Hamlet plans are a type of “area plan” that focuses on long-range planning for a specific site, or area, of the community. Unlike a village or town, hamlets are not incorporated and have loosely defined boundaries. A key component of the planning process is defining the hamlet boundary, which is typically based on a combination of natural and manmade features, topography, and community experience, memory, and perception. The boundary will serve as the foundation for planning, and set the tone for the planning process.

The development of the Northern Hamlet Master Plan will be community-driven and represent the thoughts and ideas of those who live, work, and play there. Broad community outreach will be achieved through a local Hamlet Committee comprised of hamlet residents, public workshops, a community survey, and various outreach techniques tailored to the project.

The resulting Northern Hamlet Master Plan will illustrate the community’s goals, and serves as a conceptual roadmap for how to achieve them. A hamlet plan provides guidance to municipal leaders, government agencies, community organizations, local businesses, and residents, and helps to ensure that the community’s needs are met, both now and in the future. With generally a 10-15-year outlook, the Northern Hamlet Master Plan will include recommendations for land use policy, regulatory tools and measures, and capital improvement projects that, over time, will foster the implementation of residents’ desired outcome.

Public Workshop Schedule

June 8th 5:30 p.m. -8:30 p.m. at the Mottville Fire Department - All Town residents are encouraged to participate in this exciting event!

Hamlet Committee Members

Debbie Durr

Douglas Hamlin

Guy Donahoe

Jill Marshall

Ed Frank

Tamara Place

Bonny Dudden

Max Krause

Laura Molloy