Town of Richford Comprehensive Plan

Comprehensive Plan (also known as master plan)

A comprehensive plan consists of the materials, written and/or graphic including but not limited to maps, charts, studies, resolutions, reports, and other descriptive material that identify the goals, objectives, principles, guidelines, policies, standards, devices and instruments for the immediate and long-range protection, enhancement, growth and development of the municipality. (New York Chapter 418 of the Laws of 1995 amending Town Law &272-a.)

The Importance of a Plan

Why prepare a comprehensive plan? First, all towns in New York State are obliged to have an up-to-date plan as the legal foundation for any land use regulations. Second, and more importantly, a thoughtful plan, based on public input and a positive perspective for the future, can help set priorities for coordinated action by the Town officials, staff and volunteers. The following updated comprehensive plan provides guidance to those interested in Richford --- including Town residents, property owners, businesses, organizations and prospective businesses and/or investors --about our history, our current conditions, and what we prefer as a future.

Town Profile
Richford is the northernmost town in Tioga County, with a population of 1170 in 2000 (U.S. Census data). The town encompasses 24,428.8 acres of which 4,721.9 is owned by the State of New York (Tioga County Real Property Office-2002). State land ownership constitutes 19.3% of the land area. The majority of land (approximately 75%) is in forested land cover, and approximately 15% is devoted to agriculture. The road system includes 47.64 miles of town roads, 3.02 miles of county roads and approximately 15 miles of state roads. The Towns topography is extremely hilly, and most development and agriculture are in the stream-side valleys. The soils are predominately of the Volusia and Lordstown series, which have limited ability to sustain intense development.

Town Vision
Richford is a small, rural town located at the center of two well-traveled New York State highways (79 and 38). Richford is rich in history, being the birthplace of John D. Rockefeller and, at one time, famous for its Clarks Seed Potato Farm. About one fifth of the land in the Town of Richford is owned by the State of New York, which allows for the natural beauty of its forested and wild lands to be utilized by the public. Like many small towns in upstate New York, Richford is intent on balancing preservation of its rural character with developing economic opportunities for its residents. The Town vision is to foster smart growth and development that will protect the natural beauty and rural atmosphere of Richford while increasing economic expansion. This comprehensive plan promotes development of businesses, parks, tourism and cultural facilities, and restoration of historic buildings, and preservation of the natural landscape and environmental integrity of the Town.

Introduction
This plan was prepared using several resources to obtain information about the needs and concerns of residents. A questionnaire (see copy in Appendix A ) was mailed to all Town residents in the summer of 2000. Nearly 21% of residents replied. (see summary in Appendix B). Additional information came from observations by the Planning Board members, conversations with residents and responses made by residents attending an information meeting conducted by Thoma Consultants for the Tioga County REAP (Rural Economic Area Partnership) in Richford in the summer of 1999 (see summary of responses in Appendix C). In addition, two public hearings were held in spring and fall of 2002, which provided local residents the opportunity to make additional input to the plan. Residents have expressed a desire to 1) preserve our rural environment; 2) develop healthy growth to enhance the tax base; and 3) find cooperative ways to work with other municipalities, and the county, in an effort to provide needed services at a minimal cost.
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Park and Recreation Facilities

The recreation facilities in the town are Rawley Park and the Community Center, both located in the Hamlet of Richford. Both of these facilities can be used free of charge for non-profit, community events, and for a fee for private events. State land is excellent for hunting, fishing, hiking, and other related recreational activities. Anglers have easy access at numerous points to Owego Creek, and the Finger Lakes Trail traverses the northern part of the Town. With over 4,700 acres of State land, residents and visitors can freely hike along developed trails or traverse trail-less areas. The public survey showed that residents are in favor of enhancing existing recreational facilities and developing additional park space and nature trails. Some respondents would like to see a better playground/park and possibly basketball courts and/or a public swimming pool. In addition, Clarks Seed Farm, a large piece of privately owned, currently vacant land in the northern part of the Town, is a prime spot to encourage development of recreational facilities. Recommendations v Encourage the creation of more recreational opportunities for the Town. v Enhance Rawley Park through addition of playground equipment and construction of playing space (i.e. basketball courts). v Petition the State of NY to develop hiking/cross country skiing trails and camping facilities on State land in Richford, and to open land for additional recreational opportunities. v Encourage the development of Clarks Seed Farm for recreational use. v Encourage private development of campground facilities. v Cooperate with the Tioga County Tourism Department in developing recreational resources including grants. v Encourage development of a playground and picnic area at the Graded School.

Cultural Facilities

The annual Potato Festival is a community-wide cultural event held every September in Richford to celebrate the historic significance of potato farming in Richford. The Richford Historical Society oversees the renovation and restoration of the Richford Graded School, one of the original schools in the town. This two-story building adds historic charm to the town and offers visitors insight into how rural schools were operated in the 19th and 20th century. Richford shares library services with the Town of Berkshire through the Berkshire Free Library, a member of the Finger Lakes Library System. Recommendations v Encourage owners of historic buildings to apply for restoration grants. v Work with Tioga County Council on the Arts to create cultural programs in Richford. v Locate financial support for the Richford Historical Society. v Encourage festivals in Richford that include music/performing arts. v Apply for funding to support the Berkshire Free Library. v Petition the State of NY to develop the John D. Rockefeller birth site and land around it for public use.

Youth
The need to increase recreational opportunities for youth has been recognized at numerous town forums. Some recreational activities are offered by local organizations and schools, but transportation, especially for rural youth, is an issue. Most recreational activities are hosted by the Richford Fire Department Auxiliary, which sponsors activities on most holidays and Kiddies Day, an annual event targeting local youth. The auxiliary recruits local teens for ideas and insight into what children of all ages are interested in. The local health center sponsors a summer youth recreation program. The town has some facilities that could be or are being used for planned youth activities: Rawley Park, the Graded School, churches, fire station, and community hall.

Recommendations

v Encourage youth-oriented festivals in Richford that include music and/or performing arts. v Partner with the state, county and local youth organizations to create more recreational employment opportunities for the residents of Richford, especially teens. v Encourage the Town to select and develop a site for a future youth center. v Encourage the Auxiliary to continue their outreach to local youth. v Encourage the local health facility to continue its youth outreach program. v Find ways to increase community support, input, and participation in youth-oriented activities.

Education
The Newark Valley School District serves the majority of students in the Town, with some Richford students also attending Ithaca, Whitney Point, Dryden, and Marathon School Districts . For most children this involves a lengthy bus ride, and distance from the school may limit some of the children from participating in extracurricular activities, which makes development of local recreational activities a high priority (see above). Older students taking occupational/technical studies are provided transport to Broome-Tioga BOCES, located in Binghamton. Richford is located near eight universities, colleges and institutions of continuing education in central New York. Five universities and colleges are within 30 minutes (Cornell University, Ithaca College, TompkinsCortland Community College, Tompkins-Seneca-Tioga BOCES and SUNYCortland) and three are within 45 minutes travel time from Richford (Binghamton University, Broome Community College, and Broome-Tioga BOCES). Informal educational opportunities are available through several agencies located in Owego (the County seat), including Cornell Cooperative Extension, Tioga County Chamber of Commerce, and the Department of Economic Development and Planning. The Berkshire Free Library provides a variety of services including computer resources, books-on-tape, reference material, and special collections.
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Recommendations v Establish a committee to determine how the Berkshire Library can better serve Richford residents. v Reactivate Bookmobile service to Richford. v Contact and work with Tioga County Cooperative Extension and other agencies to determine how their programs may serve local residents. v Explore if there is sufficient interest for programs for those wanting to establish a home business or for those already operating a small home business, and if there is, locate funding for and implement such a program. v Determine if there is sufficient community interest in an after-school activities program (computers, sports, homework assistance, etc.) to be conducted locally, and if there is, locate funding for and implement such a program.

Communications
With the exception of two free weekly Pennysavers (Town and Country and Dryden Shopper), no single communication medium covers the entire Town. Delivery in all the mail boxes in the Town resulted in the Town Board selecting the Town and Country Pennysaver as the official Town newspaper. The survey indicated that respondents felt that they did not know what is going on regarding Town Board business. To address this concern, a Town newsletter was started in January 2001. This free newsletter is mailed to all Town residents, and provides information on Town Board meetings, upcoming events, and names and telephone numbers of all Town officials. Notices of meetings, church dinners and other town activities are posted in various places in the hamlet, including the post office, health center, community center, churches, and the local convenience store. Publicizing Town Board or any community activity involves notifying the Binghamton Press & Sun Bulletin, Ithaca Journal, Owego Pennysaver, Tioga County Courier as well as the Town and Country Pennysaver. Several radio and four television stations provide service to the community.

Cellular Communications services are available in portions of the town by several providers Recommendations v Continue publication of the Richford Quarterly newsletter, to inform residents about local activities, encourage community interest, cooperation, and activism, and expand volunteerism in the town. v Encourage development of a Richford website, linked to the County website and updated periodically. v Encourage availability of high speed Internet service.

Community Health and Wellness

Health care is available at the Northern Tioga Center for Family Health through Lourdes Hospital. Lourdes Hospital is planning to create the Hubbard Resource Center on land donated by Ward Hubbard, adjacent to the existing Health Center. This will provide additional space for community services. The residents who responded to the survey would like to have a drug store, and dental and eye care offices located in the community. This would help the community, as residents would have local access to prescriptions and other medical necessities. The emergency health care service (ambulance) needs support in hiring and/or training volunteer EMTs to provide emergency care to the people of the community. The fire station needs to be renovated and expanded, and fire trucks need to be replaced. Recommendations v Encourage development of local health care services for dental and eye care. v Attract a drug store to the community. v Develop a mobile prescription service with other communities and the county. v Stimulate volunteerism for emergency services v Develop a transportation system for those who have difficulty getting to the health services. v Encourage the community to support the development of the Hubbard Resource Center. v Encourage the town to help pay for the training cost of EMTs.
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v Recommend that the Fire District budget include reimbursement to EMTs and fire personnel for work time lost while providing emergency health care. v Apply for funding for a new fire station and related equipment.

Housing-Senior Housing, Rental

Housing in Richford consists primarily of single family houses and manufactured homes, and a few multi-family units within the hamlet. Outside of the hamlet, there are single family homes and manufactured housing, and one mobile home park. There is no organized senior living center, nor any organized low/moderate-income housing. As Richford is so close to several colleges, it has the potential to attract rental units for college students and others who desire a rural atmosphere. The public survey showed that most respondents felt the condition of their dwellings was adequate. They were satisfied with property conditions, and felt that property values were staying the same. About 36% of the survey respondents would like to see the population of Richford increase, but don't want to see more mobile homes or mobile home parks. Over half of the survey respondents indicated that there was a need to develop senior housing. New York State building codes and Town regulations should be enforced for all housing. Housing should be such that residents are proud of their town and new people would be encouraged to move to Richford.

Recommendations v Encourage the development of a senior citizen housing development in or near Richford. v Encourage the Town Board and other Richford community groups to obtain grants and assistance from the state and federal sources for senior and low-income housing. v Encourage senior citizens to state their housing needs to make sure their needs are met. v Encourage residents to maintain and improve their homes. v Encourage fire protection programs.

v Work with Federal, State and Local governments on any grants or programs available to repair and improve existing housing for Richford residents. v Encourage the Town Board to offer incentives for such improvements. v Have an annual town clean-up day.

TRANSPORTATION
Richford hamlet lies at the junction of NY State Routes 38 and 79, giving access to Dryden (north), Owego (south), Whitney Point (east) and Ithaca (west). At Whitney Point, there is access to Interstate 81, and at Owego, there is access to Interstate 86 (Route 17). The Town Highway Department is responsible for the repair and maintenance of 47.64 miles of local road systems. The crew consists of one elected superintendent and four full-time employees. The Highway Department is the largest category in the Town budget. There is a good working relationship with the Berkshire and Harford local highway departments, with sharing of equipment and personnel as needed. Tioga County Public Transit, also called T-Tran, provides local public transportation along NYS roadways, serving destinations in both Broome and Tompkins County, including Cornell University, community colleges in Broome and Steuben Counties, and Robert Packer Hospital in Sayre, Pennsylvania. They have a service called Dial-a-ride which goes to all homes in the county, provided that the customer makes arrangements the previous day. Tioga Transport, Inc. serves the area from Newark Valley to Ithaca including Cornell University, through an affiliate with T-Cat, which is Tompkins Countys transportation service. Routes used are NYS 38 and 79. Fares are reasonable for those who need regular commuting to employment or educational centers, but are not practical for casual use. Monthly reduced rates are available. The Owego-Harford Rail line runs through Richford but only serves businesses. No public rail transportation is available.

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Recommendations v Continue renovating two miles of unpaved roads to stone and oil each year. v Continue the present working relationship with neighboring towns and explore new options to make maximum use of resources to save costs. v Have the Highway Superintendent report on a periodic basis to the Town Board on any changes needed on the roads. v Conduct and implement an inventory of condition and maintenance needs of town roads. v Provide local bus service at reasonable rates to help seniors and young people access community activities and services. v Provide transportation to local airports and bus terminals in Ithaca, Binghamton, Owego and Elmira. v Consideration should be given to expanding the Owego-Harford Rail line to accommodate tourism and public services. v Encourage residents and community groups to participate in the AdoptA-Highway Program. v Support an east-west connecter road that will enable travel to be easier and more direct from Spencer/Candor to the Towns of Richford, Berkshire, and Newark Valley.

Land Use
Richford is the northernmost town in Tioga County. It contains a total of 24,428.8 acres, 19.3% of which is owned by the state. Much of the township is very steep and hilly, or in the flood plain. The two main roads (Routes 79 and 38) generally follow along the valleys and streams. Residents of the town enjoy living in a rural setting with a small town atmosphere. Many like to hunt, fish, hike or ride horses. New development needs to preserve the small town image and protect the environmental qualities of the town. Development is not encouraged on steep slopes or in the flood plains. Land uses include residential, agricultural, commercial, forests, state lands, part of the Finger Lakes Trail and a small park. Recommendations v Preserve agricultural land. v Preserve surface and subsurface water quality by maintaining wetlands and streams and minimizing erosion into these areas.
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v Develop and improve existing public areas (parks). v Preserve historic areas. v Maintain and manage forests for recreational purposes, watershed capabilities and encourage management of woodlots for timber, wood products and wildlife. v Develop a site plan review for industrial and commercial development projects. v Develop a Subdivision Ordinance. v Update Local Laws and Town Codes. v Encourage new development in areas near existing utilities and services, following smart growth principles.

Economic Development
Survey results indicate that Town of Richford residents value their rural environment, and the natural beauty of what used to be an agricultural township. They appreciate the comparative freedom and peacefulness of their current environment. However, they would like to expand the tax base. Survey respondents indicated an interest in economic development including small business development, senior housing, water and sewer services, enhancement of public transportation, and the development of tourism, especially on NY State land. Recommendations v Collaborate and/or consolidate services with Tioga County and neighboring towns to facilitate the expansion of tourism, small businesses, loans, grants and development, so as to maximize the local tax base. v Work cooperatively with the Tioga County Department of Economic Development and Planning, Industrial Development Agency (IDA), and the Local Development Corporation (LDC) on planning, business development, and retention needs. v Attract suitable small business services and home based enterprises. v Encourage enforcement of codes and land use ordinances. v Maintain the agricultural base and encourage farm-based businesses. v Work cooperatively with the Tioga County Cornell Cooperative Extension Office on agricultural business development.
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v Utilize the local rail line more extensively for tourism and freight. v Develop a volunteer committee to plan community projects. v Develop a feasibility study for the possible creation of a public sewer/water system. v Encourage high speed Internet access.

Agriculture
The nature of agriculture in Richford has changed over the years. Small farms which could be farmed by horse drawn machinery are rarely profitable today. To be economically viable todays farming must fill a special niche market or be done on a large scale. Richford, with its narrow valleys, open land on hillsides, heavily forested hills, state owned land, and other land unsuited for agricultural purposes (brush land, wetlands) is limited in the amount of land available for agricultural pursuits. Currently, there are dairy farms, a certified organic farm, and several part time operations where local residents are raising beef, sheep, hay and horses. Land in the North Tioga Agricultural District as of 2002 was 2,592 acres. Flooding from Owego Creek and its tributaries is a problem for some agricultural areas and in the hamlet of Richford. There is considerable logging because of the amount of forested land in the Town of Richford. Recommendations: v Encourage the preservation of agricultural land. v Develop a program to control the flooding of farm and other land by Owego Creek. This program could be similar to the one being developed to control the Catatonk Creek in the Spencer/Candor area. v Encourage local land owners to apply for agricultural district status as appropriate. v Encourage the local school system to inform youth of the many occupational opportunities available in agriculture.

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Summary The town of Richford is a rural community rich in natural features, with forested hillsides and open stream valleys. The town would like to expand the tax base using smart growth principles while protecting the natural and historical features that give the town its character. This can be accomplished by attracting small and mid-sized businesses, maintaining existing businesses and farms, attracting new residents, and providing incentives to current residents to improve the quality of life in Richford.

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