Penn Yan planning group details future projects

PENN YAN--If all goes according to the Vision 20/20 Leadership Committee's plan, Penn Yan could see significant improvements sooner rather than later. More than 60 people attended the presentation of the Penn Yan 20/20 Vision Plan Tuesday, Sept. 1 in the village hall. Speakers included members of the Penn Yan 20/20 Vision Committee along with Architect Roger Brown of the Community Design Center of Rochester (CDCR), who highlighted the more than 50 recommended strategies and projects compiled in the 118 page document. The projects the committee listed as immediate possibilities for the future include a dog park, increasing waterfront access and creating transportation alternatives for the Mennonite and Amish communities, as well as cyclists and pedestrians.
Committee Chair Mary Zelazny said 20/20 Vision has been working with Brown for the past three years to develop a vision plan for the community. She noted events like the charrette in 2012 helped gather input on what the public would like to see in the village, as well as what kind of growth they would like to see in the future.
"There has been so much positive growth in Penn Yan," Zelazny added.
Brown outlined seven focus areas the plan identifies for the village, which include improving the access points and way-finding in the village, enhancing the waterfront and access, improving the downtown village core, creating a greater range of well-planned housing options, establishing design guidelines for new commercial development, creating new opportunities for historical preservation and improving parking and pedestrian access.
While the plan includes several long-term priorities, the committee passed out a pamphlet which listed several projects that could begin sooner rather than later. One of the proposed opportunities Brown detailed included expanding village signage with a coordinated village-wide network of banners, which could feature a logo unique to Penn Yan as well as to the particular areas of the village they are located. Brown said the plan also calls for signs at some of the entryways to the village, such as one at the corner of Route 14A and Main Street to visibly direct travelers downtown to the historic district.
Ivan Martin said more horse and buggy sheds downtown along with bike racks could improve village access for the Mennonite community, adding additional bike racks could be a benefit to non-Mennonites as well. He also said the plans to make the village more pedestrian friendly -- such as improved crosswalks, bridges and additional paths from parking areas -- would also be a benefit to the Mennonite community, since they often like to park their buggies and walk from place to place. Martin said additional buggy sheds, as well as existing ones, could be made to fit in with appropriate design standards and be relatively cheap to procure.
20/20 member Rolf Zerges said having a dog park in Penn Yan could be a benefit to community members and could be accomplished relatively quickly. He said they would require approximately an acre and a half of land to have a dog park, passing out a survey to those in attendance to get their thoughts on where they would like to see it located. The six proposed locations include a vacant field along the east side of Route 14A south of Clark Road, a partially fenced location along Cherry Street near the Moose Club, a site located to the right of the Penn Yan boat launch, an area behind the ball fields on Elm Street, a site between Elm Street and the baseball fields across from Lakeview cemetery and at the park to the left of the entrance road to Indian Pines Park.
Brown noted steps can also be taken to encourage the preservation of historic buildings and using existing structures for different purposes. Steve Knapp spoke briefly on the work his group has done to restore the historic Empire State Winery cupola, which is currently located behind Knapp and Schlappi by the Penn Yan Fireman's Field. He said the group raised some $10,000 for the project, adding next step is finding a permanent location. Kanpp said he hopes the cupola can become "an icon of Penn Yan."
Brown spoke about the need to establish local design standards to address the desired character, needs and safety considerations of new development in the community. Brown said additional tree planters and gardens would also help to beautify the village streetscape as well as parking areas.