A comprehensive plan and its vision statement provide a roadmap, or policy foundation, for future development in the town.

According to the plan, the vision statement should serve as a benchmark for public decision-making and actions by the town.

The update was done to evaluate current conditions, issues, trends and public sentiment and provide specific strategies to implement the new version of the plan.

The town’s comprehensive plan committee began the process of updating the plan in 2002 by sending a community survey to residents. The process moved slowly forward until the fall of 2005 when the town hired consultant Nan Stolzenburg to help complete it.

Town resident John Phillips was not a member of the comprehensive plan committee, but he and Jim Ainsile attended the meetings and closely followed the process.

``We were watchdogging it from the beginning,’’ Phillips said this week.

Not only did the pair attend committee meetings, they also educated themselves about comprehensive plans.

``The committee worked very hard on it,’’ he said. ``I think we have a reasonable, workable document. There’s a couple of things I don’t agree with, but that’s democracy.’’

Phillips said he fears some people will look at the plan and expect to see specifics, but a comprehensive plan is not about specifics.

The plan provides a framework for the future and specifics will come into play when the town adopts new or amended land use regulations aimed at realizing the goals enumerated in the plan.

Town supervisor Tom Breiten said he saw no huge changes in philosophy or direction for the town, but believes there was a need to reiterate the town’s vision for the future.

The supervisor said he hopes once the plan is adopted, that it will not end up gathering dust on a shelf, but will referred to frequently in the decision-making process by town officials and the public.

In addition to the vision statement, the plan includes a list of goals. Public input confirmed the goals in the 1987 plan were still valid to meet the long-range needs of the community, so they were restated in the update along with five new goals.

The new goals are:

promote development of diversified housing opportunities for both seasonal and year-round residents.

protect and promote agriculture and ag-tourism businesses.

promote diversified economic developments that support existing and future business that cater to local needs, and that are consistent with community character.

provide adequate levels of public services that are responsive to the needs of residents.

provide appropriate levels and quality of infrastructure to accommodate existing and future commercial and residential uses consistent with our rural character.

There are also nearly three dozen strategies to help implement the plan’s goals. Five of the strategies are considered to be top priority:

encourage adaptive reuse of historic buildings for residential and/or commercial purposes, by permitted or special permitted use, throughout the town.

establish criteria to facilitate development of elder care facilities providing multiple tiers of service.

update land use law and subdivision regulations by modifying cluster subdivision provisions to increase the appeal of optional conservation subdivision and open space provisions.

develop reasonable regulations for short-term residential rentals.

consider tax and other incentives to private landowners who permanently conserve open space and farmlands or who protect scenic views on their properties.

The public hearing will be held in the town hall on Wednesday, Oct. 10, at 7 p.m. prior to the town board’s regular monthly meeting.

A copy of the final draft of the plan is available on the town’s website, townofotsego.com.