Preserve Penfield shared several member-submitted questions with the candidates for Town Supervisor and Town Board on September 30, 2026.
Question: How should the Town balance future development with the preservation of open space, agricultural land, community character, and other qualities that Penfield residents value?
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All development must be done in a responsible manner where we can preserve our character, share the tax burden and provide services, businesses and housing to our community. We have a housing crisis in New York State and we also have areas in Penfield that would be appropriate for commercial and residential development. New housing that is attainable to those starting out or downsizing would be in line with Penfield's character. Adding more businesses to the commercial district will offer more services and tax relief to residents. The challenge is keeping things balanced so there is not too much of one over the other. At the same time, we need to recognize that landowners have the right to sell their land and we can't guarantee that every available buyer wants to farm the land. We may have to make allowances for that possibility. The town could also pursue purchasing development rights for certain properties to help preserve our green space. Other options include purchasing conservation easements and avoiding the development of infrastructure, if that development were located near prime farming locations.
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The town needs development in order to maintain and broaden the tax base thus allowing the government to maintain and add services, deal with increasing costs, and control taxes. The type of development that is most needed is attainable housing for the "missing middle," particularly young people and families, and older residents looking to downsize and remain in Penfield. The town also needs commercial development that actually benefits the town and helps make it a more desirable place to live, work, and visit. It is important to note that State laws limit the Town's ability to control the businesses that can establish in the town. Therefore, it is important for the Town to be proactive in pursuing commercial development that the town's residents want.
It is important to preserve open space. The Town can continue to buy development rights for open space. It should focus on parcels that are beneficial to maintain and are at risk of development in the foreseeable future. The Town should pursue available grant funding for open space purchases.
Agricultural preservation efforts should prioritize active and quality agricultural land. One way to do this is to support active farms to diversify their businesses in order to remain financially viable. We also need to recognize a farmer's right to sell their land, and that there may be no buyer looking to use it for agricultural purposes. The Town needs to examine how to best deal with this challenge. How do we maintain appropriate agricultural land when the demand for it is changing? The market is increasingly putting agricultural land in competition with residential development, and the economic value of the land for development can exceed its value for agricultural production. Options for the Town include the purchase or transfer of development rights, purchase of conservation easements, directing development away from prime agricultural land, and avoiding development of infrastructure near prime agricultural areas.
As Town Supervisor, I have become increasingly aware of the varying definitions people have for Penfield's community character. I believe it is a friendly and cooperative town comprised of both a suburban and a rural section, with residents of varying means. It is known for its parks and quality schools. When I think of preserving our community character, I think of honoring our rural and agricultural heritage, preserving established neighborhoods and community institutions, and fostering appropriate commercial and residential development that benefits the residents of Penfield.
Question: As Penfield grows, how should the Town evaluate cumulative impacts, including traffic, infrastructure, drainage, public safety, municipal services, and neighborhood character, rather than considering each project on its own?
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With every town project there is an evaluation of impact to the community. These evaluations are done in cooperation with the state and county and other stakeholders if present or appropriate. We have done traffic studies and have met with RG&E regarding our infrastructure and how RG&E can best handle the changes that have occurred when it comes to power supply. In 2028, there will be an expansion of RG&E's Plank Road substation, and that will make Penfield one of only two towns in the County which will expand its power capabilities. Drainage, public safety and municipal services are always part of the evaluation of a project's impact. These evaluations allow for studying the possible impacts more broadly, but Penfield could establish its own framework to find the cumulative impact of any project on the town. Having that information could allow a better understanding of where and when a certain development project would be most appropriate to take place, if at all.
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The Town evaluates the cumulative impacts of growth in cooperation with Countyand State entities, and other stakeholders. This includes things such as traffic studies andmeetings with RG&E to evaluate electric capabilities in the town. The power supply willincrease in 2028 due to the expansion of the Plank Road substation, making Penfield one of twoMonroe County towns with expanding electrical supplies. There are major weaknesses in theevaluation of cumulative impacts. For example, SEQRA examines impacts project by project.The Town needs to establish a framework for measuring the cumulative impact of growth on thetown. This would inform where, when and how much development should occur
Question: What responsibility does the Town have to evaluate whether previously approved development strategies are periodically producing the anticipated outcomes? How should factors including vacancies, delayed or unbuilt projects, changing market conditions,infrastructure and municipal service costs, impacts to the tax base, and developer requests for zoning relief inform future land-use and planning decisions?
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As we all know, we live in a different post-COVID world and the decisions made on the national level have dramatically changed things in our country. We are feeling this at the local town level from the economy, to housing, to gas prices. The electrical grids are dated and stressed, and that is only getting worse through the further development of AI. At this moment in time, we have to be flexible when it comes to zoning and our building codes. Are they all working for the best outcome for our town? Some of the zoning requirements prevent the ability to solve some of our housing issues, most notably, our requirements for ADUs. We need to be willing to accept the realities of our circumstances and see if we can make changes that would help ease the burden of some of these circumstances. Our Mixed Use zoning has been met with disappointing results. It is time to look at those codes to see ways in which we could do better and fill empty spaces. These suggestions take time but they also offer direction, and I think they are good places to start
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This is an important responsibility of the Town. The overall economy, including in Penfield, has changed dramatically post-COVID and following the 2024 national election. Moreover, the proliferation of artificial intelligence has put a drain on the electrical grid. The Town must be willing to change zoning and zoning code to fit new realities and do what is best for the overall future of the town. The Town needs to re-evaluate the Mixed Use District. We are examining possible changes to Mixed Use zoning code that would increase the likelihood of Mixed Use success while maintaining the objectives of Penfield's Mixed Use District. We also need to consider whether the current size of the Mixed Use zoning area remains viable.
Question: What types of public outreach will be deployed to incorporate resident feedback before plans are put forth?
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We offer community forums, neighbor notifications for new proposals, our website is up to date with the latest and we are active on social media. During our work sessions, which are streamed live and recorded, developers have come forward with their concepts for possible future development. We have also done surveys. It has recently been suggested that we do some direct mail which, while expensive, may be appropriate in certain circumstances. It is our desire to be as transparent as we possibly can with the community because it obviously has the right to be up to date and I am pleased that we offer many avenues for that
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Residents should be informed of development plans as soon as they are deemed potentially viable and are ready for presentation. This can be done through televised meetings, the Town website, and Town social media. If a concept requires Town Board action, I ask the developer to present the concept at a Town Board work session as early in the process as possible, before the concept is formally introduced to the Town if possible.
