For Immediate Release: March 8, 2018
Contact:
Keith P. McKeever | Public Information Officer | Adirondack Park Agency
contact@apa.ny.gov | (518) 891-4050
Ray Brook, NY - The New York State Adirondack Park Agency (APA or Agency) has proposed an amendment to the Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan (APSLMP) involving the clarification of the Travel Corridors classification category definition, the guidelines for management and use, and amendments of related provisions. The APA will accept public comment until May 7, 2018. Three public hearing sessions will be held on April 11, 24 and 25, 2018.
The purpose of the APSLMP amendment is to define a railroad corridor as the lands that include a railbed for the Remsen-Lake Placid Travel Corridor and any future acquisition that may be considered for classification as a travel corridor, existing either (1) for the operation of rail cars or (2) to serve as a rail trail. The proposed revisions to the guidelines for management and use could apply to other railroad corridors, acquired by the State after classification of the corridor as a Travel Corridor.
The Agency prepared a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (DSEIS) for this proposed action to amend the APSLMP. It was accepted by the Agency Board on March 8, 2018. The Agency's preferred alternative would allow for (1) railroad operation on the corridor and/or (2) conversion of any portion of the railroad corridor determined appropriate for a rail trail, pursuant to an approved Unit Management Plan. This alternative would also allow for a rail with trail if the corridor and surrounding lands have the capacity to support that use.
APA Chairman Sherman Craig said, "The Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan is an extraordinary document approved by the New York State Legislature in 1972. The Master Plan protects the natural resources of the Adirondack Park while balancing public access and recreational use. At this time, we invite public comment to consider an amendment that addresses the diverse recreational interests regarding the use of the Remsen Lake Placid Travel Corridor. We encourage all stakeholders to comment on the proposed alternatives."
" DEC is pleased to work with the Adirondack Park Agency on a clarifying amendment to the Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan to ensure that DEC can manage portions of railroad corridors for travel and recreational uses, including snowmobiling, cross country skiing, biking and walking, said New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos. This proposed definition change, if adopted, will enable DEC to convert the segment of the Remsen-Lake Placid Travel Corridor between Tupper Lake and Lake Placid to a rail trail."
Following an extended planning process, the opportunity was identified to diversify recreational experiences within Travel Corridors by redeveloping a segment of the Remsen-Lake Placid Travel Corridor or any newly acquired rail corridors with existing rails into rail trails. Use of portions of the Remsen-Lake Placid Corridor for travel and recreational uses, including rail and snowmobiling, has existed since the corridor was classified. However, the lack of clarity within the definition and guidelines for management and use, specifically for the Remsen-Lake Placid Corridor, prevented the removal of any segment of the rails.
Both rail and rail trail uses can contribute to recreational opportunities in the Park, while simultaneously increasing appreciation of the unparalleled landscape quality of the Adirondack Mountain region and enhancing the personal health and well-being of visitors and Park residents. The proposed amendment includes guidance to ensure that the physical, biological, scenic and open space resources of the corridor and its adjacent lands are protected.
At its March 2018 Board meeting, the Agency Board authorized staff to hold public hearings on the DSEIS and the proposed amendments to the APSLMP. Hearings will be held both inside and outside the Park at the following locations:
April 11, 2018
7:00 pm
Adirondack Park Agency
1133 NYS Route 86
Ray Brook, NY
This meeting will be broadcast live via the Agencys webcast system. Please use apa.ny.gov to connect.
April 24, 2018
7:00 pm
The View
3273 NYS Route 28
Old Forge, NY
April 25, 2018
11:00 am
NYS DEC Offices
625 Broadway
Albany, NY
The area subject to this amendment includes approximately 1,078 miles of State and Interstate Highways, the 119-mile Remsen-Lake Placid Travel Corridor and any future acquisition of railroad corridors with existing rails.
Primarily, the definitional changes and revisions to the guidelines for management and use and related provisions correspond to potential rail and rail trail use in the Adirondack Park. The Agency proposed six alternatives, including the preferred alternative.
The public will have an opportunity to comment at the public hearings and to submit written comments throughout the comment period. APA staff will consider all timely received comments on the proposed alternatives and may incorporate those comments into a Final Supplemental Impact Environmental Statement (FSEIS). The FSEIS will include a written response to public comments and a staff recommendation for a preferred alternative.
The FSEIS will be brought to the Agency Board after the close of the public comment period. The Agency Board will then decide whether to accept the FSEIS and whether to recommend the APSLMP amendments to the Governor. If the APSLMP amendments are authorized by the Agency, a Board Resolution recommending an alternative will be forwarded to Governor Cuomo for final approval.
The APSLMP states that planning is an on-going process and, as public use of the State lands expands or changes, land use controls may require reanalysis. Protection and preservation of the natural resources of the State lands within the Park must be paramount. Human use and enjoyment of those lands should be permitted and encouraged, so long as the resources in their physical and biological context, as well as their social or psychological aspects, are not degraded.
For more information or to download the DSEIS regarding the proposed amendment to the APSLMP please go to the Agencys website (apa.ny.gov). Please address all written comments to:
Kathy Regan
Deputy Director for Planning
NYS Adirondack Park Agency
P.O. Box 99
Ray Brook, NY 12977
Fax: 518-891-3938
Email - SLMP_Comments@apa.ny.gov
Please submit all written comments to the APA by May 7, 2018.
The mission of the Adirondack Park Agency is to protect the public and private resources of the Adirondack Park through the exercise of the powers and duties of the Agency as provided by law. For more information, call the APA at (518) 891-4050 or visit www.apa.ny.gov.
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