• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Historic Farming Community Moving Forward

Ancram, New York
Historic Farming Community Moving Forward

  • Popular Links
  • Assessment Roll / Taxes
  • Public Notices
  • News
  • Ancramemail
  • Home
  • About
    • Town Hall
    • Kid’s Camp & Town Pool
    • Newsletters
    • History
    • Historic Vestibule
    • Historic District Information
    • Town of Ancram Budget Archive
    • Laws
    • Policies / Manuals
    • Photo Gallery
  • Community
    • Calendar
    • Community Directory
    • Emergency Services
    • Schools, Churches & Organizations etc.
  • Departments
    • Dog Control
    • Assessor
    • Building Department
    • Town Clerk / Tax Collector
    • Town Court
    • Highway Department
    • Town Historian
  • Boards
    • Town Board
      • Videos – Town Board Meetings
    • Board of Assessment Review
    • Ethics Board
    • Planning Board
      • Videos – Planning Board Meetings
    • Town News Editorial Board
    • Zoning Board of Appeals
      • Videos – Zoning Board of Appeals Meetings
    • Camp / Swimming Pool Board
  • Committees
    • Affordable Housing Committee
    • Climate Smart Community Task Force
    • Committee for Respectful Behavior
    • Economic Development Committee
    • Strategic Investments Committee
    • Subdivision Regulations Revisions Committee (SRRC)
    • Technology Committee
    • Zoning Revisions Committee (ZRC)
  • Councils
    • Agricultural Advisory Council
    • Conservation Advisory Council
    • Financial Advisory Council
  • Planning & Development
    • Planning Board
    • Zoning Board of Appeals
    • Commercial Projects (*NEW)
    • Comprehensive Plan
    • Agriculture & Farmland Protection Plan
    • Community Development Strategic Plan
    • Natural Resources Conservation Plan
Comprehensive Plan

Ancram Comprehensive Plan Review & Accomplishments Newsletter, March 2018 (pdf)

Ancram’s Comprehensive Plan was adopted by the Town Board in June 2010. Based on community input and citizen action, this strategic document describes both the ends and the means of achieving the Town’s vision of preserving its rural environment and character while developing a greater sense of openness and community. In other words, “keeping things the way they are, only better.”

To implement the Comprehensive Plan, the Town continues its planning and carries out its many projects through volunteer committees and councils, funded primarily by grants and donations. Click for more information on individual plans.

Ancram always welcomes long-time residents as well as newcomers who would like to get involved. Contact the Town Supervisor, Art Bassin, for more information.

Overall Planning Diagram

Developing A Road Map

A Comprehensive Plan is the road map that guides a town’s decisions related to future growth and development. It is also a process that lets the current residents of Ancram define what they want the future of Ancram to look like, and how they want the Town to develop. It is the basis for the Town’s zoning, land use and subdivision laws, and will provide a framework for all town, county and state officials as they make decisions which will affect the town. A comprehensive plan deals with basic issues like growth and development, revitalizing our hamlets, maintaining open space, agriculture, the rural character of the Town, historic preservation, affordable housing, recreation and parks, traffic, road maintenance, natural resources, infrastructure, economic development and other topics of concern to residents.

The previous Ancram Development Plan was done in 1972, and has served the town well. But things have changed in the last 35 years. What made sense back in 1972 may not make sense today, and what the residents of Ancram thought was important and wanted in 1972 may not be what we think or want today. We already know that many townspeople today are interested in affordable housing for residents, protecting the Town’s agricultural economy, open spaces and rural character, and doing what is necessary to help revitalize the hamlets. The 1972 “Plan” and resulting land use and zoning laws do not adequately support these priorities, so doing a “new” comprehensive plan may be the only way to enable some of these interests to be addressed.

The Ancram Town Board appointed the Comprehensive Planning Committee in April, 2007. In May, the Committee prepared and issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) outlining the consulting support the Town needed to help develop the comprehensive plan. We received 8 proposals by the early June deadline, interviewed six consultants and selected Community Planning and Environmental Associates in July, 2007.

The planning process started in September and October 2007 with planning workshops attended by 130 town residents. The workshops were followed in December 2007 by a survey/ questionnaire which was sent to all residents and property owners to seek everyone’s opinions on important planning issues. 434 surveys were returned – a statistically significant 29% response rate. The Comp Plan Committee asked the NY Rural Water Association to conduct a groundwater protection study, which was completed in February 2008. In addition, the Committee compiled profile and inventory data on Ancram which describes the way things are in 2008. In April 2008, The Committee developed a draft Vision Statement which describes where the Community says it wants to be in 2030, and established a set of Goals to describe how we hope to achieve the 2030 Vision.  The Vision and Goals were reviewed and accepted by the Community at a meeting on April 26, 2008. Strategies, policies and programs to implement the Vision and Goals were completed by December 2008.  In February 2009, we held four Community workshops to review the strategies policies and programs, and held formal public hearings on the Draft Comp Plan in April and June 2009. The final draft of Comprehensive Plan was presented to the Ancram Town Board in July, 2009 for review and adoption. The Town Board held its public hearing on the Comp Plan in August, 2009.

The Ancram Town Board adopted the Comprehensive Plan on April 17, 2010.

Comprehensive Plan Committee Members

Art Bassin, Chairman abassin@aol.com
Suzanne Bressler
Barry Chase, Vice Chair
Hugh Clark
Bonnie Hundt
Kyle Lougheed
Don MacLean
Jim Miller
Leah Wilcox

Community Development Block Grant Project Team Members

Art Bassin (Chair)
Suzanne Bressler
Donna Hoyt
Will Lutz
Jim MacArthur
Libby McKee
Clara Van Tassel
Kit White

Agriculture & Farmland Protection Project Team

Art Bassin (Chair)
Sue Bassin
Barry Chase
Larry Lampman
Marnie MacLean
Jim Miller
Jerry Peele
Dennis Sigler

Primary Sidebar

Comprehensive Plan Links/Files

2019 Comprehensive Plan
Part I - Updated 2019 Plan
Part II - Appendices

Ancram Comprehensive Plan -(final draft April 2010)

Ag & Farmland Protection Plan

Ancram Farming Inventory

Community Strategic Development Plan

View All Comprehensive Plan Documents


Comprehensive Plan Maps:

  • 1972 Zoning Map
  • Aerial Photos 2001
  • Aerial Photos 2004
  • Agriculture
  • Archeologically Sensitive Areas
  • Bedrock Geology
  • Biodiversity and Natural Heritage
  • Bridges
  • Farmland
  • Flood Hazards
  • National Register, Recreation Sites and Unincorporated Places
  • Property Class
  • School Districts
  • Steep Slopes
  • Subwatersheds
  • Surficial Geology
  • Topography
  • Water Features
  • Watersheds

Comprehensive Plan Minutes/Agenda

Minutes / Agenda PDF Documents


Agriculture & Farmland Protection

Agriculture & Farmland Protection Overview & Maps

Footer

  • SITE MAP

Search Pages & Posts

Ancram Town Hall
1416 County Route 7
Ancram, NY 12502
518-329-6512

loader-image
Ancram, US
10:36 pm, May 11, 2025
temperature icon 45°F
clear sky
Humidity 52 %
Pressure 1026 mb
Wind 5 mph
Wind Gust Wind Gust: 10 mph
Clouds Clouds: 0%
Visibility Visibility: 10 km
Sunrise Sunrise: 5:37 am
Sunset Sunset: 8:03 pm
Weather from OpenWeatherMap

The Town of Ancram has made every effort to ensure that information posted to this website is correct at the time of posting. However, meeting dates, times and places are always subject to change; it is recommended that you contact a local official or the representative of an event posted, for confirmation before attending. Content of this website, although checked for accuracy, is not warranted to be error-free. The Town of Ancram provides links to web sites as a convenience to users and makes no representation concerning these web sites and does not assume any responsibility for their content.

Back to Top of Page

Copyright © 2025 Town of Ancram, New York | Website by ZEN POINT MEDIA | Log in