CANTON -- The Canton Town Waterfront Advisory Committee will host a public hearing at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 26, in the Canton Municipal Building to discuss an update to the Waterfront Revitalization Plan that was first adopted in 2010.

Both the original plan and the 2017 plan (with revisions) can be found on the municipal website (www.cantonnewyork.us), said a press release from committee.

A waterfront revitalization plan is a locally prepared, comprehensive land and water use plan for a community's waterfront. It provides a comprehensive structure within which critical waterfront issues can be addressed.

The Canton plan addresses the following issues:

• Enhancing opportunities for public access to water-based recreation on the waterways;

• Revitalizing Main Street and Riverside Drive and underutilized waterfront commercial properties;

• Developing efficient, pedestrian and bicycle friendly transportation access;

• Protecting sensitive waterfront resources, open space and scenic resources;

• Preservation of historic resources and enhanced opportunities for heritage tourism; and

• Growth management and protection of community character and quality of life.

It was made possible through a grant the town received in 2006 from the state Department of State Division of Coastal Resources with funds provided under Title 11 of the Environmental Protection Fund.

Committee chairman David T. Button, Canton’s town supervisor, said the review has helped committee look both forward and backward.

“The original plan helped focus our attention on what needed to be done, and we have been able to accomplish many of its recommendations. The revisions help us focus our attention on what we’d like to accomplish in the next few years,” Button said in a press release.

The town formed a waterfront advisory committee in 2007 with representatives from both the village and town of Canton, as well as representatives of the Grasse River Heritage Area Development Corporation. It adopted the following vision statement:

“The Grasse River corridor will remain a richly diverse and healthy ecosystem with visually attractive buildings, farms, wood lots and natural landscapes. Trails, parks, and boat launches will maximize public access to the river and help to create high quality recreational opportunities. New development will emphasize uses that are enhanced by riverfront and consistent with local architecture and character. Within the Village of Canton, the riverfront will be attractive, accessible, walkable, and culturally vibrant, benefiting from and enhancing the quality of life inherent in a small college town.”

The state Department of State recommends that planning documents be reviewed and updated (where necessary) every five years. Once the review is completed, it can be used in support of other waterfront grant applications.

“The plan has already helped to attract feasibility, planning, and construction grants for several waterfront-related projects. Updated to reflect current circumstances and priorities, it will provide guidance in implementing these projects and initiating new ones,” said committee secretary Louis Tremaine.

The committee began its review in 2016, going line by line through the original document. The community has made significant progress in completing many of the goals identified in the original plan, said the press release. The latest update focuses the committee’s attention on things remaining to be done, the press release said.

“Public access to the waterfront is a primary goal of the Waterfront Revitalization Plan,” said committee member Jill Savage. “One project that we’d like to complete in the near future is the construction of a pedestrian underpass linking the parks on Coakley and Willow Islands, making both parks more accessible to foot and bike traffic.”

The relationship between the Grasse River and the downtown business community is strategic and the Plan provides guidance on how the community can directly benefit from this asset, the press release said.

"The power of the Grasse River was a major economic driver in Canton's early years,” said committee member Phil LaMarche, a Canton town councilman. “We are hoping to tap into that power and use it to bring people and businesses back to our waterfront and downtown areas."