Questions & answers

A comprehensive plan is a long-range policy document designed to guide the future physical, economic, and social development of Carlton — the Town's blueprint for the next 20 to 30 years. It establishes a shared community vision and identifies goals, strategies, and actions needed to achieve it.

Source: Town of Carlton Comprehensive Plan Workshop handouts.

The Town of Carlton's comprehensive plan materials — including the workshop handouts — link to PlanCarlton.org as a place to learn more and share input. The site itself is run by residents.

The plan is being written by the Town's Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee with support from Genesee/Finger Lakes Regional Planning Council (G/FLRPC). Official notices, legal documents, and public hearings come from the Town. For questions about the process, contact Jenny Loewenstein at jloewenstein@gflrpc.org.

Volunteer residents. If you want to help — moderating comments, curating documents, writing summaries of workshops — email hello@plancarlton.org.

Fact: A comprehensive plan helps the Town plan ahead by identifying priorities and strategies to avoid costly reactive decisions later, and positions the Town to pursue funding opportunities as they arise.

Source: Town of Carlton Comprehensive Plan Workshop handouts.

Fact: The comprehensive plan is a policy framework, while a zoning ordinance is the legally binding law. The plan recommends how land should be used in the future, but a distinct legislative action (rezoning) is required to legally enforce those changes.

Source: Town of Carlton Comprehensive Plan Workshop handouts.

Fact: It's a living document that is updated as community needs and goals evolve.

Source: Town of Carlton Comprehensive Plan Workshop handouts.

No. On any plan section you can post a public comment or a support / mixed / oppose submission with just your name (and, optionally, where in Carlton you live). The same goes for replies in the community forum.

An account is only needed to start a new forum thread, upload a document, or RSVP for a meeting.

Public comments and structured submissions here are compiled and shared with the Town's Steering Committee as community input. Comments here do not replace submitting official comments to the Town at public hearings — they supplement them.

No — but tell us where you're commenting from. Neighbors from adjacent towns (Yates, Kendall, Ridgeway) and seasonal residents are welcome. Full-year residents will have the most weight with the committee.

The Steering Committee is following a five-phase process:

1. ✅ Launch (January – March 2026) — Coordinate with partners, review past plans and data
2. ✅ Listening (March – May 2026) — Engagement plan and community survey
3. ✅ Visioning (May – September 2026) — Community workshop (held September 23), goal identification
4. ▶️ Action (September – November 2026) — Develop strategies & actions, implementation plan
5. Adoption (December 2026) — Public hearing, SEQR environmental review, Planning Board

Source: September 23, 2026 workshop slides (G/FLRPC).

The community survey generated more than 100 responses. Findings are compiled into the Engagement Report (available in Documents) and shape the vision statement, goals, and priorities of the plan.

Key themes so far: rural character, waterfront access, agricultural heritage, and community facilities are the priorities residents most consistently named.

About 40 residents attended the public workshop at the Carlton Fire Co. Rec Hall. Participants worked through a SWOT board, a priority-theme board, and a vision board, and reviewed the current land use map and the draft Future Land Use Map.

Top themes: protecting water resources and the shoreline, faster and clearer permitting for small businesses, improving community spaces and roads, more housing options like ADUs and senior housing, and caution about large-scale development such as data centers and big solar/wind projects.

Read the full recap or download the workshop notes.

Per the Steering Committee's September 1 agenda:

1. Compile feedback from the workshop
2. Finalize the Future Land Use Map and actions by mid-October 2026
3. Write the plan (through November)
4. Adoption in December 2026 — public hearing, SEQR environmental review, Planning Board

Strategies and actions are being written now, so this is a good time to comment on a plan section.

The September 23 workshop slides target December 2026 for the adoption phase (public hearing, SEQR environmental review, Planning Board). Timelines can shift — check the Meetings page for the current schedule.

The comprehensive plan is the policy (the 'what' and 'why'). Zoning is the tool that carries it out (the 'how'). Zoning changes have to be consistent with the comp plan — but they require separate action by the Town Board after public hearings.

The FLUM is the draft map of proposed land use classifications for Carlton — where residential, agricultural, commercial, recreation, and conservation land is proposed to sit. The draft August 2026 FLUM is in the Documents library.

The FLUM guides future zoning decisions but doesn't change zoning by itself.

From the September 23 workshop notes: vacant parcels were identified using the property classification codes the Town assessor assigns to each parcel, part of the statewide system maintained by the NYS Office of Real Property Tax Services. Parcels shown as vacant carry a 300-series code (Vacant Land).

• A 300-series parcel can still have a small shed, garage, or other minor improvement.
• If someone owns a parcel with their home on it plus adjoining parcels with no structures, the adjoining parcels may be classified as vacant.
• Some parcels may show as vacant because assessor records haven't caught up with recent construction or a change in use.

The parcel data came from the Orleans County Real Property Tax Services office and was current as of April 2025.