Back | Index | Next

7.0 Analysis of the Land

7.2 Future Land Use Projections

The future appearance of the Village of Pittsford will be shaped by how the land is used. The following section compares current conditions with standard land use standards recommended in planning literature.

Residential

Village residents are interested in maintaining the existing balance of rental and owner-occupied housing; the Comprehensive Planning Committee has listed this as a priority item based on the charrette held in the Village.

To determine the number of housing units required in the Village of Pittsford, the population in 2000 (1,418) and the population projection for the year 2025 (1,408) were used. This population was divided by the projected mean (average) household size; the mean household size for the Village in 1990 was 2.37 people and is assumed to remain at this approximate level during the next 25 years. The number of new housing units required to meet the projected increase in population is determined by the following formula:

Based on the above formula, the Village could require 608 units by the year 2005 and 594 by the year 2025. In 1990, there were 648 housing units in the Village. This number should adequately meet the housing needs of the projected population of 1,408 in the year 2025.

Rental

Renters only account for 27.3% of the housing units in the Village of Pittsford as compared to 34.9% in Monroe County. Most of the rental units in the Village are two family homes and there are not any larger rental complexes of 10 units or more limiting the rental choices for Village residents. As land for new construction is limited, rental complexes provide a higher density of units in a smaller space. Future land use may need to look at areas for these uses.

Senior Housing

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development offers no standard for the number of senior units that should be available in a community, but they recommend that approximately 10% of seniors should have access to subsidized housing.

The population over the age of 65 in Pittsford is approximately 230. If subsidized housing were available to 10% of all seniors, 23 should have access to special housing. Assuming a household size of seniors of approximately 1.1, communities similar to the Village would have approximately 20 senior units available.

Commercial

The amount of commercial land that should be available in each community varies considerably. Changes in land use patterns over the past decade have a great impact on the percentage of land that is designated for commercial use. Retail malls and plazas include extensive parking to meet the needs of its customers. The acreage required for commercial uses seems inflated because of the large amount of space needed for commercial parking areas.

In 1992, the Planning Advisory Service (PAS) adopted updated land use ratio information for communities. According to this information, approximately "10% of lands in a community could be designated for commercial uses." This percentage has increased from 2% in 1955 to 7% in 1983 to 10% in 1992 due to changes in commercial land use development.

In the Village of Pittsford, there are approximately 41.6 acres of land devoted to commercial use. This accounts for 11.3 % of the Village's total land area. This percentage is above the 10% standard ratio found in planning literature. Although commercial uses are above the standard, residents have stated that there is a lack of services in the Village such as a drugstore and grocery store that facilitates the need to travel to neighboring communities. Future land use may need to take into consideration the need to accommodate these services that are currently lacking to allow Village residents easy access to these needed services.

Industrial

The Planning Advisory Service and American Planning Association provided information on industrial land uses. The guidelines are based on communities nationwide to create a balance of industrial land uses. The standard industrial guidelines recommend that 12 acres of land per 1,000 residents should be set aside as a reserve for industrial development. In addition, 12 acres per 1000 residents should also be set aside for future reserve. However this standard may not be appropriate for the Village of Pittsford as land is limited.

Using this standard as a guideline, the Village with a population projected for 2025 of 1,408, should have approximately 17 acres in current reserve and 17 acres for its future reserve targeted for industrial development. The southern portion of the Village is predominantly residential therefore industrial development is not likely in these areas. The northwestern section of the Village may be able to incorporate some industrial uses along with the current commercial uses. However, the Village is part of the larger metro system and industrial land use is available in the Town of Pittsford and throughout Monroe County. There may not be the need for the suggested industrial land use in the Village as recommended by the standards.

Recreation/Entertainment

According to standard recreational guidelines, the following are recommended for parks and recreational facilities in a community:

Table 7-2 Standard Park Recommendations
Village of Pittsford

According to the NPRA standards, approximately 12 acres of parkland should be available to Village residents. The Port of Pittsford Park at 2 acres, Copper Beech Park on State Street, the St. Louis playground, Bob Ford Little League Fields, the Department of Public Works site and the Paul Spiegel Community Center at 4.2 acres meet a portion of the Village's community park needs and the school fields would meet the playfield needs. There does, however, appear to be a slight deficiency in playground and neighborhood parks in the Village.

7.2.1 Future Design Issues

There were numerous design issues identified during the charrette and included in the Comprehensive Planning Committee's list of priority items. Signage was an important issue identified by the Village; this includes both informational and business signs within Pittsford. A coordinated signage system would help the Village be more conducive to future businesses and help promote a pedestrian friendly environment. By illustrating to motorists that pedestrians are a priority in the Village, through signage, unique pavers at key intersections and crosswalks and other "streetscape improvements", the character of the Village will be enhanced.

There is also a concern that setbacks in the Village are not consistent; this creates "holes" in the streetscape and impacts the character of the CBD and other neighborhoods. This includes streetscape design that allows infill development, ensures buildings are compatible with adjacent structures, mandates that building entrances face public streets, provide sidewalks and ensures proper massing and densities to blend with the existing character. By updating the zoning ordinance to address strict adherence to setbacks, the Village can protect its character and streetscape.

Finally, parking is an issue in the Village of Pittsford. Because there is no program in place to encourage parking "turnover", people often park for long periods of time. Reviewing the parking requirements and following the schematic created for the Village will allow Pittsford to address future parking needs.

Back | Index | Next