BY PAUL MITCHELL
North Country This Week

CANTON -- After more than two years, the finish line is nearing at a steady pace for the village’s revised zoning plan.

On Wednesday night, village leaders received an update from Monica Ryan, principal planner for River Street Planning & Development LLC, Troy, who were hired to analyze and produce the revised zoning law.

Ryan said there’s still work to do before the 181-page revised zoning law is finalized, adding that input from the community is the next step.

The village board will hold a public Zoom session on Oct. 4 at a time to be announced and then conduct an open house on Oct. 18 to receive public comments.

“I feel comfortable putting the draft forward. The next step is to put the draft out for public comment,” said Ryan. “It’s an extensive process so you need to be where you want to be before introducing the local law.”

She said the zoning draft must be referred to the village planning board and St. Lawrence County Planning Board,who, in turn, have 30 days to review and respond.

“If there is no comment from the village planning board, it’s assumed they are not recommending the draft. No action is negative, not positive,” Ryan said. “If the county does not respond, it’s not an issue.”

She also said the village can begin the SEQRA process, including holding a required public hearing, and possibly adopt the zoning draft and the SEQRA at the same meeting.

“You might need a second public hearing and send it back to the county depending on the significance of the public comments,” she said.

Ryan recommended the board hold a less formal informational community presentation to present what’s in the draft document.

“There are enough major changes to consider it a significant rewrite. Highlight the changes at the meeting and at the open house, ask the nitty gritty questions,” she said.

“The more public engagement the better,” said Trustee Anna Sorensen, who questioned the quickness of completing the draft. “Is there a rush?’

“There is no big rush but we want to keep it going,” said Mayor Michael Dalton.

Ryan said after the meeting and open house, she and the group tackling the zoning task will take a look at the comments and go from there.

“We can then regroup to see if we missed the mark on things, then start the more formal process,” Ryan remarked.

Once the draft is complete, the village plans to post it online.