NORWICH – Considering arguments of some town supervisors that the county’s draft comprehensive plan does not provide the most up-to-date snapshot of the county’s current circumstances, the document was put on hold by the county’s Planning and Economic Development Committee this week.

The Chenango County Department of Planning and Development is nearing the final stages of a comprehensive plan that will help dictate future public policies in areas like transportation, land use, housing, and recreation. However, in order for the document to be officially adopted by the County Board of Supervisors, it needs the recommendation of the Planning and Economic Development Committee.

According to County Planning Director Donna Jones, the aim is to have the plan voted on by the Board of Supervisors after a public hearing this summer. But given the plan’s lack of detail regarding big changes in recent months – including a proposed project from the City of Norwich to install solar pannels on county-owned property north of the city, and New York State’s stonewalling the 124-mile long Constitution Pipeline project that would have transcended Chenango County borders – Columbus Town Supervisor Tom Grace said changes should be made to the plan before moving it forward.

“I don't think it’s ready to be reviewed until it has current information,” Grace said at a County Board meeting earlier this week. “What we’re saying is that after years and years of work, this (plan) has current information, but we know that it doesn’t.”

A finalized version of the draft plan was compiled just weeks before the decision to delay the Constitution Pipeline was made at the state level. Moreover, county officials knew nothing of the city’s intent to possibly lease county-owned land for a solar project before the comp plan was put in print.

While these are changes that would undoubtedly affect the plan, it poses the question: Should the plan be changed? Doing so would require the need to “start over,” according to County Planning Director Donna Jones, and that would mean going through a lengthy state required Environmental Quality Review (SEQRA) process again.

“It would set adoption of the plan back a lot,” Jones said. “And things could always change tomorrow.”