Lawmakers Consider County Planning Board BUFFALO (wned) - Legislator Maria Whyte says Erie County is behind the times.

"Of the 62 counties in New York State, 58 of them have county planning boards or, in some cases, regional planning boards," Whyte tells WNED.

Over the past 50-years Whyte points out that the population in Erie and Niagara counties has declined, while the amount of developed land has increased by more than 240-square miles.

Whyte says a County planning board would help establish long-term land use decisions that will be good for the region.

"We need to be making some strategic decisions about growth and reinvestment in our community that are not just good for today or tomorrow but are good for 10, 20 or 50 years from now," Whyte said.

If nothing changes, Whyte says, taxes will continue to go up to pay for more and more infrastucture.

A County planning board Whyte says would not have the power to override local municipalities. She says it would only assist local governments.

The next step in the process the Legislator says is to go back to the drawing board, review the feedback and draft legislation.


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