SUPPORTIVE LOCAL POLICIES
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The Village of Sherman has implemented practices in accordance with adopted policies in pursuit of improving the resiliency and sustainability for the livability and quality of life in Sherman. The Village Board of Trustees with the input from the greater Sherman community adopted the Village of Sherman Climate Smart Comprehensive Plan in 2021. As local priorities evolve, the Comprehensive Plan was amended in 2023 with greater emphasis on historic preservation, hazard mitigation, stormwater management, and Complete Streets policies.
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Zoning Updates
The goals for updating the Village Zoning Code include preserving the character of neighborhoods, creating a downtown business
district, establishing design guidelines, updating language, addressing new legislation (i.e., cannabis), transitioning to green and alternative energy systems, and adopting stormwater management regulations to secure existing assets and new development. In the interim, the Village Board has adopted a series of timely amendments addressing safety and quality of life needs.
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Pro-Housing
As a Certified Pro-Housing Community, since October 7, 2024, the Village is taking a strong Pro-Housing position for the future stability and sustainability of the small rural community. The Village adopted local laws in efforts to enforce property maintenance, remediate blight, and manage issues arising from vacant properties.
The very effective 2019 Vacant, Abandoned, Boarded, Foreclosed Law serves as a deterrent and proactive measure preserving the existing housing stock by encouraging property owners to act for safety and nuisance prevention. This has resulted in the successful rehabilitation of several single-family dwellings. Chautauqua Home Rehabilitation & Improvement Corp (CHRIC) administers the Village of Sherman’s twice-awarded Community Development Block Grants (2020, 2023) for the Rehabilitation of Single-Family Dwellings and the 2023 Mobile & Manufactured Home Replacement grant award.
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Climate Initiatives, Agriculture, Green Resiliency
The Village of Sherman was the first in Chautauqua County to adopt the Climate Smart Community Pledge in 2018 and received the Designated CEC Status of a Clean Energy Community by NYSERDA. The Village has since completed large scale progressive projects beginning with the $2.2M Drinking Water Improvement project replacing pumps and installing variable frequency drives, and the $7M upgrade to the Wastewater Treatment Plant resulting in energy efficiency and improving the quality of effluent with UV disinfection. The Village installed two electric vehicle fast charging stations with the NYS DEC Municipal Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Infrastructure Rebate Program and National Grid NY EV Make-Ready Program.
Municipal owned property was developed into two 5MW Community Solar Arrays. The Village ensured the land use incorporated agrivoltaic practices with sheep grazing. This innovative approach is fulfilling the Village’s Comprehensive Plan goals in efforts to prevent farmland loss from repurposed solar fields and is in keeping with Sherman’s rural character.
Complete Streets Initiative
In collaboration with GOBike, the Village adopted its Complete Streets Policy resulting in preliminary designs that consider all pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit (including equestrians), with special conditions for children, senior citizens, and those with disabilities, with the clear intent of understanding and accommodating all users and modes. The Village identifies priorities and strategies to integrate into capital projects to bring connectivity, safety, encourage outdoor activity, and promote the overall health and well-being of the community and visitors.
Stormwater Project Building Resiliency
The multi-phase cooperative $2.8M Comprehensive Stormwater Improvement Project financed by Rural Development is scheduled for completion in March 2026. The Community Development Block Grant award of $1.25M for 2023 Co-Funded Infrastructure provided for the Main Street Stormwater Improvements. Chautauqua County Soil & Water Conservation District is constructing the detention in the Upper Basins. As part of the reclamation, the Village has put the Complete Streets Policy into action, installing new sidewalks, improving the trailhead, adding crosswalks and bump-outs for traffic calming.
