Ulster County News

FROM: ULSTER COUNTY PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE

DATE: September 20, 2002  

ULSTER COUNTY TO ESTABLISH A METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION

Ward Todd, Chairman of the Ulster County Legislature, has announced that, as a result of the 2000 Federal Census qualifying the greater Kingston area as urbanized, Ulster County intends to establish a Metropolitan Planning Organization@ (or MPO). This organization willconsider comprehensive transportation planning for the Kingston urbanized area and Ulster County. This is a very significant step in Ulster County=s transition from a rural county, where NYS DOT determines transportation priorities to an urbanized county where the county and local governments prioritize projects and funding.

The new urbanized designation is a result of the 2000 Census which showed the Kingston area, including the City of Kingston and the Towns of Ulster, Saugerties, Kingston, Hurley, Rosendale, Esopus and Marbletown have more than 50,000 persons living in a contiguous area at urban densities of at least 1,000 persons per square mile. The County would also like to include other communities which qualify as Aurban clusters@ such as Woodstock, New Paltz and Wawarsing, suburban areas like the towns of Lloyd, Marlbourgh, Plattekill and Shawangunk and towns classified as rural. Ulster County is now 16th in New York State in total County population outside of New York City metropolitan area and grew at a 7.5% rate from 1990-2000.

Chairman Todd said, A The urban designation from the census may have other significant economic benefits to the County in future grants, economic data and recognition as a metropolitan area.@

For further information call County Planning Director Herb Hekler at 340-3338.