Town of Milan
There was a time when the hamlets of Rock City and Lafayetteville were hubs of commercial business activity.Lafayetteville, named after the French general Marquis de Lafayette who visited the area in 1824, was a stagecoach stop and a resting point for mail carriers traveling between the Hudson River and points in New England in the early 1800s. Rock City was home to a hotel, grist mill and saw mill.
"Rock City was really a booming place," said Patrick Higgins, the town's former historian. "There were actually two newspapers and a post office.
Eventually, with the development of railroad lines and extension of the Taconic State Parkway north, those areas converted into the rural backdrop drivers along Route 199 see today.
Now, as more people move in, town officials worry the rural character that has long defined the Town of Milan is at risk. The town's comprehensive plan, passed this year, would encourage builders to develop around the hamlets of Rock City and Lafayettville.
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Next year, the town board will work on legislation to implement planned purpose developments, Williams said.The planned purpose developments, which would ideally be built in the areas surrounding the hamlets, would allow builders to create more housing in less space than allowed under traditional zoning.
The idea would be to create walkable neighborhoods with diverse mix of moderately priced housing, senior housing and small commercial spaces.
"What we try to do in planning is concentrate growth and activity around pre-existing town centers," said Richard Birch, assistant commissioner of the county Department of Planning and Development. "It allows people to increase their mobility so they don't have to rely on vehicles to move around."