Town of Brighton Smart Growth Plan - New York State Department of ...

F. X. Browne, Inc.
2.0 Land Use
A land use assessment and build-out analysis for the Town of Brighton was conducted by
Michael R. Martin, CLM, of Cedar Eden Environmental LLC using a geographic information
system (GIS) and a wide variety of available data layers. The primary layers used were APA
Land Classification and APA Wetlands. In addition, GIS layers containing an estimation of
existing structures within the Town of Brighton were created by digitizing structures visible on
USGS Topographic Quadrangles and 2004 High-Resolution Infrared Aerial Photography.
2.1 Existing Land Use
Approximately 26 percent (13,850 acres) of the town’s lands are wetlands. Approximately 19
percent (9,908 acres) of the land within the town is potentially developable. The remaining lands
are either wetlands, lakes and ponds, or public lands. In terms of APA land use classifications,
the majority of land use in the town is either Wild Forest (44 percent) or Resource Management
(39 percent).
It is not known how many dwellings are presently within the town. Buildings digitized from the
topographic maps and aerial photographs do not distinguish between dwellings and other
structures, such as garages, barns, and sheds. However, the digital analysis and US Census data
indicate that there may be as many as 550 dwellings presently within the town. These structures
Brighton Smart Growth Plan 11
July 2009