A Comprehensive Plan for the Town of Essex, New York 
January 2001

Introduction

The Town of Essex lies on the western shore of Lake Champlain at the Lake’s narrow waist where it is deepest. The land, which has been cleared and worked for 250 years, rises gradually, broken by granite outcrops and forested ridges, into the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains, offering sweeping views of the High Peaks to the west. The Town is wholly within the Adirondack Park, forty miles from the Olympic Village of Lake Placid, and on the rail corridor between New York City and Montreal.

Before the coming of the railroad, Essex, one of the “lake towns,” was a vigorous commercial center. It served as the transshipment point for the great stones of the Brooklyn Bridge; and the hamlet, home to two shipyards and a half-dozen inns and taverns, has been the New York terminus for the ferry service to Vermont since 1790. Even before the Civil War, however, Essex began a long decline in population from its peak of 2,351, as counted in 1850, to the fewer than 800 souls who live here today.

Farming, mostly dairy and some logging, provided a good living for many residents until very recently, and since the turn of the century the Town has been a beloved lakeside resort, cherished for its quiet, unspoiled character. The historic hamlet of Essex, its nineteenth century layout still intact, untouched by neon and graced by a remarkable collection of Federal, Greek Revival and Victorian buildings, is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, a particular source of pride.

And yet people continue to leave. The dairy farms are largely a memory. The seasonal lakeside enterprises, the marinas, the restaurants, the stores are doing only a modest business, and much of the village cries out for maintenance. There is constant pressure on the tax base. Many residents are concerned that the growing seasonal population, while welcome, does not have the same ability to sustain the life of the Town as the people who live here year-round. Tourism, while on the upswing, may be a mixed blessing. There is a fear that sudden, inappropriate development could alter Essex forever, destroying what it is we all love about the place.

We are faced with a dilemma. How can we preserve the quiet way of life we enjoy, which has been left to the Town by an accident of history, and at the same time foster the modest growth required to sustain it? How can we encourage like-minded people to join us? Can we attract others with the vision, skills and capital needed here without being swept away ourselves?

The comprehensive plan articulated here is our attempt to confront and master this dilemma by presenting a clear, detailed and authoritative analysis of the Town and our vision for its future. It serves as the basis for the Town of Essex Zoning Ordinance and Subdivision Regulations. It tries to make clear what we are, as various as we are, what we want and what we don’t want, so that those who have plans and ideas for our Town will know what to expect and be encouraged and guided in their efforts.  

-EHC -January 2001