Alan Sorensen is Chester's new planning consultant

By Edie Johnson
CHESTER — Alan J. Sorensen of Rock Hill, a planning consultant whose projects extend from heritage preservation to affordable housing, has just been hired by the Town of Chester.

The town board spent the past six months searching for and interviewing candidates. With Sorensen on board, the board can now begin its review of the town's comprehensive plan, and the work needed to bring it up to date.

The current master plan, prepared by Garling Associates in Goshen, was prepared in 2002.

Sorensen has worked for Planit Main Street, a consulting company, for more than 20 years. He has been company president since 2001. The firm's motto is "Preserving the Past, Defining the Future."

The firm's range is extensive. It has provided consulting services to major projects in Westchester, Yonkers and Elmsford, Fleischmanns and Fallsburg, the counties of Ulster and Sullivan, and, more locally, the Village of Montgomery and the Town of Crawford.

Sorensen received his masters in city and regional planning at Rutgers University and masters of public administration and local government at Pace University. He is also a past planning commissioner and is currently a legislator in Sullivan County.

He has received numerous awards for his work in planning and grant procurement. He was also a commissioner of policy for the New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal, and wrote the New York Main Street Program, which preserves historic downtowns and neighborhood stability, and provides housing to elderly and low-income people. For more information about his experience and projects, see www.planitmainstreet.net.