It's been a peaceful couple of years along Corbett's Glen. The last development proposal that threatened to encroach on the park stalled in 2008, and a group dedicated to protecting the park wants to keep that peace.

That's why the Allens Creek-Corbett's Glen Preservation Group hired EDR - an environmental consulting and planning firm - to help develop a plan to preserve the glen and the areas surrounding it. The resulting document has been presented to Brighton and Penfield officials. (The park is primarily located in Brighton, but it lies along Penfield's border.)

"We were trying to do something a little proactive instead of reactive," says Jean Baric, a member of the preservation group.

The report provides town officials with recommendations for preserving the Lower Allens Creek Valley. That's the area along the creek starting at I-490 in Brighton, passing through the glen, and ending at Irondequoit Creek near Panorama Trail and Penfield Road in Penfield.

Among the recommendations: purchasing undeveloped property, trying to secure conservation easements on neighboring lots, and strengthening and enforcing specific zoning codes that protect environmental features. If development can't be avoided, the town should encourage environmentally friendly site development, the report says.

The report also recommends establishing an intermunicipal planning council or committee to discuss zoning revisions and potential preservation funding. The group would also review development proposals that could affect the Lower Allens Creek Valley.

The plan's impetus was a 2008 proposal to expand the Linden Hills office park, which is located at the edge of Corbett's Glen Nature Park. The project stalled and the developer has since sold the property to Paychex.

The office-park proposal called for three additional buildings - there's an office building there now - and expanded parking. The preservation group members along with glen users and neighbors opposed the project because, they said, it was too intense for the site.

One major concern was that increased runoff from the development could raise the temperature of Allens Creek or carry pollutants into it. The stream is an Irondequoit Creek tributary and its cool, clear water provides habitat for rainbow trout and spawning salmon.

In 1999, Brighton and Genesee Land Trust officials partnered to purchase and preserve the 18-acre Corbett's Glen property. Another 35 acres were added later. Citizen groups and government officials made preserving the property a priority starting in the 1970's.

"One of the concerns we've had is the potential for adjacent development and the impact it may have on the glen," Brighton Supervisor Sandra Frankel says.

Brighton officials haven't received any development proposals for the Brighton portion of the Linden Hills property since the 2008 proposal, Frankel says. Since no proposals are pending, town officials can take the time necessary to review the plan's recommendations, she says, and to consider any further action.