Southwestern New York State Economic Plan

About

Engagement

Background & SWOT

Action Plan

Evaluation

Conclusion

Data Visuals

Full PDF Plan

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  Built Environment

OBJECTIVE 1
Invest more funding into public works and into downtown revitalization projects

Action Items

• Increase capacity of electrical grid network with upgrades and prepare for higher need
• Prioritize the assessment, repair, and replacement of flood control structures Resilience lens: urgency is increasing due to changing weather patterns
• Ensure all communities have wastewater treatment to lay the foundation for healthy communities and economic development. Equity lens: ensure low-resource communities are not neglected in this process
• Prioritize applications for DRI & NY Forward
• Expand brownfield redevelopment and educate communities to benefits

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OBJECTIVE 2
Workforce lens: Expand infrastructure workforce

Action Items

• ​Increase availability of CDL trainings to support DPWs in workforce recruitment. ​
• Provide regional management training specifically for intermediate supervisor positions to teach leadership skills, team building, and effective management of people
• Increase counties’ ability to compete for workforce by offering higher salary and benefits

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OBJECTIVE 3
Invest in all modes of transportation and expand access to public transit

Action Items

• Workforce lens: create a public transit study to determine potential workforce impact of a more flexible, on-demand availability of transportation across the region. Equity lens: ensure service to underserved areas with low-income populations and service to the aging
• Support pilot projects of on-demand service
• Study the impact of loss of commercial service to the Jamestown airport, and make long-term plans to restore that service and expand runway
• Resilience lens: assist municipalities with installing electric vehicle charging stations and utilizing NYS EV rebates.

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OBJECTIVE 4
Improve housing quality and availability at all income levels

Create new housing developments in areas with low supply or high employment

• Conduct housing studies across region to prepare for attracting developer investment Equity lens: ensure the studies take into account needs of the aging, of low-income workers, of housing needs for service industry workers, and that development is clustered near availability of public transit
• Workforce lens: Work with new employers to predict future jobs and housing needs
• Identify housing needs for new employees
• Incentivize renovation of downtown district office spaces into residential spaces
• Workforce lens: Incentivize entry into homebuilding profession
• Resilience lens: prioritize environmental factors in siting housing, including impact of prevailing winds, water management, orientation for potential solar rooftops, planting of trees and cooling elements, for increases in heat waves and heavy rain events

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OBJECTIVE 5
Expand equitable access to broadband

Action Items

Continue to expand broadband access to the final remaining pockets where it is inaccessible. Equity lens: broadband is essential for basic economic functioning regardless of population density or income.

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OBJECTIVE 6
Support transition to renewable energy

Action Items

• Provide information and assistance to communities in accessing NYS rebates for EV fleets and charging stations, and geothermal systems. Equity lens: assist low-income households with replacement of conventional high-energy-use vehicles and appliances
• Resilience lens: assist communities with planning positively for renewable energy development with smart growth principles and farmland protection
• Resilience lens: support cooperative small-scale models of energy generation