Greg Rabb

The Jamestown Planning Commission meeting on Tuesday was Greg Rabb‘s last as a member and as its Chair.

Rabb said one of the things he was proud of during his time on the Planning Commission was passing the city’s award winning Urban Design Plan in 2006, “It’s part of the city’s Comprehensive Plan. It’s basically an amendment to it. And the other thing I’m very proud of is that I was part of the process to create the Comprehensive Neighborhood Plan and Policy which, again, is a supplement to the Comprehensive Plan. And both of those are unique to Jamestown.”

Rabb had also previously served on the Jamestown City Council, including serving as City Council President, and served on the Jamestown Board of Public Utilities, including chairing that board.

Rabb, having recently retired from Jamestown Community College, will be moving to Buffalo for a new position at Buffalo State College.

The Urban Design Plan 2.0 project is being overseen by Goody Clancy.  In 2006 the initial Urban Design Plan was created to outline a vision for renewing downtown Jamestown, identifies the actions needed to accomplish the vision, and defines the roles and responsibilities of the institutions and people who can make it happen. According to the city’s website, the Plan recognizes that community revitalization requires the involvement of both public and private sector to be successful and helps to guide these sectors as to the role they may play in rejuvenating downtown Jamestown.

After a dozen years of use, the document has been updated to help guide development over the next decade.

• VIEW DRAFT UPD

The city is the lead agent on the project and as such, is requesting that the Planning Commission review and approve the final draft of the plan and make a recommendation to the Jamestown City Council for adoption.

Kathleen Onufer from Goody Clancy will be at today’s meeting to make a presentation to the Planning Commission.

Tuesdays planning commission meeting begins at 3:30 p.m.  The city’s Strategic Planning and Partnership Commission will also review the plan on Wednesday morning at 8:30 a.m.

Both the Planning Commission meeting and the Strategic Planning and Partnership Commission meeting will take place in the mayor’s conference room on the 4th floor of city hall. Both are open to the public.

Goody Clancy, the Boston-based consulting firm which created the original Urban Design Plan in 2006 and which has been hired to update the plan, hosted an input session at the Tarmac Café on Cherry Street.

According to the Post-Journal, the presenters recapped the previous 10 years of improvements to downtown Jamestown, which were guided by the Urban Design Plan, as well as asked for direction on development should continue during the next ten years.

Jamestown Mayor Sam Teresi says the Urban Design Plan is an essential component to developing an economic development strategy for the city.

“The notion is to build upon not only the general direction of the 2006 plan and what we’ve been able to implement, but also there’s a community process that we’re going through to get input, just like we did with the first plan. Who knows, there may be some bold new ideas that get thrown into the mix, some that might be implemented and others that we may pursue and not be able to implement,” Teresi explained to WRFA during a recent interview that will be broadcast Thursday at 5 p.m.

The 2006 Jamestown Urban Design Plan was so successful that it won the National Planning Achievement Award for Implementation, beating out other larger cities that had also been nominated for their plan.

“We won at the ‘gold level’ – which is the highest level – for the Best Implementation of a community plan,” Teresi said. “It was rewarding, number one, when the plan was first put together. It received a state recognition award for the design of the plan and how we went about putting it together. Ten years later, we received a national award for the best implemented plan in the country.”

Officials are hoping the updated Urban Design Plan will offer development guidance that builds off of previous successes, but also offers a strategy for new development that is inclusive for all residents and visitors alike.

The effort to update the plan is being coordinated by the Jamestown Renaissance Corporation, which received an $87,500 state grant through the Regional Economic Development Council program to fund the project.

Once completed, the planning document will provide guidance on future economic development initiatives in downtown Jamestown.

The public is invited to attend a walking tour on Wednesday, May 2 at 11 a.m. The tour will depart from Tarmac Café, 205 Cherry St. The entrance is on Foundry Alley in the Pearl City Arts Building.

Later in the day, at the same location, a public launch event will take place at 5:30 p.m. that will include a presentation and a question and answer session. Everyone is welcome to attend any or all of the meetings.

The events will be led by Goody Clancy, an award-winning planning firm out of Boston. The firm has been working closely with JRC staff and community stakeholders over the last few months to establish a steering committee and hold a variety of interviews, working to align stakeholders under a shared vision and strategy for downtown Jamestown.

The next step in the project is to open up the discussion to the community at large so that everyone has an opportunity to give input on how they would like to see Jamestown evolve in the coming years.

In December of 2017, JRC received a Consolidated Funding Award from Empire State Development for the project that will update the city’s 2006 Urban Design Plan.

“The 2006 Plan had recommendations for new housing, expanded tourism, new office and commercial development, and waterfront revitalization, and the City of Jamestown has delivered on each account,” said Goody Clancy President David Spillane, who led the 2006 Plan effort. “So much has been achieved since the 2006 Plan that the City of Jamestown is ready for a second-generation plan that will help guide the City over the next 12-plus years.”

“We are excited for the opportunity to hear from the public and hope that many people will attend,” said JRC Grant Writer Sarah Gilbert. “We scheduled daytime and evening events so that people will have the chance to fit at least one of these meetings into their busy schedules.”

A digital version of the 2006 Urban Design Plan can be viewed at: www.jamestownrenaissance.org/downtown/. For more information on Goody Clancy, visit www.goodyclancy.com.

Earlier this month it was announced that Goody Clancy – the Boston based firm that completed the 2006 Urban Design Plan – will once again spearhead the effort to update the plan and help guide city planning and development over the next 12-or-so years.

The first plan was awarded the Best Community Plan for 2007 by the American Planning Association.

Goody Clancy president David Spillane was at the Jamestown City Council meeting Monday night and said they’re excited to once again work on helping to guide Jamestown into the future.

“We’ll be working with the community over the next five months,” Spillane said. “Like the last plan, there will be tremendous opportunities for public involvement. There will be several public meetings. We’ll do downtown walking tours and outreach in a range of other ways. I hope we’ll have the opportunity to come and talk with the council and I hope when we’re done, we’ll have a plan that you will be able to endorse.”

According to the Post-Journal, on Tuesday Spillane also met with the Jamestown Planning Commission and offered a presentation on the project.

The firm will also be meeting with community stakeholders and a steering committee the Jamestown Renaissance Corporation in the coming days. It will also make several attempts to seek public input into the process as well.

The effort is being coordinated by JRC, which received an $87,500 state grant through the Regional Economic Development Council program to fund the project.

Representatives from Goody Clancy will be on hand to discuss the effort to update the plan. The consulting firm was also hired in 2005 to create the original UDP, which was completed in 2006.

• 2006 Jamestown Urban Design Plan

The Urban Design plan process is being coordinated by the Jamestown Renaissance Corporation, and is being funded by a grant from the Gebbie Foundation.

Tuesday’s meeting begins at 4:15 p.m. in the Mayor’s Conference, 4th Floor of City hall. It is open to the public.

The New York State Regional Economic Development Council announced that three projects in the city will receive $327,500 in state funding through the 2017 grant process.

The city of Jamestown, in partnership with the Gebbie Foundation, received $140,000 for the W. Second St. public piazza and streetscape improvements project.

This project will convert the area of W. Second St. in front of the Gateway Train Station and National Comedy Center into an appealing piazza with a pedestrian-friendly feel, while also maintaining multi-modal function. Officials say the change will improve walkability and connectivity to the NCC and the Chadakoin River. The total project will cost over $500,000, with the Gebbie Foundation providing the local share of the cost.

The Jamestown Renaissance Corporation also received two funding awards from the state.

One was for $100,000 to go toward the renovation of 10-12 W. Second St. The funding will go toward an indoor Jamestown Public Market, community kitchen, shared workspace, apartments, and a stones course. The second grant was for $87,500 to update the Jamestown Urban Design Plan.

In addition to the funding for Jamestown, Chautauqua County also received a record amount of project funding. State officials announced that the county will receive $9.5 million for 23 different projects. The largest award was $5 million for the sewer extension for the west side of Chautauqua Lake.

A complete listing of all local projects that received money can be found at the State Regional Economic Development Council website.

• JUNE 26 MEETING AGENDA

The state’s annual Consolidated Funding Application grant program is accepting applications until July 28. But because the next city council voting session isn’t until July 30, council members will vote on signing off on the application for the five projects tonight.

The five projects applying for funding support from the state include:

• Northwest Arena’s expansion of its Grapes and Hops Festival;
• Jamestown Renaissance Corporation (JRC) application for a New York Main Street Downtown Anchor grant to help rehabilitate the building 10-12 W. Second St;
• A study commissioned by the Gebbie Foundation and JRC to determine the cost of future renovation or demolition of the downtown Arcade Building on Main Street;
• An update of the city’s Urban Design Plan by the JRC;
• The development of a public piazza between Jefferson and Washington streets around Northwest Arena and the National Comedy Center.

Monday’s meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. and is open to the public.