The book “Caste: The Origins of our Discontent” by Isabel Wilkerson has been chosen for the community read.

Chautauqua Institution’s Senior Vice President & Chief Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility Officer Amit Taneja said community groups have been working on how to engage more people in Chautauqua County in creating a more inclusive and just society.

He said YWCA Executive Director Amanda Gesing reached out to the Institution after she learned that they would be hosting author Isabel Wilkerson this summer, “And so she reached out to me and said, ‘Hey, can we collaborate on this?’ and I said, ‘Great!’ because I had been thinking about how do we get everybody in Chautauqua involved and so that was sort of the birth of that program idea that everybody in Chautauqua County is reading the same book, focused on issues of justice and inclusion. And hopefully it sparks a lot of good conversation in the community.”

Taneja said the book touches on a lot of topics that society is struggling with and the hope is that the book discussions would give space to talk about things that are difficult, “Cause a lot of times I think fear of disagreement or opposition keeps us from talking about difficult things when really if we want to move the needle forward we need to come together in the spirit of mutual understanding even if we disagree on a few things so that’s kind of the hope out of this and this book gives us the tools to do that.”

Taneja said the Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Library System has copies of Wilkerson’s book available for those interested in taking part. People who are interested in participating in a group discussion, whether in person or online, can register at https://www.ywcajamestown.com/chqbookread. The discussions will be scheduled for May 16 through 27.

Also, Chautauqua Institution is holding a “Chautauqua County Day” on Thursday, July 21 where county residents are eligible for free admission and parking in order to attend the live lecture by author Isabel Wilkerson. That lecture will take place at 10:45 a.m. at the Amphitheater on the Chautauqua Institution grounds. Tickets for this day will be available beginning June 1 by calling the Chautauqua Institution Ticket Office at 716-357-6250. Free parking is only available with ticket orders made by July 11.

Governor Kathy Hochul announced that 128 nonprofit organizations and local governments will receive the monies for supportive services to break the cycle of homelessness.

Locally, Southern Tier Environments for Living will receive $167,700; Chautauqua Opportunities will receive $100,920; and the YWCA of Jamestown will receive $31,980.

Statewide, the funding will provide services for 17,539 single adult beds, 2,542 family units, and 372 young adult beds in supportive housing developments.

The supportive services funded through the program are designed to help individuals and families to remain in stable housing so they can avoid housing insecurity or placement in emergency shelters. These services include case management; benefits and health care advocacy; counseling and crisis intervention; employment or vocational assistance; educational assistance; parenting skills development; and life skills training, among others.

This funding enables the organization to build upon events and programs, such as “Stand Against Racism” and the “21 Day Challenge for Racial and Social Justice;” to offer a full menu of activities, lectures, trainings and more to individuals in the community and local organizations.

Alize Scott has been named as the new director for the Social Justice and Race Equity program. Born and raised in Jamestown, Ms. Scott has been employed with the YWCA of Jamestown for several years in the role as a Comprehensive Adolescent Prevention Educator. A graduate student at the University of Buffalo, Ms. Scott is working toward a Master’s in American Studies with a concentration in African American Studies and is currently teaching an inquiry course at Jamestown Community College titled “The Black Experience.”

Artist’s rendering of the Gateway Lofts project upon completion.

JAMESTOWN – The effort to convert a former factory and current community center into a 110-unit housing project has cleared a major hurdle.

During Monday’s Jamestown City Council meeting, councilman Tom Nelson announced that the city Planning Commission had approved the site plan for the $31 million Gateway Lofts project, which is being sponsored by Southern Tier Environments for Living (STEL), the YWCA of Jamestown and Community Helping Hands.

Nelson  who serves as council liaison to the commission – said the unanimous approval was given one week ago, on June 23, during a special meeting of the commission, which was conducted online via zoom due to COVID-19.

No public notice regarding the special meeting was going to be held was sent to local media or the general public, which is why the approval of the housing project wasn’t reported on, until now.

The latest action by the planning commission comes after it had denied approving the project site plan on two past occasions – once in October 2018 and again in February of this year. Both times the planning commission had called for a complete Environmental Impact Statement to be completed, in order to address environmental concerns with the project, including that it would go against the city’s 2010 Neighborhood Revitalization Plan, which calls for a stabilization in housing within the city, due to a declining population that has led to a glut in the housing stock.

Following the February meeting, the law firm representing the project – Bond, Schoeneck & King – requested the commission rescind its positive declaration for a full environmental impact statement, saying it would require too much time to complete and jeopardize the project from moving forward. In response, the planning commission rescinded the positive declaration and also created a task force to work through all concerns.

“Chairman [Greg] Rabb asked for volunteers from the Planning Commission to participate in a small task force charged with developing a mutually agreeable mitigation plan that would address the concerns that the Planning Commission had regarding the introduction of additional housing units into an over-saturated housing market,” explained City Development Director Crystal Surdyk.

Surdyk said an agreement was soon made that STEL and other organizations would acquire, abate and demolish 96 bedrooms in units elsewhere in the city to help offset the addition of the new units provided by the Gateway Lofts.

“An important distinction between the new and existing housing is that there is an overwhelming number of substandard and/or deplorable condition that is uninhabitable, that would be offset by the new housing options created by the Gateway Lofts project,” Surdyk explained to WRFA via email. “The mitigation plan lays out a strategy for the city to coordinate with the Gateway, STEL and Chautauqua County Land Bank to undertake a program to acquire, abate and demolish 96 bedrooms in vacant and uninhabitable housing units elsewhere in the city that also supports STEL’s prioritization of a future project to include a scattered site infill development in Jamestown, with the assistance of the land bank and similar to STEL’s Dunkirk Renovation and Ownership program.”

Surdyk also said the Planning Commission approval is contingent on two area variances that will be reviewed by the city zoning board on Wednesday, July 1. One variance is regarding the number of proposed parking spaces and the other is regarding proposed automotive use setbacks.  The zoning board meeting will take place at 5 p.m. Wednesday and will be streamed live at the city website.

Anyone will be given an opportunity to be heard for or against the granting of the variances by submitting their comments in writing via U.S. mail to the City Clerk’s Office, 200 East Third Street, Jamestown, NY 14701 or via email at clerk @ cityofjamestownny.com.

The Gateway Lofts project calls for creating 110 total units, although 56 of them would be intended for homeless individuals who currently don’t have any other long-term housing options available. That means a total of 54 new units would be intended for renters, most of which would be on low or fixed income. Project sponsors say the project will be beneficial to residents because of the various human service agencies that also operate in the building. However, some concerns have been raised regarding the concentration of so many residents in a relatively small area, as well as the lack of fresh, healthy food sources being available – with the nearest supermarket nearly a mile away at the Foote Ave. plaza.

The $31 million price tag to renovate the former Chautauqua Hardware factory would be covered through a combination of state and federal tax credits that can be sold to investors, along with community investment funds and grants.

The YWCA says it is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all.

Those who attend will have the opportunity to sign the YWCA USA pledge and take a stand to show Jamestown, and the greater community, is committed to promoting unity and inclusion.

Officials say the Social Justice Committee works to advocate for women, children, and families and educates others to understand the importance of racial and gender equality. The members of the committee will plan events and ways to promote inclusion in our community.

Today’s event begins at 12:15 p.m. and is open to the public. It is one of many held by YWCAs across the country to Stand Against Racism from April 25-28.

Rep. Tom Reed (R-Corning)

JAMESTOWN – Congressman Tom Reed (R-Corning) was in Chautauqua County this week to meet with officials, including County Executive George Borrello, to discuss the county airport. In addition, he made time to stop by the YWCA in Jamestown to learn more about the services it provides for the community.

During a regional media conference call on Tuesday, Reed said he met Monday with Borrello and others to further discuss the future of passenger air service at the Chautauqua County Airport in Jamestown.

The airport has been without commercial service since early 2018 when the Department of Transportation pulled its Essential Air Service (EAS) funding for Southwest Airways Express. Since then, county officials and federal representatives have been working to return the funding under a new passenger service plan provided by new air carrier, Boutique Air. However, federal transportation officials denied that request earlier this year. Still, Congressman Reed says the effort isn’t over and a meeting took place Monday to further discuss the matter.

“We were able to meet at the Chautauqua Harbor Hotel with George [Borrello], with the airport manager, and with the leaders of the community – the business community in particular – about assessing the support for the need of commercial airline service to the Jamestown airport,” Reed said.

Reed said that those he talked with have shown that there still is a need for passenger air service.

“What I heard from the room is that there is a tremendous amount of support for commercial airline service for the Jamestown airport and one of the things we’re exploring is how do we make that application to the Federal Department of Transportation Federal Department of Transportation under the EAS program that would make commercial airline service to the Jamestown airport viable,” Reed said.

In addition to meeting with officials to discuss the airport, he also stopped by the YWCA in Jamestown to learn more about its programming and services for the greater Jamestown Community.

“It was inspiring to not only be with those caseworkers, not only the department heads and leaders and hear their story and commitment to the needs of the community, but then to round table with teen mothers themselves, for example, to hear first-hand how these programs are benefiting them and how they are arming them in a positive way to take on life’s challenges that they are facing but, most importantly as demonstrated by one of the graduates of the program, are overcoming any sorts of obstacles and are thriving with the situations that they dealt with, “Reed said.

The YWCA offers a variety of programming such as early care and educational; after school programs; summer camp; transitions and supportive housing; supervised visitation; a Women2Women coaching program; the Teenage Education and Motherhood (TEAM) program; and many others.
For more information, visit www.ywcaof jamestown.com.

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The Jamestown City Council’s Housing Committee on heard details about the proposed Gateway Lofts housing project during it’s Jan. 14 meeting at city hall.

Representatives from the organizations involved with the Project – including Southern Tier Environments for Living, Community Helping Hands, and the YWCA – each spoke to the committee to explain how each organization would play a role in working with residents, as well as funding sources for the project.

The Gateway Lofts project involves converting the Gateway Center on Water Street into an estimated 40 housing units for low income individuals and families members, along with about 40 other units for single parents seeking housing assistance from the YWCA, as well as non-violent individuals with addiction or mental health issues and overseen by STEL. The total cost of the renovation project is estimated to cost $31 million.

Committee Chair Vicki James raised concern about the proximity of different types of residents living in the building, which would include those recovering from drug addiction and single parent families that had young children. Officials noted that the building would be staffed 24 hours a day and that security systems would also be in place to ensure safety for all residents.

Committee Member Maria Jones also expressed concern about how the facility would operate once open and how it would ensure all residents could communicate concerns are problems so that could properly be addressed.

In October 2018, the Jamestown Planning Commission informed project developers they would have to address environmental concerns before the project could move forward. So far the group has yet to address the concerns.

Members of the Jamestown Public Safety Committee listen to representatives from the Gateway Lofts proposal give details about where the project is at.

Artist’s rendering of the Gateway Lofts project upon completion

JAMESTOWN – The effort to create the Gateway Lofts multi-unit housing program at the Gateway Center in Jamestown is moving forward.

Steven Ald, director of real estate development at Southern Tier Environments for Living (STEL), tells WRFA that STEL is seeking clarification from the city regarding the planning commission’s recent decision on the Gateway Lofts proposal.

“[On Tuesday] STEL submitted a Freedom of Information request to City zoning officials requesting the City’s file materials in order to hopefully clarify the City Planning Commission’s recent SEQRA determination and related matters. STEL and its partners will be planning our next steps based on our review of all pertinent information,” Ald said via email.

The positive declaration from the planning commission’s Oct. 16 meeting means the commission felt the project could have a significant effect on the environment as it pertains to housing throughout the city and, as a result, STEL will need to address the concerns outlined by the commission and its staff in a forthcoming environmental impact statement.

“It’s our professional opinion that it has been determined that the proposed Gateway Lofts project does not comply with the spirit or intent of the Neighborhood Revitalization Plan adopted [by the Jamestown City Council] on Dec. 27, 2010 by a vote of 9 to 0 and the plan, as proposed, will create a significant impact on the environment that will create the perpetual cycle devaluing, disinvestment, neglect, and abandonment identified in the neighborhood revitilization plan,” explained city planning associate Crystal Surdyk during the Oct.16 meeting.

STEL and its legal counsel had hoped to that the commission would instead consider the project a “Type II” action – meaning it didn’t require any further environmental review – based on the project already addressing several environmental issues via its Brownfield cleanup plan, along with no significant additions being added to the existing structure.

Ald says that STEL and its partners – Community Helping Hands and the YWCA of Jamestown– is also encouraging members of the community to continue voicing support for the project.

“In light of the critical need for this innovative project and the significant community support that has been expressed for it to date, STEL, Community Helping Hands, the YWCA and their other local partners encourage members of the community to contact their representatives to reinforce their support for the Gateway Lofts,” Ald said. “We continue to work on progressing the project with the City, the necessary funding sources and local stakeholders. ”

On Oct. 9 the planning commission held a public hearing with over 80 people in attendance and the majority of those who spoke were in favor of the project.

The partners want to convert the Gateway Center on Water Street into the Gateway Lofts, which would offer an estimated 40 housing units to low income individuals and families members, along with about 40 other units for single parents seeking housing assistance from the YWCA, as well as non-violent individuals with addiction or mental health issues and overseen by STEL.  The total cost of the renovation project is estimated to cost $31 million.

According to the developers, support for the project has been given by several local officials, including: Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Sen. Catherine Young, Assemblyman Andrew Goodell, County Executive George Borrello, Deputy County Executive for Economic Development and IDA director Mark Geise, Sheriff Joseph Gerace, county Health and Human Services Director Christine Schuyler, and the Homeless Coalition.

Members and staff of the city planning commission meet in city hall on Tuesday, Oct. 16 to discuss the Gateway Lofts project.

JAMESTOWN – The City of Jamestown Planning Commission Tuesday unanimously issued a positive declaration for the proposed Gateway Lofts as part of its State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR) assessment.

The positive declaration means the commission feels the project may have a significant effect on the environment as it pertains to housing throughout the city and, as a result, the developer for the project – Southern Tier Environments for Living (STEL) – will need to address the concerns outlined by the commission and its staff in a forthcoming environmental impact statement.

City planning associate Crystal Surdyk explained that the reason for the positive declaration was due to the proposed project not falling into compliance with the city’s 2010 Neighborhood Revitalization Plan. Specifically, it would create a large number of housing units within the city.

“It’s our professional opinion that it has been determined that the proposed Gateway Lofts project does not comply with the spirit or intent of the Neighborhood Revitalization Plan adopted [by the Jamestown City Council] on Dec. 27, 2010 by a vote of 9 to 0 and the plan, as proposed, will create a significant impact on the environment that will create the perpetual cycle devaluing, disinvestment, neglect, and abandoment identified in the neighborhood revitilization plan,” Surdyk noted.

STEL and its legal counsel had hoped to that the Planning Commission would instead consider the project a “Type II” action – meaning it didn’t require any further environmental review – based on the project already addressing several environmental issues via its Brownfield cleanup plan, along with no significant additions being added to the existing structure. The group also argued that the project would not have a negative impact on housing conditions because it focuses primarily on individuals who are unable to live in most of the housing currently available within the area.  The group also pointed out the project is being supported by Harold Whitford, president of the Jamestown Landlords Association.

Because of the positive declaration, the planning commission did not act on granting the required permits needed in order for the project to move forward.

Following the meeting, STEL representative Steven Ald said the agency will work to address environmental review requirements so the project can move forward.

“It’s a lot of work to go through the SEQR process but we’re willing to it. It will certainly not delay our applications for funding. It may make it less likely to be funded but we are certainly sticking to our timeline to be funded,” Ald said.

In addition to completing an environmental assessment for the state to review, STEL also has the option of challenging the action by the commission if it chooses.

STEL is working with Community Helping Hands and the YWCA of Jamestown to convert the Gateway Center on Water Street into the Gateway Lofts, which would offer an estimated 40 housing units to low income individuals and families members, along with about 40 other units for single parents seeking housing assistance from the YWCA, as well as non-violent individuals with addiction or mental health issues and overseen by STEL.  The total cost of the renovation project is estimated to cost $31 million.

The decision by the planning commission came a week after it held a public hearing on the matter in which over two dozen people spoke on the project, with most in favor of it moving forward.

According to the developers, support for the project has been given by several local officials, including: Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Sen. Catherine Young, Assemblyman Andrew Goodell, County Executive George Borrello, Deputy County Executive for Economic Development and IDA director Mark Geise, Sheriff Joseph Gerace, county Health and Human Services Director Christine Schuyler, and the Homeless Coalition.

The Jamestown Planning Commission and staff during the Oct. 9 Gateway Lofts public hearing.

JAMESTOWN – The Jamestown Planning Commission is meeting Tuesday in city hall and will continue its review of site plans for the proposed Gateway Lofts project.

The meeting comes just one week after a public hearing was held focusing on the project and with more than 80 people in attendance.

The Planning Commission meeting is required to review site plans for the $31 million project and act on any permits needed to allow the project to move forward.

The Gateway Lofts project is an effort by Southern Tier Environments for Living (STEL), Community Helping Hands and the YWCA of Jamestown to provide 80 single and multi-family housing units in the upper floors of the Gateway Center on Water St.

Of these units, 39 would offer affordable housing options for low income residents, 16 would go to single-parent families assisted by the YWCA, and 25 units would be administered by STEL and designated for non-violent individuals who are homeless and have a serious mental illness or a substance use disorder – with a history of criminal offending or are at risk of offending.

The Gateway Center is the former Chautauqua Hardware furniture manufacturing company and part of the project would also include environmental remediation. It currently houses several service agencies including the Mental Health Association, Community Helping Hands and the St. Susan Center – which developers and supporter say make it an ideal location for the development project.

During last week’s hearing several questions from the public were asked about the project, including safety and environmental concerns as well as the large price tag associated with renovating the building.

Representatives for the project offered their responses during the hearing and now it’s up to the planning commission to determine if the project should proceed or if other issues still need to be addressed.

According to the developers, support for the project has been given by several local officials, including: Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Sen. Catherine Young, Assemblyman Andrew Goodell, County Executive George Borrello, Deputy County Executive for Economic Development and IDA director Mark Geise, Sheriff Joseph Gerace, county Health and Human Services Director Christine Schuyler, and the Homeless Coalition.

Tuesday’s planning commission meeting begins at 3:30 p.m. on the 4^th floor of city hall in the mayors conference room and is open to the public.