Secretary Cortés-Vázquez Announces $500,000 in Grants for Smart Growth Planning Projects-Lower Hudson Valley

ALBANY, NY (02/10/2010)(readMedia)-- New York Secretary of State Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez today announced $500,000 in funding from the state Environmental Protection Fund Smart Growth Grant Program for seven smart growth planning projects in the Lower Hudson Valley. These awards cover a variety of planning projects that focus on economic, community and environmental issues, reinforcing Governor Paterson's commitment to improving both local economies and the environment.

"The Lower Hudson Valley region possesses tremendous natural resources and outdoor recreational opportunities," Secretary of State Cortés-Vázquez said. "In recent years it has experienced rapid growth and development; this growth can either threaten or enhance the quality of life in the region, depending upon the way it is planned. These awards will help communities addresses the effects of this growth on local and regional development patterns and show how the population boom can be a blessing for the Valley."

Six of the awards are for the planning of revitalization and redevelopment of municipal and regional centers, totaling $250,000:

· An award of $50,000 will enable the Town and Village of Harrison to draft zoning regulations and design guidelines for a mixed-use, transit-oriented development on a 3.3-acre parcel located adjacent to the Harrison Metro-North station and subsequently prepare a request for proposals for the development.

· An award of $40,000 will enable the City of Poughkeepsie to undertake market research and economic analysis to formulate transit-oriented development scenarios for parcels to the immediate east and west of the city's Metro-North and Amtrak station.

· An award of $35,000 will enable the City of Mount Vernon to conduct a market analysis to determine the full economic potential of the creation and expansion mixed-use, transit-oriented developments, with a focus on attracting new businesses near existing transit facilities.

· An award of $50,000 will enable the Town of Red Hook, in partnership with the Villages of Red Hook and Tivoli, to amend the town's comprehensive plan and its zoning regulation to curb housing sprawl on rural and agricultural land, encourage village-scale development and protect open spaces.

· An award of $50,000 will enable Orange County, in partnership with the City of Newburgh and the Villages of Maybrook, Montgomery and Walden, to conduct an inventory of vacant buildings and develop an adaptive reuse plan intended to direct growth to existing developed centers to utilize their infrastructure and limit sprawl.

· An award of $25,000 will enable the Town of Lloyd to complete a development analysis for the Hamlet of Highland including a traffic and parking analysis; identification of linkages to the waterfront, rail trail and area parks; and recommendations for public spaces development with Highland's Main Street district.

Three of these awards will advance transit-oriented development in the Lower Hudson Valley. Transit-oriented development is compact, walkable, mixed-used development that is focused around mass transit, such as trains, light rail, trolleys or buses. By focusing development around transit, communities can become sustainable places to live, work and play.

One award to the Open Space Institute (OSI), for $250,000, will enable the development of a Lower Hudson Valley regional smart growth plan. OSI is partnering with the Regional Plan Association, the Trust for Public Land, the Environmental Defense Fund, Scenic Hudson and Patterns for Progress. The smart growth plan will address carbon emissions, economic efficiency and quality of life issues for the region and will produce plans for priority growth and preservation areas to balance the rapid growth of the region with emissions reduction and environmental protection for the Lower Hudson Valley.

The New York State Smart Growth Grant Program has targeted three geographic areas – the Adirondack Park, the Central Catskills (Route 28 corridor) and the Lower Hudson Valley regions – each with its own distinct growth management challenges and opportunities. The request for applications in the Lower Hudson Valley issued by the Department of State drew 33 applications for a total of $2,490,540.

Addition quotes were provided in support of the Department of State's smart growth funding:

State Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Chair of the Senate Local Government Committee, said: "I am pleased to work with Secretary of State Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez to ensure that localities can accommodate sensible economic growth while protecting the region's natural resources. The Lower Hudson Valley region is an area of the state that is rich in natural resources. Protecting it while promoting economic development opportunities is a win for residents and visitors alike."

State Senator Antoine M. Thompson, Chair of the Senate Environmental Conservation Committee, said: "I applaud New York Secretary of State Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez for securing funding from the Environmental Protection Fund Smart Growth Grant Program for these Smart Growth planning projects. These projects will assist in encouraging environmental and economic growth in the Hudson Valley."

State Assemblyman Sam Hoyt said: "As Chair of the Assembly Committee on Local Governments, I am pleased that the Department of State is encouraging smart growth and other local efficiency efforts during a time when the state is experiencing unprecedented fiscal hardship. The state must continue to encourage cost savings at every level of government, and I commend all grant awardees as examples to watch and follow in the effort to reduce sprawl and thereby lower costs for New York state taxpayers."

Empire State Development Chairman & CEO designate Dennis M. Mullen said: "New York state municipalities must plan now for the future. These valuable funds from the state Environmental Protection Fund Smart Growth Grant Program will help spur downtown revitalization while protecting our natural resources and quality of life. In assisting local governments with planning and development, these smart growth planning projects will also ensure livable communities in the Lower Hudson Valley for years to come."

New York State Department of Transportation Acting Commissioner Stanley Gee said: "When included as part of a comprehensive smart growth plan, transportation infrastructure improvements can help communities become more sustainable and limit sprawl. These grants will promote transit development and traffic enhancements that are integral to reducing the environmental impact of transportation and making neighborhoods more energy efficient."

Joan Walsh, Mayor and Supervisor of the Town and Village of Harrison, said: "Harrison is very pleased and grateful to receive this Award for Smart Growth planning. The development of this Transit-Oriented Development, which we are doing jointly with the MTA, is central to the redevelopment of our downtown business district. It will bring additional retail and residential space, as well as much needed parking, to the area. With these funds, we will be moving forward to finalize the plans and, hopefully, will be ready to break ground before the end of the year."

Town of Lloyd Supervisor Raymond Costantino said: "The proposed Highland Hamlet Development Analysis will synthesize a number of existing plans and projects that have been directed toward increasing quality of life for residents, businesses, and visitors in the hamlet. Because of its proximity to regional transportation and with the opening of the Walkway Over the Hudson State Park, the hamlet has experienced increased growth pressure."

City of Mount Vernon Mayor Clinton I. Young, Jr., said: "We are pleased that Governor Patterson and the Department of State recognize that Mount Vernon's physical attributes reflect smart growth patterns and are primed for transit oriented development. The funding provided through the Smart Growth Grant Program will facilitate the city's updating of its comprehensive plan to identify development strategies that will economically and environmentally benefit Mount Vernon and the Lower Hudson Valley."

Orange County Executive Edward Diana said: "The health of our county's historic cities and villages is a true barometer for the vitality of the county and our region. We are honored to receive this state assistance for a collaborative project focused on steps to improve these four distinct and significant historic areas."

City of Poughkeepsie Mayor John C. Tkazyik said: "Transit-Oriented Development is important to the revitalization of our city so residents and visitors alike can travel to and from our community. We have so much to offer as a city and this grant will help us in studying the possibilities available to us as we step forward into the future."

Town of Red Hook Supervisor Susan Crane said: "The Town of Red Hook's collaborative and cooperative work with our municipal partners the Village of Red Hook and the Village of Tivoli historically have served all residents of our town and villages. Working together has enabled us to develop future long-range plans to meet the needs of our community while being responsive to our environment, our region and our history in this special area in the Mid-Hudson Valley. We are honored and grateful for the funding made possible through the Environmental Protection Fund Smart Growth Grant Program."

Village of Red Hook Mayor David Cohen said: "We are very pleased to have received this grant. It is a very important component of moving forward with our smart growth planning."

Village of Tivoli Mayor Thomas Cordier said: "It's great to be recognized for something we've been working on for the past five years. We've been experimenting with shared services and working on smart growth programs because it's important to the residents of Tivoli and the town."

Environmental Defense Fund General Counsel Jim Tripp said: "As we emerge from the current recession, the Lower Hudson Valley will once again become the focus of development as well as major state transportation investments that have over the last three or more decades have facilitated scattered, high energy-consuming patterns of growth with mounting traffic congestion and loss of open space natural resources. Our Lower Hudson Valley smart growth project will provide state and county transportation, economic development, planning and environmental protection agencies, the towns and business leaders with an alternative vision for the future with the tools to attain that vision locally and regionally."

Open Space Institute CEO Kim Elliman said: "We applaud Secretary Cortés-Vázquez and the Department of State for their visionary funding of the Lower Hudson Valley smart growth plan. In 2010, this work is critical – planning is paramount, infrastructure investment is a necessity, and the regional landscape is the right scale to effect change. The efforts that the Department of State are funding will go a long way toward providing viable options for the Hudson Valley."

Scenic Hudson Senior Vice President Steve Rosenberg said: "This state investment is well timed. During this economic slowdown, communities and partners can establish forward-looking economic and environmental goals. In seeking economic opportunity, we must protect our region's unique beauty, nature and quality of life because these are leading selling points for doing business here. Encouraging appropriate growth in established city and town centers will help taxpayers. Also it will protect natural areas that support tourism and agriculture –leading valley industries– while helping the region secure its place in the emerging green economy."

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