Canastota’s NY Forward planning process gets started

The Village of Canastota is one of two communities in the Central New York region to be selected for Round Two of the NY Forward program. Canastota was selected for a $4.5 million award to complete transformative and/or catalytic projects in and near downtown. The NY Forward program provides robust capacity-building and technical assistance directly to communities throughout each phase of the process. Canastota is paired with a consultant team led by Stantec to guide our community through the planning process.

This effort is just getting started and will continue through Fall 2024 with the completion of the Strategic Investment Plan (SIP). The SIP will include a list of projects recommended for NY Forward funding by the Local Planning Committee (LPC). Following the submission of the SIP to the State, a multi-agency State team will review each project recommended for NY Forward funding. A subset of the projects submitted in the SIP will be awarded implementation funding by the State. These projects will be expected to start within two years of the funding award.

Transparent, open, and ongoing public engagement is a critical component of the NY Forward planning process and the development of the SIP.

– The LPC is comprised of local and regional leaders, stakeholders, and community representatives intended to represent diverse interests. The LPC oversees the planning process and the development of the SIP. Meetings are open to the public to observe.

– Two public meetings will be held during the planning process. These interactive meetings are open to everyone to participate. The consultant team will provide more information on the planning process and ask for community feedback on vision, goals, and potential projects.

– A project website will be created to provide an online resource with information about the NY Forward program and the local planning process. It will include information about past and upcoming meetings as well as opportunities for additional public input.

This is the second year of New York State’s NY Forward (NYF) program to invigorate and enliven downtowns in New York’s smaller and rural communities. As a complement to the Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI), NY Forward focuses on creating healthy, vibrant, walkable downtowns that catalyze sustainable economic development and accrue economic, social, and environmental benefits to the locality, the region, and the State as a whole. NY Forward is led by the Department of State, in close partnership with Empire State Development, NYS Homes and Community Renewal and New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. For more information, please visit https://www.ny.gov/programs/ny-forward.