NY Forward Local Planning Committee meeting

The Village of Canastota’s NY Forward planning process is getting underway. The first Local Planning Committee (LPC) meeting will be Wednesday, May 8 from 6:00-8:00 pm at the former Red Onion storefront at the corner of Peterboro and Center Streets. LPC meetings are open to the public to observe and there will be a 15-minute public comment period at the end. Anyone interested is encouraged to attend. An interactive public kick-off meeting will be held in the coming weeks.

The LPC is the steering committee for the village’s NY Forward planning process. It is comprised of representatives from local businesses, community groups, non-profits, social and public service organizations, and others who represent the variety of interests in Canastota. The LPC is co-chaired by Mayor Rosanne Warner and Kipp Hicks, Executive Director of the Madison County Industrial Development Agency (IDA). The committee members are:

– Mayor Rosanne Warner – Co-Chair
– Kipp Hicks, Madison County IDA – Co-Chair
– Tracy Cesario
– Sena Clarke
– Amanda Douglass
– Marilyn Higgins
– Colleen Keane
– Jen Kitchen
– Bill McDade
– Emily Sorbello
– Anthony Palamara
– Melinda Parmeter

Over the next 6-7 months, LPC members will work with Stantec, the State’s planning consultant, by providing input on the vision and goals for downtown; reviewing planning products; and ultimately, recommending potential projects for State funding consideration. LPC members will also assist with community engagement by informing the public engagement approach and helping to reach out to various constituencies, so all voices are heard during the planning process.

NY Forward (NYF) was launched in 2022 to support a more equitable downtown recovery for New York’s smaller communities, with a focus on hamlets, villages, and neighborhood-scale commercial centers. 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.