August 19, 2014 (ONEONTA, NY) – The County of Otsego Industrial Development Agency (the IDA) announced today the launch of a cooperative effort with the Village of Cooperstown to develop a downtown revitalization and economic development strategy and to update the Village of Cooperstown’s Comprehensive Plan. “We are excited to be collaborating with the community to pump renewed life into downtown Cooperstown,” says IDA Chair Robert Hanft. “This project will provide a vision for the development of new and diverse opportunities to expand business activity year-round.”
An Advisory Committee tasked with providing oversight, guidance, and input throughout the process met on Monday, August 11th to kick off the project. Advisory Committee members are: Jeff Katz, Mayor of Cooperstown; Ellen Tillapaugh, Deputy Mayor; Cindy Falk, Village Trustee; Matt Hazzard, Cooperstown Chamber; Chris Grady, Stagecoach Coffee; Ted Spencer, formerly of the Baseball Hall of Fame; and Elizabeth Horvath of the IDA.
Elan Planning, Design & Landscape Architecture, a Saratoga Springs firm, has been retained to help develop the plan. “We are delighted to be working with the IDA and the Village of Cooperstown to prepare a vision for the future of the downtown and the surrounding neighborhoods” said Lisa Nagle, Principal with Elan.
Elan, which has begun surveying visitors to Cooperstown, will continue collecting input from both residents and visitors on Saturday, August 23rd, at both the Cooperstown Farmers’ Market and in Pioneer Park. “Together with the Advisory Committee, stakeholders, village residents and tourists, we will prepare a plan that reflects the needs, wants, and desires of the entire community,” Nagle said. Elan’s work in the initial phase will continue through the fall with more opportunities for local community input as the project progresses.
“We are always enthusiastic about community input,” stated Mayor Katz, adding that having “an impartial group” like Elan collect widespread input would be valuable.
Project organizers had applied for NYS CFA funding to support the project but, while waiting for possible State grants, the IDA Board voted last month to provide initial funding for the project so that work could begin immediately. The Village of Cooperstown also voted to provide a portion of the initial funding to get started. Overall, the project is expected to take approximately one year to complete.
The County of Otsego Industrial Development Agency (the IDA) is a non-profit public benefit agency whose mission is to attract new industry, encourage industrial modernization and facilitate the creation of new job opportunities in the County. The IDA is governed by the actions of its Board of Directors, who are appointed by the Chair of the County Board of Representatives. The IDA is self-funded and is not an office or department of the Otsego County government.