Downtown Geneva Local Planning Committee Meeting #1

City of Geneva Downtown Revitilization Initiative - October 4, 2016

Attendees

• 17 Committee Members
• Over 40 members from the public

Welcome and Introductions

Mayor Ronald L. Alcock welcomed the committee and the members of the public for the first Local Planning Committee Meeting. He asked the committee members to introduce themselves and their connection to the City of Geneva. The committee members went around the table and introduced themselves.

Andy Raus followed by congratulating the City of Geneva for being awarded the Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) funding and continued by briefly going over the meeting agenda, which included:

• What is the Downtown Revitalization Initiative?
• Building on a Strong Foundation
• DRI Process, Scope and Timeline
• Discussion
• Next Steps

Welcome and Introductions

Andy Raus, Bergmann, discussed the numerous agencies that are involved in the Downtown Revitalization Initiative, as well as the consultant project team that has been tasked with completing the strategic investment plan. Andy continued by identifying the role the Local Planning Committee has in the planning process and thanked the committee for their willingness to be involved.

What is the Downtown Revitilization Initiative

Sarah Crowell, Department of State, provided additional context about the statewide DRI and how the City of Geneva was selected as the DRI community in the Finger Lakes Region by demonstrating compelling opportunities for creating an enhanced downtown that attracts new businesses and residents. Crowell continued by discussing the goals of the DRI and the intention of the first $300,000 to be used to develop a strategic investment plan to guide investment of the balance of the $10 million dollar DRI award.

Building on a strong foundation

Matt Horn, the City Manager of Geneva, continued the presentation by discussing the strong foundation the City of Geneva has and how the DRI will build on recent initiatives and successes. He discussed how recent planning has positioned the city for development. Horn discussed the elements of a number of existing plans, including, the Comprehensive Plan, the Waterfront Infrastructure Feasibility Study and the Connectivity Plan. He showed how the key programmatic elements identified for the DRI continues to advance the goals and vision of the recent planning efforts.

DRI Process, Scope and Timeline

Andy Raus further detailed the planning process for the DRI and how it will unfold over the next five months. He described how the public will have a strong role in all components of the process as well as ample avenues to express their opinion and react to strategies and recommendations developed by the consultant team. Raus discussed how the consultant team will be using the charrette ready method in order to extract the most amount of information from the public during the short project timeline. He also discussed the number of deliverables that the DRI process will produce, including the Downtown Profile. He reiterated Matt Horn’s point of building on the strong foundation the City of Geneva already has.

Kimberly Baptiste discussed the Vison, Values and Principals that were established during the Comprehensive Planning process. She continued by showing how Geneva’s values will be infused in the DRI process and that the DRI will continue to build on what has already been established in the City of Geneva. She showed the committee the fast paced timeline that has been established in order to meet the Department of State’s expectations. Kimberly discussed a number of outcomes the DRI process will facilitate, including master plans with priority projects ready for implementation, 3D modeling and visualization of the project area and marketing materials to further promote and leverage external funding that would ensure the City of Geneva’s continued success.

Kimberly described key scope elements the consultant team has completed thus far. These tasks include updating the existing traffic data for major exchanges throughout the city, creating a 3D base model, and completing preliminary site visits and tours throughout the city.

Group Exercise

Kimberly facilitated an interactive discussion with meeting attendees. She asked the committee members three questions; committee members and a number of members of the public provided the following responses:

What are Geneva’s biggest assets?

• Restaurants
• Lakefront
• Wide streets
• Smith Opera House
• Educational institutions- Hobart William & Smith, Finger Lakes Community College
• Small business
• Diverse population
• Residents’ commitment and passion to their City
• Access to fresh food
• City’s architecture
• Lots of parking
• City’s rich history
• City’s unique character, spirt and energy
• Ample hotels
• Location in the Finger Lakes region
• Being a part of the world renown Finger Lakes brand

What is a challenge facing the downtown?

• Blighted buildings
• Traffic and congestion
• Low periods of activity throughout the day
• Access to a grocery store
• Parking for residents in the Downtown
• Diversity and the lack of integration
• The upstate economy
• Shortage of retail options—especially clothing
• Entertainment options other than bars
• Lack of employment opportunities
• Lack of bike lanes
• Lack of pedestrian friendly connections
• Competition with Routes 5 & 20
• Connectivity issues
• Lack of visual identity—no real gateway feature for the city
• Not ADA compliant—lack of elevators
• Public Safety
• Lack of landscaping
• Lack of children friendly activities
• Underutilized parks and open space
• Lack of programing and signage for park and open space
• Empty storefronts—especially on Castle Street
• Unsafe connections to the lakefront—the existing tunnel is not conducive for pedestrians

What projects do you think would have the greatest influence on Geneva?

• Lakefront connection
• Infill projects—including the development of Exchange Street South
• Senior housing
• Building a grocery store
• Increasing mixed income and mixed use developments
• Lakefront projects—completing the remaining phases identified in the Waterfront Infrastructure Plan
• Re-open the area’s natural springs
• Establish children friendly activities and spaces
• Flexible programming spaces/structures—allows for users of the space to not have to be locked into a space
• Remove/relocate rail yard
• Implement public restrooms
• Allow for public art exhibits/installations
• Streetscaping
• Develop pedestrian friendly connections
• Develop high speed broadband
• Improve garbage removal
• Develop a customer service workforce
• Early education programs—help prepare children for Kindergarten
• Brand the area as a resort
• Promote/develop winter/4-season activities
• Maintain existing aspects of the city
• Develop a conference center
• Develop a way to reroute traffic through the city to promote the area’s tourism
• Upgrade the public transportation system—include bus shelters and benches

Next Steps

Andy wrapped up the committee meeting by discussing the next steps of the project which include soliciting public input to refine the vision and values for the downtown area and preparing the downtown profile. He asked the committee members and the public to mark their calendars for October 27th and 28th and to prepare to participate in the first public workshop, focus group meetings, stakeholder meetings, and to interact with the consultant team much more as we move through the strategic planning process.