Governor Pataki's program designed to pre-permit sites for a wide range of business uses, BUILD NOW-NY, is going on the road this fall.
The Governor's Office of Regulatory Reform (GORR) will host four full-day seminars statewide to inform economic development agencies and site owners of the opportunities available under the program. Seminars are scheduled for Johnson City (Sept. 24), Schenectady (Oct. 6), Niagara Falls (Oct. 14), and Poughkeepsie (Nov. 16).
A $25 registration fee includes lunch and all seminar publications. At the seminar, representatives from GORR, Empire State Development, and the Departments of Environmental Conservation, State, and Transportation will explain BUILD NOW-NY to participants.
BUILD NOW-NY is based on a similar idea, "SEMI-NY," which is designed to help New York compete for semiconductor plants by pre-permitting sites. BUILD NOW-NY is creating an inventory of locations for many other business uses, making them ready for development when the opportunity arises, and even creating opportunities for development.
The Governor announced the new program last September. In December, local officials nominated 83 sites for it under one or more of several site profiles: research & development, manufacturing, light industrial, office park, warehouse distribution, business/commercial park, and retail.
"BUILD NOW-NY will save expanding companies valuable time and money and position New York to attract new industries, new companies, and new jobs for the future," Governor Pataki said.
Thirty of these sites have been awarded $50,000 each in matching grants from ESD to be used to begin environmental review, zoning changes, and other site preparation and approvals necessary for development.
"Pre-permitting increases our competitiveness, creates jobs, and makes New York a better place to live and do business," said Dave Bradley, acting director of GORR.
Contact Jim Roberts at 518/486-3292 or visit www.gorr.state.ny.us/gorr/bnnymeetings.html.