Representatives from the City of Jamestown, Gebbie Foundation, CCIDA, Chautauqua County Planning & Development, CCPEG, C&S Companies, and the Harrison Studio were recently in Ithaca to accept the American Planning Association (APA) New York Upstate Chapter’s “Best Practice” award for the development and completion of the Chadakoin River Strategic Business Plan.

The American Planning Association New York Upstate Chapter has awarded the Chadakoin River Strategic Business Plan with its “Best Practice” award.

The award was presented to the numerous individuals involved with developing the plan during the chapter’s annual meeting in Ithaca.

The Chadakoin River Strategic Business Plan was designed as a blueprint for the development of Jamestown’s river corridor. The plan proposes a series of individual activities to enhance the Chadakoin corridor. It was completed in the spring of 2021.

Partners included the city of Jamestown, Gebbie Foundation, Chautauqua County Industrial Development Agency and Chautauqua County Partnership for Economic Growth, Jamestown Board of Public Utilities, Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy, Jamestown Renaissance Corporation and several Jamestown-based businesses.

The core group that worked on completing the plan included the city of Jamestown, Gebbie Foundation, IDA, Chautauqua County Planning & Development, CCPEG, C&S Companies, and the Harrison Studio.

“A lot of time and effort went into the development of this plan by multiple partners and we were thrilled to see all of our hard work being recognized through this special award,” said Mark Geise, county IDA CEO and CCPEG Advisory Board co-chair. “Implementation of the recommendations suggested in this strategy will result in activation of this critical downtown asset.”

The APA New York Upstate Chapter’s “Best Practice” award is given annually to a specific planning tool, practice, program, project, or process in New York State.

CCPEG has worked with the city and other project partners to leverage the plan to secure several grants and funding commitments to advance several projects recommended within it, including a Department of State Local Waterfront Revitalization Program award of $1,280,661, an Empire State Development capital grant in the amount of $361,000, $50,000 from CCPEG, and an allocation of ARPA funding from the city of Jamestown.

“The Chadakoin River Business Plan is an invaluable tool in helping to guide the development of the Chadakoin River corridor for years to come, helping to lead to a stronger and more vibrant economy for the city of Jamestown and Chautauqua County. Thank you to Upstate New York APA for recognizing the work that went into creating this crucial document,” said Crystal Surdyk, Jamestown development director.

Money will advance a first phase of improvements to the Chadakoin River Basin area to increase public access to the water and spur economic activity in and around downtown Jamestown. Enhancements to the north shore of the Basin include a signature garden, mural, tiered seating space, and placemaking items. The south shore will benefit from the addition of a kayak launch, dock, and welcome center for visitors. The city is currently out to bid on this phase of work and anticipates improvements getting underway in 2025.

The full Chadakoin River Business Plan can be found under the “Business Development” section of Chadakoin.org.