The city of Glens Falls is drawing up a new Smart Growth Comprehensive Plan and one of the first steps is to hear from the public.
Through a $150,000 New York State Department of State grant, the Warren County city is gearing up to reimagine its future.
Longtime resident Mike White chairs the citizen-led committee that is overseeing the comprehensive plan project.
“The point is to try to get people involved in their local government. And shaping the direction of their local community. So, it’s not too often we get a chance to do that in an organized kind of way,” says White.
White adds it’s a critical moment to renew the vision for the city’s downtown development.
“You know, we see that we’re a part of a national trend towards more urbanized living. Young people like that and are often attracted to that sort of style so it’s something Glens Falls is amid an increase in apartment construction and restorations of downtown and it’s attracting a lot of young people. So, we want to be able to be able to offer the opportunities that go along with that,” said White.
In 2016, Glens Falls received a $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant from the state. Last year, officials broke ground on the construction of a $5 million, DRI-funded, Event and Marketplace building meant to support one of the city’s more neglected corridors.
The city also received $12 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds.
Democratic Mayor Bill Collins says a new comprehensive plan will be vital to continue the city’s forward momentum.
“At the time, back in the 1950s, what you wanted was industry in your downtown and you wanted commercial in your downtown, you didn’t want residential. You wanted everybody in your neighborhood to be residents and you didn’t want any businesses. The city of the future is a mix, right? More and more young people across the country are moving to cities and want to live in cities. They want an apartment that’s walking distance from their favorite restaurants and their favorite night scenes and they want special events in their downtown,” said Collins.
Collins says he particularly wants to hear from that “next generation,” to provide focus to the plan’s approach to potential new transportation, housing, and work opportunities.
“Hopefully it will generate excitement within this next generation. That’s the goal to help them have input and have a way to communicate with us. We need them to start to think about what do they want Glens Falls to look like, and what would it take for them and their friends to move to Glens Falls. There’s not requirement that you have to live in Glens Falls to take the survey,” said Collins.
According to the 2020 census, Glens Falls' population was just shy of 15,000 with a median age of 37.
Third Ward Councilwoman Diana Palmer, a Democrat, says the effort is long overdue. She pushed for a new comprehensive plan in her first term and is running against Collins in June’s primary.
“In my second term, the department of state made these grants available with a 90% match so I was very excited at the opportunity for the city to be able to apply for that so that we could update our plan, we could get stakeholder and resident input to set strategic goals for our community and the direction we want our community to go in the future. And, also so we could make smart zoning decisions, development decisions, and spending decisions by consulting the goals that are developed through this comprehensive planning process,” said Palmer.
The survey is open through the end of the month.