Town of Oneonta Awarded $40K for West End Development, Planning
ONEONTA—On May 7, officials announced the Town of Oneonta has been awarded a $40,000.00 grant from Empire State Development to help plan the future of the West End corridor. The award comes through the state’s Strategic Planning and Feasibility Studies Program and supports the Town of Oneonta West End Development Plan, officials said.
The West End is a mixed commercial and residential corridor and one of the main gateways into Oneonta. According to a press release, the planning work will examine current conditions, evaluate development options and identify practical next steps for the area, guided by a professional planning consultant.
“This planning work is the foundation for something bigger,” said Town Supervisor Will Rivera. “The West End deserves decisions made with the community, not just for it. Forty thousand dollars in feasibility work today puts us in a much stronger position to compete for millions tomorrow.”
The Town of Oneonta is a certified Pro-Housing Community under Governor Kathy Hochul’s program, which has directed more than $1.4 billion in state investment to downtown revitalization across New York. Certification makes the town eligible to compete for the state’s largest downtown investment programs, including the Downtown Revitalization Initiative and NY Forward. According to officials, the feasibility work funded by this award is intended to position the town for future applications to those programs and other Empire State Development funding.
The town will hold information sessions for West End property owners as part of the planning process. Property owners can sign up for project updates at www.townofoneonta.org.
The grant application was prepared by Deputy Town Supervisor and Councilwoman Patricia Riddell-Kent, former Councilwoman Kim Fierke, and Caroline Williams of SUNY Oneonta.
“Working alongside our neighbors to grow Oneonta in ways that are economically sound and socially significant will benefit the entire community today and into the future,” said SUNY President Alberto Cardelle. “We are proud of the strong relationships we have developed with local leaders and look forward to collaborating with Supervisor Rivera, town board members, and the community as planning efforts begin in the West End.”
Officials said the town will share details on the planning timeline and information session dates in the coming weeks.
