Town of Oneonta Moves Forward with Strategic Vision Plan for West End Corridor

By JOSHUA YOUNGQUIST 
ONEONTA

The Town of Oneonta is taking its first major steps toward shaping the future of the West End corridor, launching a Strategic Vision Plan that aims to blend community priorities, economic development and long‑term infrastructure needs.

The effort—led by Town Supervisor Will Rivera in partnership with SUNY Oneonta—is rooted in a simple premise: The people who live, work and spend time in the West End should define what comes next.

The initiative began when the town became aware of an opportunity from Empire State Development to apply for feasibility funding. 

“This came about because we received an ask from New York State ESD to apply for this feasibility funding opportunity,” Rivera said.

 He noted that the application was submitted under the previous town board, in collaboration with SUNY Oneonta, to secure funding for a comprehensive study of the corridor.

SUNY Oneonta’s role has been hands‑on from the beginning.

“We applied together for this funding…working in collaboration and providing support in applying, writing the grants, getting things ready for it,” Rivera explained.

Today, Rivera, along with Caroline Williams from SUNY Oneonta, serves as part of the executive core team guiding the study.

Once funding was secured, the town issued a Request for Proposals to identify a planning firm to lead the work. Highland Planning was ultimately selected and is now conducting the study, supported by a steering committee made up of local leaders and residents. 

The committee has already launched an online survey and is hosting focus groups and public workshops to gather input.

Rivera emphasized that community feedback is not a formality, but rather will directly shape the plan.

 “This is an opportunity for [residents] to be heard and participate,” he said. “We’re making sure we’re doing all the prepared work first.”

The town is also getting ready to issue a call for private‑sector investment. Rivera noted that while the plan will be comprehensive, redevelopment ultimately requires partners willing to invest.

“We have to put a call out for investors who are willing to invest in our community…the better and more robust the survey and data, the more trustworthy the investors feel of our community and their investment.”

Although the planning process is still in its early stages, Rivera said some themes have already emerged: “Whatever we’re hearing very routinely…it is bowling alley, indoor recreation opportunities and a grocery store,” 

Rivera pointed out that within just three days of launching the survey, the town received more than 200 responses—an early sign of strong community engagement.

Questions about traffic, walkability and public transportation are also surfacing. Rivera said these issues will be evaluated as the study progresses, especially given recent conversations with SUNY Oneonta students.

“People were saying they’d like to see better bus routes…some recent college graduates said things like ‘I’ve never come to the West End’ or ‘the buses stop after 5 o’clock.’” Those concerns, he said, will be taken seriously.

For now, the Town of Oneonta is focused on listening rather than prescribing.

“We haven’t even gotten that far at all. Our goal is to make sure we are providing ample opportunity for all to contribute and be a part of this process,” Rivera said.

The timeline for state funding decisions remains uncertain. Grants are typically announced between October and December, but Rivera noted that the town must be prepared for any outcome. 

“Even if we don’t get the funding, at least we have a study done by experts…we have the data, and we can apply for further applications or attract developers interested in certain areas,” Rivera speculated.

The town is encouraging residents to participate in the planning process by completing the online survey—open through Friday, November 13—and attending the public workshop on Wednesday, October 28 at Town Hall.

As Rivera put it, “We want to know what’s working, what could be better and what we might be missing.”

The Strategic Vision Plan is supported by Empire State Development’s Strategic Planning and Feasibility Studies Program. The survey, additional information and project updates are available at OneontaWestEnd.org.