News

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Clarkson University

 

 

SUNY Potsdam

Potsdam, N.Y. – The Village of Potsdam, along with its state partners, is pleased to announce the fourth
meeting of the Downtown Revitalization Initiative Local Planning Committee (LPC) which is scheduled
for Tuesday, March 17, 2020 at the Potsdam Community Room, 2 Park Street, 3rd Floor, Potsdam, NY.
The LPC meeting will be held from 6:00 – 8:00 pm, with an opportunity for public comment at the end of
the meeting.
Governor Cuomo’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) is transforming downtown neighborhoods
into vibrant communities. In its fourth year, the program will invest $100 million into 10 additional
downtown neighborhoods across the state. Participating communities are nominated by the state’s ten
Regional Economic Development Councils (REDCs) based on the downtown’s potential for
transformation, and each community is awarded $10 million to develop a downtown strategic
investment plan and implement key catalytic projects that advance the community’s vision for
revitalization. The Village of Potsdam was selected in October 2019 as the North Country DRI
community.
The DRI is a comprehensive approach to boosting local economies by transforming communities into
vibrant neighborhoods that offer a high quality of life for all residents. Each community selected to
participate in the Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) will accomplish its goals through a unique
state-local partnership that includes a Local Planning Committee (LPC), a consultant team, and state
agency staff. With support from municipal staff and input from the public, this partnership will result in
a strategic investment plan that will achieve the vision and goals for revitalization of the downtown.
The Local Planning Committee (LPC) is made up of local and regional leaders, stakeholders, and
community representatives. LPC members will attend a variety of meetings at which they will be asked
to brainstorm ideas, provide direction to consultants, review planning products, and prioritize actions.
Mayor Reinhold Tischler and Kristin Esterberg, President of the State University of New York at Potsdam,
are the Potsdam LPC co-chairs.

The Consultant Team selected to assist in developing the DRI strategic investment plan is being led by
M.J. Engineering and Land Surveying, P.C. (MJ) of Clifton Park and includes Environmental Design &
Research, Landscape Architecture, Engineering & Environmental Services, D.P.C., CLA SITE Landscape
Architecture, Engineering & Planning, PC, Lacey Thaler Reilly Wilson, E.M. Pemrick and Company, and
Captain Consultants, LLC.
Public engagement is a key component of the DRI planning process and fundamental to the
success of the DRI. The objective of public engagement is to ensure that all stakeholders have ample
opportunity to know and understand the DRI process and its intended outcomes; to comment on the
study as it progresses; to express their concerns and contribute ideas; and to participate in building a
consensus about the vision for the Downtown and other outcomes, culminating in a locally supported
DRI Strategic Investment Plan. Public workshops and engagement activities will be scheduled
throughout the effort to allow opportunity for public input. More information about the DRI can be
Found at www.ny.gov/dri and www.PotsdamDRI.com.