AGENDA
July 10-11 | Lake Ontario Event and Conference Center, Oswego

• 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

  WALKING TOURS
  Individuals who have registered for the walking tours will receive details about that individual tour.

  Downtown Oswego (This walking tour is FULL): Join us for a walking tour of downtown Oswego.  The tour will highlight some of the improvements made as part of Oswego’s DRI program.  Attendees will gather in the lobby of the Oswego Conference Center at 11:00 a.m. before heading out. This walking tour will be approximately 1.25 miles, lasting approximately 75 minutes with various stops along way. 
  Leader: Amy Murphy, Director of Economic Development, City of Oswego

  What Can a Land Bank Do? A Site Visit (This tour is FULL): Meet up first in an Oswego neighborhood recently benefited from the Oswego County Land Bank’s hard work (address of the starting location will be emailed to those who have signed up).  Attendees will get a short walking tour of a block where the City has been active dealing with myriad problem properties.  Representatives from the Land Bank will highlight what they’ve done to revitalize the neighborhood.  Transportation is NOT provided.  Attendees will be responsible for driving to the neighborhood and then hotel. This walking tour will be approximately 1/4 mile, lasting approximately 75 minutes with various stops along way.
  Leader: Kim Parker, Executive Director, Oswego County Land Bank

• 1:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

  NYCOM Registration Desk Open

• 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

  CONCURRENT SESSIONS
  MAIN STREET
  Placemaking: How Greater Binghamton is Working to Create Places and Transform Public Spaces to Build and Strengthen Its Communities
  Traditional economic development focused on tax breaks and other financial incentives to create businesses and jobs. However, current community development practitioners have realized that creating a quality place is just as important for development as providing financial incentives. This session will highlight how one region is focusing on placemaking—the process of creating quality places where people want to live, work and play—to revitalize its communities and grow its economy.
  Presenter: Jim Reyen, Director of Placemaking Initiatives, Greater Binghamton Chamber of Commerce
  

  VACANT & ABANDONED PROPERTIES
  A Primer on Dealing with Vacant and Abandoned Properties
  Vacant, neglected and abandoned properties can be the bane of local officials’ efforts to create vibrant, thriving communities. Even one neglected property can blight an entire neighborhood, inhibiting growth and redevelopment. This session will cover the basic options local officials have at their disposal when dealing with such properties, including criminal and civil enforcement and summary abatement. Specific attention will be paid to the importance of understanding the root causes of property neglect, vacancy, or abandonment.
  Presenter: Wade Beltramo, NYCOM General Counsel
  
  

• 3:15 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.

  CONCURRENT SESSIONS
  MAIN STREET
  Main Street Rapid Roundtable Discussions
  Do you have questions about dealing with parking? Do you have vacant storefronts that you need help marketing? Are you looking for help with running or even starting a festival? Are the façades of your downtown storefronts in need of a makeover? Is your community struggling with homelessness.? Attendees will engage in 15 to 20 minute small group discussions focusing on different main street issues before moving on to another table to discuss other topics. Each table will be hosted by a moderator knowledgeable on the table’s topic.
  Moderators: Anthony Capece, Executive Director, Central Avenue BID; Sarah Glose, Director of Economic Development, City of Binghamton; and Merike Treier, Executive Director, Downtown Committee of Syracuse

  VACANT & ABANDONED PROPERTIES
  Alternatives to In Rem Foreclosures: Taking Title to Abandoned Property Using RPAPL Articles 19-A and 19-B and the Eminent Domain Procedure Law
  Vacant and distressed properties frequently end up being abandoned and left to blight the community for years, if not decades. Resolving title and ownership issues is key to addressing the long-term challenges of such properties. This session will highlight the efforts of the Greater Mohawk Valley Land Bank to use Article 19-A of the Real Property Actions and Proceedings Law to address blight and safety conditions resulting from abandoned properties. The presentation will conclude with an overview of those limited situations in which eminent domain may be a good option to acquire abandoned property.
  Presenters: E. Hyde Clarke, Young/Sommer LLC and Wade Beltramo, NYCOM General Counsel
  
  

• 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER JEFF SPECK, SPECK DEMPSEY LLC
Revitalization Through Walkability
Jeff Speck, a world-renowned city planner advocates internationally for more walkable cities. He is co-author of Suburban Nation, which the Wall Street Journal calls “the urbanist’s bible,” and his 2012 book Walkable City was the best-selling city-planning title of the past decade and has been translated into seven languages. He is also author of The Smart Growth Manual and Walkable City Rules. There will be a book signing following the presentation.

• 5:45 p.m. - 6:45 p.m.

  Networking Mixer in the Riverfront Reception Room

• 7:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

  NYCOM Registration Desk Open

• 7:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.

  Continental Breakfast

• 8:00 a.m. - 8:45 a.m.

  CONCURRENT SESSIONS
  MAIN STREET
  Embracing AI: Transforming Municipal Decisions
  Join us for an engaging and informative session that will explore how artificial intelligence (AI) can revolutionize decision-making and increase productivity. Discover some practical applications of AI that can enhance efficiency, improve accuracy, and drive innovative solutions for city and village management. Learn from real-world examples and gain insights into leveraging AI tools to make data-driven decisions that shape the future of your municipality. Don’t miss this opportunity to embrace AI and transform the way you lead your community.
  Presenter: Anthony Capece, Executive Director, Central Avenue BID
  

  VACANT & ABANDONED PROPERTIES
  In Rem Foreclosure Post-Tyler, Post-NYS Legislation
  In 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court held that local governments keeping surplus proceeds from the enforcement of delinquent real property taxes constituted an unconstitutional taking. Consequently, the State of New York has enacted substantial amendments to the Real Property Tax Law to provide a process for determining the existence and distribution of any surplus proceeds that result from delinquent real property tax enforcement. This session will address the changes to New York’s Real Property Tax Law and the implications for cities and villages that enforce either pursuant to Article 11 of the Real Property Tax Law, their charter, or via tax lien sales.
  Presenter: Wade Beltramo, NYCOM General Counsel 
  

• 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.

  CONCURRENT SESSIONS
  MAIN STREET
  New York's Main Street Program: What it Can Do For Your Downtown
  This panel of presenters will provide an overview of the New York Main Street program, highlight its benefits, and provide tips on successfully accessing and leveraging the grant resources to achieve visible downtown improvements. An experienced grant administrator will join the discussion to provide insight on what it takes to deliver these resources at the local level.
  Presenters: Ed Flynn, AICP, Director of Planning, LaBella Associates; Merike Treier, Executive Director, Downtown Committee of Syracuse; and Crystal Loffler, President, Office of Community Renewal, New York State Homes & Community Renewal
  

  VACANT & ABANDONED PROPERTIES
  Land Banks 101
  Since the New York Land Bank Act was enacted in 2011, 30 land banks have been created throughout the State. In just over a decade, land banks have helped to redevelop thousands of properties, diverting them from the endless cycle of real estate speculation via the tax foreclosure process. Don’t know what a land bank is?  This is your opportunity to find out from the professionals.
  Presenters: Rianne Mitchell, Director of Capacity & Compliance, Rochester Land Bank Corporation, Senior Community Housing Planner, City of Rochester; Kaleigh Flynn, Executive Director, Wayne County Regional Land Bank; and Danielle Kenny, Director of Real Estate Development, Arbor Housing and Development
  

• 10:15 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.

  CONCURRENT SESSIONS
  MAIN STREET
  State Resources to Revitalize Your Communities
  This session will cover the rules and requirements to apply for myriad State funding programs, including Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI), NY Forward, the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), Brownfield Opportunity Area, and Smart Growth programs. These significant, targeted investments rely on local planning efforts and are delivering transformational projects in downtowns throughout the State. Staff from the Department of State and NYS Homes & Community Renewal will address these sources of funding that support downtown and community revitalization efforts.
  Presenters: Holly Granat, Revitalization Specialist CNY, NYS Department of State Office of Planning, Development & Community Infrastructure; Stefan Lutter, Revitalization Specialist MV, NYS Department of State Office of Planning, Development & Community Infrastructure; Allison Bodine, Revitalization Specialist ST, NYS Department of State Office of Planning, Development & Community Infrastructure; and Crystal Loffler, President, Office of Community Renewal, NYS Homes & Community Renewal
  

  VACANT & ABANDONED PROPERTIES
  Reframing Brownfields: Unlocking Funding and Removing Development Barriers to Advance Revitalization
  Do you have a site that you would like to see redeveloped? Would you like more commercial development in your downtown corridor? Do you need more housing? Are the known or unknown development costs an impediment realizing these visions? If your answer to any of those questions is yes, then brownfield funding can be your ticket to help remove redevelopment barriers and set the stage for revitalization. Brownfield sites—properties where the presence or potential presence of hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants complicates their expansion, redevelopment, or reuse—often evoke negative connotations. However, such apprehension overlooks the transformative potential of brownfield funding, mainly through programs administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and state-level initiatives. This presentation will provide an overview of brownfield funding programs and walk through case studies that highlight the successful use of brownfield funding to achieve site and community revitalization.
  Presenter: Norabelle Greenberger, AICP, Senior Planner, LaBella Associates
  

• 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

  CONCURRENT SESSIONS
  MAIN STREET
  Getting Dirty: Using Infrastructure to Lay the Foundation for Community Revitalization   
  Upgrading municipal infrastructure is key to promoting community revitalization and redevelopment, and funding levels for a variety of public facilities continue to rise.  This session will explore strategies to connect essential infrastructure with revitalization and economic development objectives and secure more funding for your community.  Topics include setting priorities, identifying grants that fit high priority needs, using new and creative resources to address traditional problems, and avoiding detours so you can get your applications to the front of the grants pipeline. Presenter: Jim Thatcher, Manager, Community Development, C.T. Male Associates
  

  VACANT & ABANDONED PROPERTIES
  The State's Pro-Housing Communities Program: What it Means for Community Development
  In July 2023, Governor Hochul signed Executive Order 30, creating the Pro-Housing Community Program designed to reward local governments that are working hard to address New York’s housing crisis. Municipalities must achieve the “Pro-Housing Communities” certification to be eligible to apply for key discretionary funding programs, including the Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI), the NY Forward program, the Regional Council Capital Fund, capital projects from the Market New York program, the New York Main Street program, the Long Island Investment Fund (LIIF), the Mid-Hudson Momentum Fund, and the Public Transportation Modernization Enhancement Program (MEP). This session will provide an overview of the Pro-Housing Community process.
  Presenter: Kate VanTassel, Director of Special Projects, HCR
  

• 12:30 p.m.

  LUNCH

• 1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.

  CONCURRENT SESSIONS
  MAIN STREET
  Film and Television Production as a Local Economic Development Driver
  While L.A. and New York City are the traditional powerhouses of the film and television industry, the rest of New York State is emerging as a vibrant hub for production, promising significant boosts to local economies. This panel will explore how TV and film production are transforming communities across the state. Through compelling success stories, we will reveal how these projects have rejuvenated local economies, generated jobs, and spurred tourism. Moreover, the panel will offer practical strategies for local officials to attract productions, maximize economic benefits, and address potential challenges. Join us to learn how your community could become the next hotspot for film and television production, driving growth and innovation on a local level.
  Presenters: Tim Clark, Film Commissioner, Buffalo Niagara Film Office; Deborah A. Goedeke, Albany County Film Commissioner, Film Albany; and Eric Vinal, VP of Film, TV & Entertainment, Visit Syracuse
  

  VACANT & ABANDONED PROPERTIES
  Nine Villages, One Vision: A County-Wide Approach to Main Street Revitalization
  Learn why Livingston County has made main street development a cornerstone of its economic development strategy and how you can replicate the award-winning Downtown Partnership in your county or region.
  Presenter: Maureen E. Wheeler, Deputy Director, Livingston County Economic Development

• 2:45 p.m. - 3:45 p.m.

  CONCURRENT SESSIONS
  MAIN STREET
  Making the Most of Adult-Use Cannabis as an Economic Driver
  Although New York's rollout of adult-use cannabis has been bumpy, to say the least, recreational cannabis is here to stay. Communities across the State are looking to make the best of it. The session will cover the approach taken by the City of Binghamton and the lessons they've learned in being the first upstate city to host an adult-use retail dispensary.
  Presenter: Sarah Glose, Director of Economic Development, City of Binghamton
  

  VACANT & ABANDONED PROPERTIES
  Code Enforcement: The Foundation to Any Effort to Stem Blight and Decay
  While the causes and solutions to property vacancy, neglect, and outright abandonment are myriad, every successful program to keep blight and decay in check starts with an active code enforcement program. This session will highlight what code enforcement is and the basic features of a code enforcement program that are critical to effective community development, including inspections and criminal and civil enforcement.
  Presenter: Wade Beltramo, NYCOM General Counsel