Western New York Regional Economic Development Council to present draft strategic plan

Public is invited to a region-wide webcast

The Western New York Regional Economic Development Council today announced it will present its draft strategic plan to the public on Oct. 25 via an interactive session webcast live from the University at Buffalo. The council invites the public to participate in the webcast at locations in Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua and Niagara counties, as well at UB. Those who wish to watch live from home may do so by visiting http://nyworks.ny.gov/content/western-new-york.

The draft strategic plan will encompass the progress of the WNY Regional Council and its workgroups to date. Documents relating to the work completed to date can be found on the council's website.

The interactive sessions, all to be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on Oct. 25, will take place in:

Allegany County

• Alfred University
• Olin Building, Room 302
• 1 Saxon Drive
• Alfred, NY 14802

• http://www.alfred.edu/map/

Cattaraugus County

• Jamestown Community College
• Cutco Theater
• 260 North Union St.
• Olean, NY 14760
• http://www.sunyjcc.edu/cattaraugus

Chautauqua County

• Jamestown Community College
• Lenna Theatre—Hultquist Building
• 525 Falconer Street
• Jamestown, NY 14702-0020
• http://www.sunyjcc.edu/jamestown

Erie County

• University at Buffalo
• Drama Theater- Center for Fine Arts
• 103 Center for the Arts
• Buffalo, NY 14260

• http://www.buffalo.edu/buildings/pdf-page.html

Niagara County

• Niagara County Community College
• Building E, Room 140
• 3111 Saunders Settlement Road
• Sanborn, NY 14132

• http://www.niagaracc.suny.edu/

To register for the interactive sessions, visit http://nyworks.ny.gov/content/western-new-york or call 716-846-8247. Space may be limited so please register early.

Created by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the regional economic development councils represent a fundamental shift in the state's approach to economic development—from a top-down development model to a community-based approach that emphasizes regions' unique assets, harnesses local expertise and empowers each region to set plans and priorities.

The Western New York Regional Economic Development Council is one of 10 regional councils across New York that will serve as a single point of contact for economic activity in the region.

Through their strategic planning process, the councils will identify and expedite priority projects that demonstrate the greatest potential for job growth for Western New York, which includes Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie and Niagara counties. As part of the initiative, up to $1 billion in state resources will be accessible to eligible economic development projects through existing program grants and tax credits.

Each regional council will draft a strategic plan for the development of their region, which will provide a regional vision for economic development, address critical issues and opportunities, and lay out an implementation roadmap for future growth. The state will work with the regional councils to align state resources and policies, eliminate unnecessary barriers to growth and prosperity, and streamline the delivery of government services and programs to help the regional councils carry out their plans for development.

To learn more about each regional council and their economic development plans, visit www.nyworks.ny.gov.