Regional Local Government Workshop
Spring 2006 Local Government Workshop
Friday - May 19, 2006
Burgundy Basin Inn
Pittsford, NY
Presenters
Gary C.
Beasley
Presentation Topic: Enhancing Main Street: Making Upper Floors Work
Again
Gary C. Beasley has been involved in
rehabilitation and community revitalization activities throughout his
working career, first as a contractor and the past 27 years with Neighbors
Of Watertown, Inc., Watertown, NY where he is Executive Director. Gary is
an active leader in community revitalization. He serves on the board of
the Local Development Corporation of Watertown, is President of the
Neighborhood Preservation Coalition of NYS and is Chairman of the Town of
Brownville Planning Board.
Under Mr. Beasley’s leadership Neighbors
Of Watertown, Inc. re-develops historic buildings in Watertown and
provides affordable housing to city residents. Matching various housing
and community development programs with Low Income Housing Tax Credits and
Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits sold to investors, major historic
properties in Watertown have been transformed from rundown vacant or
underutilized properties to productive, historically rehabilitated
buildings.
Gary is also a consultant with Affordable
Housing Consultants, Inc., Pittsford, NY assisting other non profit
community development companies as well as municipalities venturing into
redevelopment and ownership of similar projects in the upstate NY area.
Current projects include 55-57 Market Street, Potsdam and 256-262 State
Street in Carthage.
Gary believes that, while each project in
a community has merit, it is the overall commitment to preservation,
adaptive reuse, and revitalization of a historic district and many years
of continuous effort that has an effect on a community.
Neighbors Of Watertown, Inc. is a 501c-3 Community Development
Organization formed in 1967. Its mission is To provide safe, decent,
affordable housing; To rehabilitate and return blighted property to
productive use; To aid others with similar purposes.
Neighbors Of Watertown, Inc. is a full service Community Development
Organization with ongoing programs such as First Time Homebuyer
assistance, Home Rehabilitation assistance, Rental Apartments,
Rehabilitated Homes for purchase, Historic Building Rehabilitation and an
array of Community Development services.
Eric C. Bradshaw, CPCA, Code Compliance Specialist
Eric Bradshaw is
a Senior Code Compliance Specialist with the New York State Department of
State, Division of Code Enforcement and Administration. Eric is
specifically assigned to the Education Services Unit within the Codes
Division. The Education Services Unit develops and provides the basic
training programs for the initial certification of code enforcement
personnel in New York State. The Unit also develops and presents annual
in-service programs for the maintenance of the certification, as well as
review and approve courses developed by outside agencies.
Eric has been
employed by the Department of State since 2000. In 2002 Eric was
assigned the task of overseeing the Codes Division Disaster Response
Program. He is currently a member of the International Code Council
Disaster Response Committee, tasked with creating a national training
protocol for Code Enforcement Officials. Prior to joining the Education
Services Unit, Eric was employed by the Village of Albion, Orleans County,
as Fire Marshal. Eric received an Associates Degree in Fire Protection
Administration from Corning Community College in 1992. In 1997 Eric was
awarded the title Certified Professional Code Administrator by the New
York State Building Officials Conference. This is the highest level of
certification awarded by that organization.
The Division of Code Enforcement and Administration
provides a variety of services related to New York's Uniform Fire
Prevention and Building Code and State Energy Conservation Construction
Code. The Division provides technical assistance, administers variances,
delivers educational courses, oversees the enforcement practices of local
governments and serves as secretariat to the State Fire Prevention and
Building Code Council.
Presentation Topic:
Clinton E. Brown has a BA
from Franklin & Marshall College and M. Architecture from the University
of Virginia School of Architecture. He has been Secretary of the City of
Buffalo Landmark Preservation Board and is a former President and current
Trustee Emeritus of the Landmark Society of the Niagara Frontier. He is on
the Board of Directors of Canal New York and the Daemen College Center for
Sustainability and Civic Engagement and on the Vestry of St. Paul’s
Episcopal Cathedral. He is redeveloping an historic former factory into
lofts on the waterfront in downtown Buffalo.
Clinton Brown Company
Architecture / ReBuild specializes in collaboratively designing the
revitalization of heritage buildings and communities throughout upstate
New York. As an historic preservation firm, we work with civic leaders,
citizens, and the State Historic Preservation Office to attract new
investment and to create better performance for landmark structures and
places, through project concept, fund raising, and architectural and
project management services.
Matthew Brower
Presentation Topic: Agricultural
Impacts from Wind Farm Construction
Mr. Brower has a Bachelor’s Degree in
Agronomy from SUNY Cobleskill. He worked as District Manager for the
Montgomery Co. Soil and Water Conservation District for 3 years and as an
Agricultural Specialist with Agriculture and Markets for 14 years. He is
a Certified Crop Advisor with the American Society of Agronomy.
The New York State Department of
Agriculture & Markets Division of Agricultural Protection and Development
Services reviews various types of construction projects that impact
farmland and provides guidance to project sponsors concerning mitigation
to minimize the impacts.
Jason
Haremza, AICP Presentation
Topic:
Jason
has well-rounded experience in many areas of planning, urban design, and
historic preservation. He seeks to further good planning and design
through communication, collaboration, and creative thinking.
Previous work experiences include The Greater Buffalo-Niagara Regional
Transportation Council, and Parsons Corporation (formerly DeLeuw Cather)
and consulting work for the Buffalo Economic Renaissance Corporation, the
Preservation Coalition of Erie County, and Hodgson Russ LLP. The
depth of his planning abilities extends from public presentations and
meetings to research and report writing to mapping and design work.
A talented writer with an eye for detail, Jason’s pieces on planning
issues have appeared in Buffalo’s Artvoice, the Buffalo News
and Toronto’s Novae Res Urbis, in addition to many academic and
professional papers and reports.
Jason’s
areas of expertise include land use and community planning, zoning review,
water resources planning, transportation planning, urban design, and
historic preservation. He has worked on community action plans,
build-out analyses, formulating urban design guidelines, parking,
vehicular, and pedestrian circulation plans, and neighborhood and
structure historic research.
Jason
has a Master of Science in Planning, Specialization in Urban Design,
University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario and a Bachelor of Arts in
Geography, cum Laude, State University of New York College at Geneseo,
Geneseo, New York New
York State Department of State Division
of Local Government 41
State Street Albany,
NY 12231
Timothy G. King
Presentation Topic: Manufactured
Housing Advancement Act 0f 2005
Tim King started his career in
building codes serving as the Code Enforcement Officer and Zoning Officer
for the Town of Gorham in Ontario County. While serving in that
capacity, Tim served as the Secretary of the New York State Building
Officials Conference. Tim was hired in October 1998 by the
Department of State to provide instruction to Code Enforcement Officials,
Fire Officials, Architects and Engineers on the provisions of the New York
State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Codes. In December of
2000, Tim was promoted to administer the Manufactured Housing Program.
Tim is currently overseeing the development of the Manufactured Housing
Advancement Act of 2005 which will require the certification of
manufacturers, retailers, installers and mechanics of manufactured
housing.
The Department of State, Division of
Code Enforcement and Administration, acts as the State Administrative
Agency responsible for the enforcement of the Federal Housing and Urban
Development’s Manufactured Housing Program.
Evan Michael Lowenstein
Mark Lyons,
A.I.A
S W B R A R C H I T E C T S
Presentation Topic: Planning for
Aging Communities
Mark is Senior Associate with SWBR
Architects & Engineers, P.C., a 75-person architecture firm in
Rochester. He has also been a member of the Livonia Joint Planning Board
in Livingston County for eight years.
New
York State Department of State, Division of Local Government 41
State Street Albany,
NY 12231 Presentation
Topic: Meetings & Hearings,
Peter
Manning is a Land Use Training Specialist with the New York State
Department of State's Division of Local Government. He was previously
employed by the Delaware County Department of Planning and Economic
Development where he provided training and technical assistance to
municipal planning boards. Mr. Manning has also worked as a planning
consultant, cartographer, and landscaper. He has a Bachelor of Arts in
Geography from the State University of New Paltz, graduating Magna Cum
Laude, and a Master of Landscape Architecture from Cornell University.
Ronald
Piester, RA, Director
Ron Piester is the Director of the New York State
Department of State, Division of Code Enforcement and Administration
(Codes Division).
The Codes
Division administers a variety of services related to New York’s
statewide Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code and State Energy
Conservation Construction Code. The Division provides technical
assistance, processes variances, delivers educational courses, oversees
the enforcement practices of local governments and serves as secretariat
to New York’s State Fire Prevention and Building Code Council.
Mr. Piester has been employed by the Department of State
since 1992. He has served as Director since 2003, and previously served
as the Division’s Assistant Director for Code Development, leading New
York’s technical review and implementation of the International Codes
in 2002. Ron was elected by the membership of the International
Code Council to the ICC Board of Directors in 2005. He has also served
on the ICC’s International Building Code Council and represents the ICC
on the Building Seismic Safety Council’s Board of Direction. Ron
received a Bachelor of Architecture from Syracuse University in 1984 and
has been licensed to practice architecture in New York since 1988.
Presentation Topic:
Andrea Rebeck is a
registered architect who has focused her career on the care and
preservation of historic buildings. She has her Masters of Architecture
from Columbia University, and has spent nearly 30 years conducting
detailed investigations of historic structures; preparing historic
structures reports, historic resource surveys, and National Register
nominations; and providing full architectural services for building
projects ranging from museum-quality restorations to rehabilitation of
historic buildings for continued use.
Since 2005, she has
been on the staff of Bero Architecture P.C., in Rochester, NY. Before
that, she worked for the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation,
and Historic Preservation – New York’s “SHPO” – providing technical
assistance for projects in the ten western counties of the state.
Bero Architecture
P.C. is a full-service architecture firm with expertise in the treatment
of existing buildings. Founded in 1976, the firm has developed a local,
state, and regional reputation for excellence in master planning,
building evaluations, adaptive re-use, compatible additions,
restoration, and preservation planning. The firm provides professional
services for new construction, rehabilitation, and preservation projects
for residential, commercial, industrial, institutional, and municipal
clients. Bero Architecture P.C. prepares code studies, condition
reports, historic structure reports, feasibility studies, preservation
reports, National Register submissions, and historic resource surveys.
Joann Ryan,
AICP New
York State Department of State Division
of Local Government 41
State Street Albany,
NY 12231 518-473-3355
Presentation Topic: Working with
Applicants
Stephanie Siciliano, AICP Division
of Local Government 41
State Street Albany,
NY 12231
Presentation Topic:
Intermunicipal Planning Efforts
Stephanie Siciliano is a Land Use
Training Specialist with the New York State Department of State's
Division of Local Government working in the Municipal Management Unit.
Prior to coming to the Department of State, Stephanie was employed as a
Senior Planner with a private planning consulting firm, where she
assisted communities in the development of comprehensive plans,
community development and strategic planning projects, zoning revisions,
and GIS mapping. She is currently a member of the Town of Knox
Conservation Advisory Council. Mrs. Siciliano attained her Masters
Degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the State University of New
York at Albany and her Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies from
the State University of New York at Platsburgh. She is a member of the
American Institute of Certified Planners.
Presentation
Topics:
Protecting Water Resources Through Effective Local Efforts A
native of Medina, NY, Brian first became interested in community
development issues during his undergraduate experience at the University
of Vermont. Seeking to develop a broader understanding of issues
germane to ecosystem management, local revitalization and citizen
empowerment, Brian enrolled in the University at Buffalo’s Department of
Urban and Regional Planning where he received a Master’s degree in urban
planning with specialization in environmental and physical planning. New
York State Department of State Division
of Local Government 41
State Street Albany,
NY 12231 Presentation
Topics:
Enforcement of Zoning and other Local Laws, Larry
Weintraub is an attorney with the Department of State. Prior to joining
the department, he worked in private practice for eleven years and spent
several years serving other public agencies, including the Hudson River
Valley Greenway Communities Council, the Environmental Protection Bureau
of the NYS Attorney General's Office, and many municipal
governments.
While
working in his own firm and for such firms as Poklemba, Hobbs &
Ulasewicz, LCC; Bartlett, Pontiff, Stewart & Rhodes, P.C.; and
Jacobowiztz & Gubits, Larry developed an expertise in municipal,
environmental, land use, and real property law. He attended Albany Law
School and the Antioch School of Law, and received a bachelor of arts in
geology from the State University of New York in Binghamton. He has been
admitted to the New York Bar and several Federal Courts.
Tania
Werbizky, Director, Technical and Grant Programs
Presentation Topic: Moderator for Enhancing Main Street: Making Upper
Floors Work Again
Since 1989, Tania G. Werbizky has
worked with the Preservation League of New York State where she is
currently the Director of Technical and Grant Programs. Previously Ms.
Werbizky served as Preservation Planner for Cannon Design of Buffalo and,
for eight years, taught in the graduate Historic Preservation Program at
Cornell University. Ms. Werbizky has a B.A. in Geography from SUNY
Binghamton and an M.A. in Historic Preservation from Cornell University.
She is a Trustee of Historic Ithaca and served on the U.S. Route 20 Scenic
Byway Steering Committee.
Founded
in 1974 and based in Albany, the Preservation League of New York State is
New York’s statewide membership not-for-profit organization dedicated to
preserving the Empire State’s incomparable historic and architectural
resources. The League’s mission statement is, “By leading a statewide
preservation movement, sharing information and expertise, and raising a
unified voice, the Preservation League of New York State promotes historic
preservation as a tool to revitalize our neighborhoods and communities,
honor our heritage, and enrich our lives.” New
York State Department of State Division
of Local Government 41
State Street Albany,
NY 12231 Presentation
Topics: ZBA Overview, Meetings & Hearings, Records & Decision Making, PB
Overview Harry
Willis holds a BA from Union College, an MA from the State University of
New York at Albany, and a JD from Franklin Pierce Law Center. He has been
an attorney with the Department of State since 1980, specializing in
municipal law and land use. Prior to that, he was an attorney for Niagara
Mohawk Power Corporation and for the NYSDEC. Mr. Willis has also served as
Chairman of the Village of Scotia Zoning Board of Appeals and as a member
of the Town of Glenville Planning Board. Mr. Willis has written numerous
articles and opinions, and has lectured extensively on issues of municipal
and land use law. He is the co-author of the award-winning book, The Short
Course: A Basic Guide for Planning Boards and Zoning Boards of Appeals in
New York State. Mr. Willis has written several pieces of legislation,
including the 1982 bill authorizing municipalities to mandate the
clustering of subdivisions.
Neighbors Of Watertown, Inc.
112
Franklin Street
Watertown, NY 13601
gary@neighborsofwatertown.com
315-782-8497
41 State
Street - 11th floor
Albany, New
York 12231
518.474.4073
ebradsha@dos.state.ny.us
Clinton E.
Brown, RA, AIA, NCARB
Clinton Brown Company
Architecture / ReBuild
2100 Rand Building, 14
Lafayette Square
Buffalo, NY 14203
716-852-2020
NYS Dept. Agriculture And Markets
10B Airline
Drive
Albany, NY 12235
matthew.brower@agmkt.state.ny.us
518-457-2713
Genesee/Finger Lakes Regional Planning Council
50 W. Main Street, Suite 8107
Rochester, NY 14614
jharemza@gflrpc.org
585-454-1910Linda King is a Land Use Training Specialist with the New York State Department of State's Division of Local Government . Prior to joining
the Municipal Management Unit, Ms. King did work in the Division of Coastal Resources on the local waterfront revitalization plans,
education and outreach. Prior to joining the Department of State, Linda was employed by the Troy School District, where she worked as a
Secondary Education Social Studies Teacher. She has also worked as an Environmental Planner for the Albany County Environmental Management
Council, and was employed by Champagne Associates Transportation Engineering Firm. Linda has a Bachelor of Arts in Geography and
Environmental Science from Plattsburgh State University College of New York, a Master of Arts in Planning from Arizona State University, and
Certification as a Secondary Education Social Studies Teacher from Siena College.
New York State, Department of State
41 State Street
Albany, New York 12231-0001
518-474-4073
tking@dos.state.ny.us
Green Village Consulting
28 Arlington Street
Rochester, New York 14607
585-461-0638
evan@greenvillage.us
387 East Main Street
Rochester, NY 14604
585-232-8300
mlyons@swbr.com
New York
Department of State
Division of
Code Enforcement and Administration
41 State
Street - 11th floor
Albany, New
York 12231
518.474.4073
rpiester@dos.state.ny.us
Andrea Rebeck
Bero
Architecture P.C.
32 Winthrop
Street
Rochester,
NY 14607
arebeck@beroarchitecture.com
585- 262-2035Joann Ryan is a Land Use Training Specialist with the New York State Department of State's Division of Local Government, responsible for
presenting the training programs offered to local planning and zoning officials as well as providing technical assistance to those officials.
Ms. Ryan joined the Department of State in 2005 after working in the telecommunications field to identify and site locations for
telecommunications antennas. Prior to that she worked as a planner for the City of Albany, serving as principal staff to the Board of Zoning
Appeals and working on transportation-related activities. Ms. Ryan received a Bachelor's of Arts in Sociology from the University of
Albany, graduating Cum Laude, and a Master's degree in Urban Environmental Studies from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Her
career began in the private sector in development.
Genesee/Finger Lakes Regional Planning Council
50 W. Main Street, Suite 8107
Rochester, NY 14614
bslack@gflrpc.org
585-454-1910
Preservation League of New York State
202 The
Commons, Room 302
Ithaca,
NY 14850
twerbizky@preservenys,org
607-272-6510
50
West Main Street, Suite 8107
Rochester, New York 14614
tel:
585.454.0190
fax: 585.454.0191
Last Modified: September 15, 2010