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Land and Water Resources

Lakes and streams, and their watersheds, do not follow municipal or county boundaries. Water is often, by this very fact, a regional issue. G/FLRPC has a long history of work on watershed plans, flood mitigation planning, stormwater management, flood resiliency and drinking water analysis and planning. Expertise includes planning and planning process management across multiple jurisdictions, creation of local regulations (and experience with the challenge of administration and enforcement), land use analysis, and GIS mapping.

Regional planning organizations such as G/FLRPC were formed to be able to take a “bigger picture” look at land use, development, and environmental issues that cross multiple jurisdictions. New York State has a long and proud tradition of home rule and local control, so regional planning is done in an advisory capacity. However, especially for jurisdictions that do not have professional planners on staff, the expertise G/FLRPC can bring as a regional, public sector, planning agency, can be very valuable.

 Whether a community has a street called “Main Street” or not, G/FLRPC has long assisted communities with downtown revitalization, be it a village main street, a town’s hamlet area, or a city downtown or neighborhood center. The Regional Planning Council has a unique combination of land use, urban design, and economic development expertise to assist with these projects.

Successful planning relies on having a strong “sense of place” and knowing the history and culture of a community. G/FLRPC has expertise in community design, historical research, and supporting historic preservation. Often the term “urban design” is used but good design and planning is not just for urban places. Therefore, we prefer the more inclusive “community design” since rural areas, hamlets, villages, towns, and cities all deserve thoughtfully designed places and spaces.

History and historic preservation is a big part of what creates the “sense of place” in the Genesee-Finger Lakes Region. The region’s long history- going back tens of thousands of years to the glaciers that created the Finger Lakes and other scenic landforms, to Indigenous peoples, to European-American settlement- are part of what makes this a vibrant and attractive place to live, work, and visit.