Chautauqua County and the City of Jamestown have been awarded a total of $500,000 to help expand housing opportunities.
The funding is a Pro-Housing Communities Technical Assistance Grant through the New York State Homes & Community Renewal Pro-Housing Communities Program.
In Jamestown, the grant will fund contractual legal services to help accelerate the city’s acquisition of abandoned properties. The legal process required to take control of vacant and distressed properties is often extensive, involving multiple filings, court proceedings, and compliance steps that can be both costly and time-consuming. Dedicated legal support will help the City move these cases forward more efficiently and bring long-neglected properties back into productive use.
Another portion of the grant will focus on optimizing and preparing City-owned assets for redevelopment. This work will include project management, site inventory and assessment, and the creation of detailed property profiles for priority sites. These profiles will provide developers with organized information about each property, streamlining engagement and helping move redevelopment opportunities forward.
Pre-development work may also include environmental assessments, architectural or engineering evaluations, and other early-stage analysis necessary to position sites for future investment. These efforts will help ensure that viable properties are ready for redevelopment.
The initiative will also strengthen the City’s efforts to combat absentee landlords who leave properties vacant and deteriorating, a major contributor to neighborhood blight. By actively preparing these properties for redevelopment and partnering with organizations such as the Chautauqua County Land Bank, the City is reclaiming long-neglected sites, restoring them to productive use, and expanding safe, quality housing opportunities for residents across Jamestown.
The Chautauqua County Department of Planning & Development will use the funding to advance the Chautauqua County Housing Market Analysis and Development Strategy developed in collaboration with the Chautauqua County Partnership for Economic Growth in 2024.
The award will be used to implement key recommendations from the Housing Strategy to continue building momentum to create opportunities for and encourage new housing development throughout the County. The grant funds will be allocated to advance the following recommendations:
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- Inventory of Potential Housing Sites – The County will develop a county-wide inventory of potential housing sites using a GIS oriented platform. Outreach to municipalities and building owners will support the creation of a developer‑ready listing and marketing campaign.
- Pre‑Development Activities – Five sites will be selected for pre‑development analysis to move projects closer to construction readiness.
- Developer Forum – A one‑day forum will connect housing developers with local site opportunities, incentives, and community housing needs.
- Zoning Analysis – Review of municipal zoning codes with recommendations to allow for an array of housing types, remove barriers, and encourage housing development.
- Public and Stakeholder Engagement – Outreach to build awareness and collaboration around housing challenges and solutions.
Deputy County Executive for Economic Development and CCIDA CEO Mark Geise said, “Currently, approximately 75% of our County’s households qualify for affordable housing programs. Affordable housing basically means that a household is not spending more than 30% of their gross income on housing costs and utilities, otherwise they are considered “cost burdened. That being said, approximately 50% of renters in Chautauqua County are just that, ‘cost-burdened.’”
Geise added that the county needs to improve the existing housing market and support new housing developments in order to increase rental availability, improve quality, and reduce the cost burden on those renting in the county.
For more information, visit www.choosechq.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Report-2024-Chautauqua-County-Housing-Needs-Assessment.pdf or contact the County Department of Planning and Development at 716-661-8900.
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