A company to do a comprehensive plan (NEWS)

ROSAMILIA

       TROY – The city selected Urban Strategies, based in Toronto Canada, to perform a comprehensive plan of zoning and development strategies at a cost of $750,000, said Mayor Lou Rosamilia.

The Council will need to approve the contract and will address it at the June 26 Finance Committee meeting.

“Urban Strategies has an impressive track record when it comes to city planning and we are pleased to announce that they will help us design a roadmap for the future that takes into account who we are and the direction we would like to head,” Rosamilia said of the first comprehensive plan since 1962. “Expertise in areas such as downtown revitalization, waterfront master planning and brownfield regeneration make Urban Strategies a good fit to continue the resurgence that the City of Troy has experienced over the last few years.”

Last summer the city received 15 responses to its Request for Qualifications including River Street Planning of Troy, Clough Harbor & Associates of Latham and Saratoga based Behan Planning Associates.

 That list was narrowed to four and then a committee of city officials and representatives from the Troy Redevelopment Foundation, a group of non-profits that includes Emma Willard, RPI, Russell Sage and St. Peter’s Health Partners. It’s unclear which companies made the final four.

“With all of the exciting things currently happening in Troy, the opportunity to help the city design a blueprint for its future is incredibly exciting,” said Mark Reid, a partner with Urban Strategies.

The two-year process to formulate the comprehensive plan will be paid for by the Redevelopment Foundation and funding through the state Department of State to prepare a downtown strategic plan and develop a Local Waterfront Revitalization Program.

Urban Strategies will host an open house in September to get public input and there will be a “multiple day city summit” in early 2015 for the public to weigh in on what the comprehensive plan should or should not include.

The comprehensive plan will address such things as zoning, development strategies and develop strategic plans for the waterfront and downtown.

You can view the Request for Qualification which outlines what the comprehensive plan will address by clicking here.