GCEDC

Genesee County will soon be home to the first shovel-ready agri-business industrial park in New York, according to Chad Zambito, spokesman for the Genesee County Economic Development Center.

GCEDC breaks ground on the project Tuesday and expects the first tenant to start building a $15 million food-processing facility in the spring.

"These are expensive ventures and private developers aren't willing to do it because of the cost that’s needed up front and the long-term return, so it’s something we have to do and we need everybody’s participation to make it happen," Zambito told WBTA.

The groundbreaking is scheduled for 10 a.m. at the Kennedy Building of the Genesee County Fair Grounds.

The 200-acre park is located between state routes 5 and 63 in Batavia and sits in close proximity to O-AT-KA Milk Products. 

At full build-out, the park is expected to provide 1,200 jobs in Genesee County and generate $2 billion in revenue over 25 years.

The first tenant, a Canadian-based food processor, will hire 100 people to work at its facility.

When the infrastructure installation is complete, the site will contain nearly 200 acres  serviced by industrial-class electric, gas and rail. The park is dedicated to agri-business applications including food and bio-fuels processing and is owned by a unique public/private partnership.

It also has access to 6 million gallons of aquifer water daily, ideal for food production applications, and sits in an Empire Zone.
 
The GCEDC, along with its real estate affiliate the Genesee Gateway Local Development Corporation and an affiliate of Farm Credit of WNY share ownership of the park.

It was largely made possible by a state grant recently approved by Empire State Development and a matching grant from Genesee County. The GCEDC, Town of Batavia, National Grid and National Fuel are also providing funding. 

Phase 1 construction, being completed by Zoladz Construction Company Inc. of Alden, NY, will include water, sewer and roadway base installation. 

Thirty one adults with mental illness, all currently residents of group homes in Darien and Pembroke, will soon have a chance to begin new lives of independence and a degree of self care.

They will be moving into the attractive new housing facility being built at 559 E. Main St., Batavia.

The new living arrangements are a result of new thinking in the treatment of mental illness: People can be cured, and their best chance at recovery is through independent living.

Living Opportunities of DePaul, in Erie County, is in charge of the $6.6 million project. It's one of several branches of DePaul in Rochester, a 51-year-old community service nonprofit for Western New York.

The project is expected to be finished early next year and will accommodate people whose primary diagnosis is mental illness and they are working to recover from it. They are not MICA -- mentally ill with a chemical addiction(s), said Marcia Dlutek, DePaul's vice president of communications and development.

In addition to the 31 "licensed beds," 11 more units are designated as affordable housing for low-income individuals.

Two aspects of this project are particularly notable: it will provide individually tailored assistance to mentally ill people living in their own apartments, versus communally in a group home; and it operates under the relatively new premise that mental illness is sometimes curable.

The approach is worlds apart from 20 years ago, when groups homes began to flourish in response to the downsizing or closure of many large mental health institutions nationwide. Advances in psychopharmacology and findings in behavioral science research have modified approaches to treatment as well.

"Other modes of community housing are deemed more appropriate for recovery for  people living in the mental health system," Dlutek said. "Clients want to live alone rather than in communal living areas.

"This is a new approach. It is person-centered, recovery-oriented -- a housing option that will truly benefit them."

They will have access to 24-hour staffing, medication, life-skills assistance with such tasks as meal planning and budgeting. Plus, the location was chosen because of its easy and convenient access to transportation, stores, businesses and social services.

"It's really going to provide integrated housing for mental health consumers," she said. "We're very excited about this project. It took a lot of collaborative effort to accomplish, between our organization, the (NY) Department of Mental Health, the city, the county and the Economic Development Center.

Located next to East Town Plaza, the 43,000-square-foot, two-story complex covers 5.7 acres of prime city property. As it nears completion, it's shaping up to be an inviting design with curb appeal and solid structure -- certainly a far cry from the drab, institutional-looking warrens historically built for the mentally ill.

(However, it also seems a somewhat "boutique" alternative given the cost for housing just 31 mentally ill people, out of the many eligible.)

Since nonprofits are not required to pay property taxes, the GCEDC worked out an agreement wherein DePaul will pay $12,000 a year in lieu what the city could get from commercial or residential development..

Funding for the housing center came primarily from the state Office of Mental Health and the Department of Housing, Community Renewal Division. The design work was done by Parrone Engineering of Rochester and Lecesse Construction Corp. in West Henrietta is the builder.

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Sanzo and Sons, a beverage distributor with locations in Olean, Salamanca and Batavia has been approved for $30,000 in tax exemptions by Genesee County Economic Development Center as part of its plans to expand locally.

The company plans to spend more than $250,000, which it will borrow, to add new space to its facility at 11 Apollo Drive for offices and storage. It also plans to put on a new roof and upgrade equipment, including forklifts and delivery trucks.

The space at the facility will be expanded by 1,222 square feet and company officials say the improvements will help make it more efficient.

Vanderhoof Electric Supply is a new company that is purchasing the assets of Falcone Electric. It will be located at 385 W. Main St., Batavia.

Falcone Electric began in 1955 and has been a very stable wholesale electric supply business. The new owner is looking to keep the same trade name and staff.

Vanderhoof plans to invest $50k in computer warehouse management system in a few months and  a $50k upgrade building facade next spring.

The company has been approved for $16,000 in tax incentives.  It is also looking to borrow $100,000 from GCEDC's revolving loan fund. The company's total capital investment will total $400,000.

An organization that specializes in helping under-served rural communities improve medical care has agreed to open offices in the new med-tech center under construction on Steven Hawley Drive, accross the street from GCC.

The Batavia-based Western New York Rural Area Health Education Center (R-AHEC) is a non-profit independent organization that creates community partnerships to educate and place health care professionals in under-served rural areas.

Additionally, UMMC has received a "certificate of need," allowing it to sign a long-term lease at the new facility.

As a not-for-profit community hospital, UMMC is regulated by the state and is required to seek approval for projects involving expansion of services or renovations to its facilities.

The approval will allow UMMC to move its two physical therapy operations into a single, more modern and high-tech space with improved handicapped accessibility.

"We're losing a hundred jobs -- and that's difficult in any day and age," said Chris Suozzi, senior vice president of business development at Genesee County Economic Development Center. "We're very discouraged.

"We offered to do what we could to change their minds. But there are not a lot of tools at our disposal. It's a leased facility (Pioneer's Mill Street Offices). The good news is that Pioneer invested $2 million in it and it's now Class A grade space.

"We're very hopeful we can back fill this space. We've reached out to our marketing partners, who give us tips about companies who might be interested in a space this size."

It's set up as "back office" space and is equipped as a call center. It has 13,500 square feet of renovated space on the ground floor and another 8,500 square feet of unfinished space on the second floor.

GCEDC sold the building to Scott Harris late last year. He's the owner of a door company called Millworks Solutions and, Suozzi said, Harris knew Pioneer was leasing the building on a year-to-year basis. Later this year, Pioneer's lease would have been up for renewal.

Even though Harris will have lots of empty space for awhile, Suozzi said it's prime space, thanks to Pioneer.

Genesee Community College is nearing the day when it will include a school of nursing.

After eight years of planning, securing funding  and pre-development work, ground was broken yesterday on the Dr. Bruce A. Holm Upstate Med-Tech Center.

The new facility is being build across the road from GCC. It will house the new school of nursing as well as UMMC's Occupational and Physical Therapy program and new offices for the Genesee County Economic Development Center.

The initial complex will be 43,000 sq. ft.

Start-up med-tech companies will also be able to apply for space in a 7,000 sq. ft portion of the building intended to help new businesses get off the ground.  The hope is that up-and-coming companies will launch in the med-tech center and then move into new buildings on the adjoining land as their businesses grow, keeping the companies and the jobs in Genesee County.

The center is named for former Batavia resident, Dr. Bruce A. Holm, a former Batavia resident and a SUNY Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Pharmacology and Toxicology.  He is also the Executive Director of the NYS Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics & Life Sciences and Senior Vice-Provost at the State University of New York at Buffalo.  Dr. Holm previously held the positions of Senior Associate Dean of the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and Senior Associate Vice President for Health Affairs at UB.

From a news release prior to the ground breaking:

“Dr. Holm has been a pioneer and leader in Life Sciences innovation and commercialization here in Western New York and we felt it was fitting to honor him for his vision, dedication and hard work,” said Steve Hyde, President and CEO of the GCEDC.  “Life Sciences is a thriving industry in the region and now Genesee County is well positioned to participate in its growth and our economy will benefit from good paying jobs in a facility that has ties to GCC, the hospital and regional university centers.”

(WBTA contributed to this report)

Genesee County may be losing out on the big Yahoo! data center deal, but that doesn't mean the county isn't out of the hunt for high tech jobs, according to GCEDC spokesman Chad Zambito.

Zambito told WBTA today (audio) that there are two big projects, with one being a strong possibility, that could get started in the western part of the county.

"Hydropower has been very important for us,'  Zambito said. "We've got two sites here in Genesee County that fall into the hydropower zone. It's about three-and-a-half cents a killowatt an hour. It's been a big difference right now. It's the only thing we're seeing moving is high tech looking at hydropower."

Also today, I e-mailed Zambito and asked him for his thoughts on why Yahoo! apparently picked Lockport over Genesee County.  Here's his response:

Our understanding is that an official announcement has not been made. That being said, we would certainly be happy to have them in the region but would obviously be disappointed to see Genesee County passed by. In comparison, the possible site in Niagara County may benefit from more industrial development as compared to our Green Field sites here in Genesee County.

Funds earmarked for the GCEDC to develop an agri-park off Route 5 in the Town of Batavia has finally been released and construction could resume within weeks, according to Chad Zambito.

Immediately, GCEDC is getting $2 million from Empire State Development and another $1 million is expected to come from the DOT.  The phase 1-funding will be used for building infrastructure for the park -- roads, sewer, water, gas and electricity.

“To some extent it’s old news because it was announced, but it is a huge relief because we didn’t know where we stood with the state under its current situation," said Zambito.

The funds were originally committed to the project by former Governor Elliott Spitzer and in anticipation of securing the money, some construction work has already begun. Zambito said the GCEDC hopes to complete phase 1 by the end of the year.

A Canadian firm is hoping to open a $15 million processing plant, employing 100 people, Zambito, pending securing its own financing.

Last year, CCEDC staff told the Batavia City Council the Agri-Park, when fully built out, could be worth $1.5 billion in economic growth Genesee County. 

Phase 1 development covers about 200 acres, while the park could eventually cover 300 acres.

The "micropolitian" area of Batavia is one of the nation's fastest growing regions according to Site Selection Magazine.

This is the fifth straight year Batavia has received the designation.

On its Web site, Site Selection describes itself this way:

Site Selection's editorial mission is to publish information for expansion planning decision-makers -- CEOs, corporate real estate executives and facility planners, human resource managers and consultants to corporations. Our goal is to help the expansion planner do a better job.

Here's the full press release from the Genesee County Economic Develoment Committee

Batavia, NY…Genesee County and the Batavia Micropolitan Area has been named one of the country’s 10 fastest growing regions by Site Selection Magazine for a fifth consecutive year.  A Micropolitan Area is a census definition that describes a city of less than 50,000 people that serves as the seat of a larger geographical area like Genesee County.  There are roughly 600 Micropolitans nationwide.

The Batavia Micropolitan was first recognized in 2004 and ranked 7th in the nation.  In 2005, the region was named the 3rd fastest growing Micropolitan in the nation and the number 1 location in the Northeast.  Batavia made the list again in 2006 and 2007.  In 2008 the Batavia Micropolitan ranked fourth nationwide. 

Statesville-Mooresville, North Carolina was tops in the category, participating in 17 qualifying projects.  Daphne-Fairhope, Alaska tied with Tupelo, Mississippi for second with both completing 12 projects.  Batavia participated in 11 qualifying projects tying with Ottawa-Streator, Illinois for fourth.  The results were published in Site Selection’s March issue.

“Despite a changing economic and political climate in the state and nationwide, we were able to participate in 11 qualifying projects and again earn honors as a Top Micropolitan.” said CEO Steve Hyde.  “It’s an accomplishment we are extremely proud of and over the years the recognition has brought us national exposure and helped us increase our project volume.  It is an honor that we share with the entire community, including our local and regional partners and elected officials.”

Roger Muehlig reports that the Genesee County Economic Development Center is selling its Mill Street headquarters and will lease back its office space from new owners.

The move paves the way for the property to move back onto the tax roles.

The  price: $675,000. The buyer: Harris Mill Street Properties.

A mortgage tax and sliding scale property tax exemptions package approved by GCEDC directors for the sale totals about $187,745. The largest part of that is an estimated $180,995 in property taxes on a sliding scale over a 10-year period.

The agency is considering relocation within the next three years to one of its other project locations.

Muehlig says that more than 35 new companies have been launched from the business incubator the GCEDC runs from the location.

The agency is working on at least three major development project in Genesee County.

There's no doubt that Genesee County can revitalize its workforce and reclaim its former reputation as a center of industry and innovation. There's also no doubt that it will take a willingness to change on the part of our communities. Alabama, in particular, could see drastic changes over the next couple decades...

Chad Zambito, vice president of marketing with the Genesee County Economic Development Center, brought us up to speed earlier today on a few of the more promising projects currently in the works for the county.

Most folks are probably familiar with the Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park, which has received a lot of press coverage in the Daily News. A Canadian food processor is planning to break ground at that site in the spring. That could mean the creation of about 100 jobs. There are also hopes for the site to include a sort of agricultural showcase center similar to the New York Wine & Culinary Center recently launched in Canandaigua that would highlight the region's dairy production.

Another major project in the pipeline is the Upstate Med & Tech Park and Commercialization Center. Situated on 34 acres across the street from Genesee Community College, the park will host a Life Sciences Center that would allow college students to get on-hand training in those fields. About half of the land is already shovel ready, so expect to see some buildings going up there soon.

That brings us to the most ambitious project currently in the works at the GCEDC: Alabama's STAMP site. STAMP stands for Science, Technology, Advanced Manufacturing Park. It's situated on no less than 1,300 acres between Route 77 and the Tonawanda Indian Reservation. Zambito estimates up to 10,000 jobs could be created at the site at full build out. He cautiously follows that up with the note that it would likely take some 25 years to acheive that.

All the purple buildings in the center of this map would house the manufacturing centers. Zambito said the site would likely be used for the production of photovoltaic cells that would harvest electricty from sunlight. In fact, this project, situated in a region that is already coveted for its potential wind energy, could become the foundation of a green energy industrial complex. This project is still some years from any actual construction. The GCEDC is right now getting the designs finalized and hopes to start bringing potential investors and manufacturers out to the site for visits later next year.

Click here to download a copy of the STAMP project map.

Le Roy has two weeks to act on the promise of a state grant for $350,000 to use in the restoration of Oatka Creek, according to the Daily News. One member of the Oatka Creek Ad Hoc Committee (Jack Bradbury) told the Village Board last night:

"Nothing has been done for over two years. New York State Parks has not heard from us in two years and the crisis now is that they said they were considering immediate cancellation of the grant."

Whoa! Two years? That sounds like a bit of a blunder, and that the homeowners in the village are angry with the board for not getting moving on the project only renforces that status. It turns out that the village last worked on the creek in 2004, but there is still much work to be done to "stablize" it.

This grant that may now get nixed was approved in 2006 as a match grant, which means the village would have to put up $350,000 of its own funds. Engineering proposals were approved at the meeting last night, a move "that may stave off the state's threat to cancel the grant."

Congratulations to Scott DeSmit for getting this story together and packaging it well, getting the facts out concisely and without ambiguity.

Genesee County's Economic Development Corporation recently closed on a pair of real estate deals: 200 acres of land in the town of Batavia ($800,000) planned for the Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park; and another 59 acres of farmland in the town of Alabama ($212,000) to be incorporated into the 1,200-acre Western New York Science & Technology Advanced Manufacturing Park.

An increase in recording fees for the Genesee County Clerk's Office was approved by the Legislature last night. Also passed at that meeting was the $1.8 million budget for the county's workers compensation program, which marks an 8 percent increase in that budget over last year.

Batavia Downs will be hosting the top dogs of harness racing every Wednesday for the next couple months in an effort to raise money for the Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester. Racers such as Howard "Pacing" Parker, who was strapped up and circled the track in eight races yesterday, will donate their driving commissions to the coalition. Silent auctions each week for racing memorabilia such as bobbleheads of the drivers will also help benefit the cause.

We encourage you to get out and pick up a copy of the Daily News at your local newsstand. Or, better yet, subscribe at BataviaNews.com.

Steve Hyde  of Genesee County Economic Development Center presented an update on Agri Park development and tonight's council conference meeting.

The proposed ag park could be worth $1.4 billion to the local economy and create 1,100 jobs.

It will cover 200 to 300 acres near Oatka Milk in the Town of Batavia.

It will be the only ag industry focused part in the Northeast.

A Canadian company seems ready and serious to be the first tenant of the park, bringing 100 jobs and taking advantage of current monetary exchange rates.

"We’re not coming here today to ask for help, but to look for a partnership that says this benefits the people in the community," Hyde said.

Grants of $6 million are currently available to fund Phase I.