Greenway Commitment

To help protect the Hudson Valley's breathtaking beauty and natural environment, the Hudson Valley Economic Development Corporation works closely with Scenic Hudson and the Hudson River Valley Greenway to assure that economic development follows the path of "Smart Growth." This advocates growth and development where it will build community, protect environmental amenities, promote fiscal health, keep taxes low and more.

Greenway Principles

1. Recommend local governments develop strategies that designate areas appropriate for both economic development and the concentration of residential facilities that meet the economic and social needs of the region while respecting local community character.
2. Recommend local land-use laws be adopted to give incentives to concentrate development in designated areas and to give clear guidelines to private landowners and developers to ensure that new economic activity occurs in areas designated for development. Clustering centers of economic enterprise in new and existing centers creates an opportunity to minimize "suburban sprawl."
3. Recommend local strategies and land-use regulations that encourage and reinforce these Greenway Principles of Economic Development. Suggested tools include Greenway technical support, cluster development, planned unit development, and the incorporation of agricultural and tourism economic development strategies.
4. Recommend state, county and local governments support development projects that utilize existing buildings, promote higher densities and mixed land uses, and utilize existing infrastructure and its expansion whenever possible. Such action should be supported by grants for infrastructure that encourage planning and zoning consistent with these Principles.
5. Recommend local governments participate in intermunicipal agreements and councils that enable them to integrate their economic development plans into a strategy that achieves, among them, compatible economic development and the provision of housing for present and future residents.
6. Recommend state, county, and local governments provide incentives for industrial and commercial facilities that meet the highest environmental standards and incorporate efficient energy systems.
7. Recommend state, county, and local government provide incentives and support for development that is consistent with, and supportive of, the cultural and historic fabric of the region, including historic preservation, community character and scenic and natural resources.
8. Recommend state, county and local governments provide incentives for siting projects on brownfields and utilizing existing housing stock.

Click here for New York State Enacts Comprehensive Brownfields Law.