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From the January 2008 issue

Governor Signs Executive Order Creating Smart Growth Cabinet

Governor Eliot Spitzer has signed an Executive Order creating a Smart Growth Cabinet, which will review spending by and policies of state agencies to determine how best to discourage sprawl and promote smart land-use practices. The cabinet will coordinate cross-agency activities and develop "smart-growth" policies that cater to New York State's unique regional needs.

The Smart Growth Cabinet will comprise high-level policymakers from various state agencies that have an impact on growth and development patterns, including representatives from the Empire State Development Corporation and the departments of Environmental Conservation (DEC), Transportation (DOT), State and Housing and Community Renewal, among others. Recognizing both the environmental and economic benefits of smart growth, the cabinet will be chaired jointly by Judith Enck, Deputy Secretary for the Environment and Timothy Gilchrist, Deputy Secretary for Economic Development and Infrastructure.

Tupper Lake
Adirondack communities like Tupper Lake are on the verge of major expansion

Striving for Balance

Smart growth is sensible, planned development that balances the need for economic development with the need to preserve and enhance our natural and created environment. Studies show that workers and businesses increasingly consider quality-of-life and quality-of-place factors when deciding where to locate. In a recent study of New York businesses, the State Economic Development Council found that two quality-of-life factors were particularly influential in decisions about business location--access to outdoor recreation and vibrant, livable urban centers.

Smart-Growth Initiatives

In his first state budget, Governor Spitzer created a $2 million Smart Growth Fund within the state's Environmental Protection Fund. Because smart growth applies differently to New York's distinct regions, Governor Spitzer launched three region-specific smart-growth initiatives, each addressing particular growth-management challenges:

Tappan Zee Bridge
Improvements to the Tappan Zee Bridge will encourage economic growth and development in the Lower Hudson Valley - photo courtesy of Brett Weinstein
  • The Lower Hudson Valley Smart Growth Grant initiative will help communities plan for economic growth and development spurred by several major state infrastructure projects--Stewart Airport, the Tappan Zee Bridge and conversion of Route 17 into I-86.
  • The Adirondack smart-growth initiative will help attract economic growth to areas appropriate for development by integrating smart municipal planning with the need for environmental stewardship and protection of open space in the Adirondack Park.
  • The central Catskills program will help revitalize towns and hamlets along the Route 28 corridor.

Appointees

Governor Spitzer has appointed several agency leaders with first-hand experience in smart growth: DOT Commissioner Astrid Glynn, who implemented Massachusetts' smart-growth program; Upstate Economic Development Chair Dan Gundersen, who worked on smart-growth initiatives in Pennsylvania and Maryland; Deputy Secretary of State for Local Governments Robert Elliott, who advanced smart-growth initiatives in the Hudson Valley as mayor of Croton-on-Hudson and as president of the New York Planning Federation, and DEC Commissioner Pete Grannis, who advocated smart growth and sustainable development as a lawmaker for three decades.