Projects & Initiatives

The Agriculture Development and Enhancement Strategy was officially completed in 2022. It was unanimously approved by the legislature in May, and final approval was given by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets in August.

The plan is intended to support farmers and enhance profitability, but also a strategy for County leadership to identify opportunities and provide guidance in municipal planning in agriculture. Over the next 10 years, the Chautauqua County Department of Planning & Development hopes to partner with other agencies around the county to implement the top priority recommendations.

At the end of 2024, the County of Chautauqua Industrial Development Agency (CCIDA), Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Jamestown Community College (JCC), and CHQ Chamber announced the completion of their successful business assistance programs.

From 2021 through 2024, the three organizations collaborated to assist area businesses or nonprofits with grant funding to upgrade their marketing tools and presence, with more than 80 different employers directly benefitting from the related programs intended to assist with recovery from the effects of the COVID pandemic.

The largest program to be implemented was the CCIDA Business Marketing Assistance Program, which focused on marketing grants of up to $10,000 for small businesses (less than 50 employees), with funding provided through Chautauqua County’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) allocation, along with support from the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation.

Another program that was launched to assist businesses was the Economic Gardening Program, which provided customized data, analysis, and technical assistance to select “Stage 2” Companies (those poised to grow) to help elevate their business planning, with the intent of growing revenue and employment. The program was offered through the Invest Buffalo Niagara economic development agency.

The CCIDA, SBDC, and CHQ Chamber also worked with Insyte Consulting to launch a third program to assist businesses. The Company Culture/ESG Program was launched to assist manufacturers (up to 500 employees) with developing strong Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) polices, which help to guide companies toward long-term success. Through this program, Insyte Consulting and the CCIDA developed a self-auditing “white paper” that was widely distributed to manufacturers throughout the county.

Over $700,000 in total funding was provided for the three programs through Chautauqua County ARPA funding and from the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation.

• More information

The goal of this project is to activate Jamestown’s waterfront and maximize visitation in the river corridor and basin areas, leading to increased economic activity in and around downtown Jamestown. 

With funding secured, preparation for the initial stage of activation has begun. In addition, in collaboration with partners, CCPEG applied for funding for both shoreline stabilization efforts and to cover inflationary cost increases for Phase I projects. Several events are held in the basin area each year, drawing thousands of people to the space, increasing public awareness of the area, and providing information on infrastructure needs in the future.

• Visit the Chadakoin River Activation Website to learn more.
• Watch the “Chadakoin River: Chautauqua County’s Hidden Gem” video

This project is meant to better understand current conditions in code enforcement across the county and develop strategies for improving code enforcement on a county-wide scale. The consultant firm CGR was hired to start exploring the idea of consolidating or improving zoning and building code administration and enforcement, as well as taking a further look into the county’s housing court and possible improvements moving forward. CGR completed its report in 2023 and the results were presented to the Chautauqua County Legislature’s Planning & Economic Development Committee in January 2024. 

• CGR “Code Enforcement in Chautauqua County” Report

CCPEG applied for and was awarded $75,000 from Empire State Development to prepare and implement a strategic plan to increase brand awareness of Chautauqua County as a tourism destination. Chautauqua County has many tourism draws, including: craft beer, wine, cider, and distilled spirits; outdoor and water sports, arts, comedy, music and other cultural events; and historic architecture, industrial, and agricultural assets. This project will brand and market our county’s many assets with the goal of drawing new visitors and increasing the frequency and length of visits in order to maximize economic impact.

In 2024, CCPEG put out an RFP for the project and selected Paperkite, a marketing firm from Cooperstown, NY, as the contractor. Paperkite created and launched the “Chautauqua County Grape & Grain Trail” campaign in July 2024. The campaign is a collaboration between CCPEG and the Chautauqua County Visitors Bureau and is designed to showcase the various wineries, craft breweries, and craft distilleries located within the county, along with its numerous outdoor activities and nature attractions that welcome visitors to the area.

The campaign landing page is available at TourChautauqua.com/field-to-glass and lists the various businesses that produce and serve wine, craft beer, and spirits. It will also provide links to pages on the CCVB website so visitors can explore ecotourism friendly adventures in Chautauqua County. Those who visit the website will then be able to use the information to help plan their trip to the county and any of the listed destinations. The Grape & Grain Trail will be promoted on various social media channels, including Instagram, Meta, and Snapchat.

This project seeks to improve the inventory of sites for development as well as prepare critical infrastructure for economic development purposes. The strategy includes efforts to prioritize investment in strategic greenfield sites to enhance the County’s ability to market them to businesses looking to locate or expand within the region. It also includes the identification and analysis of known or suspected brownfields, and the development of tools necessary to remediate, market, and redevelop them into economically productive uses.

The County and County of Chautauqua Industrial Development Agency (CCIDA) made tremendous progress in 2022, 2023, and 2024 by securing more than $12 million in funding resources to acquire and develop the 140-acre, Ripley Interstate Shovel Ready Site Project, just off of I-90.

The CCIDA was also awarded a $600,000 grant from the US EPA to establish a Brownfield Revolving Loan Fund (BRLF) for brownfield remediation and redevelopment. The first loan from that fund was awarded in September 2024 to Southern Tier Environments for Living (STEL) for its Gateway Lofts project in Jamestown. 

CCPEG provided assistance to the City of Dunkirk for the development of a Downtown Revitalization Initiative proposal to the WNY Regional Economic Development Council (REDC). CCPEG also provided technical assistance and resources to identify, conceptualize, develop, and design projects obtained within the application, as well as assistance in producing a video presentation to the REDC. In 2023, NYS announced Dunkirk as the WNY DRI recipient and would provide $10 million to the City to aid in public and private projects that capitalize on Dunkirk’s waterfront and downtown.

This study was designed as a tool to attract investment and development of certain housing types in targeted areas of the county. A Request for Proposals (RFP) was released in November 2022 and MRB Group was selected and secured in early 2023 as the project consultant, with Phase I completed at the end of 2023. This phase involves an inventory and analysis of county-wide housing to establish a better understanding of our county’s current housing stock and identify gaps within our housing market. Phase II was the actual release of the report in March 2024. 

This workforce development initiative between CCPEG and the CCIDA focuses on the establishment and implementation of a cohesive talent recruitment and retention marketing strategy and campaign, with a particular focus on the unique and exceptional quality of life that exists in Chautauqua County. In December 2022, Block Club and Clevermethod were hired to assist with developing the campaign and also and a dedicated campaign website, along with new and improved sites for CCIDA, CCPEG, and CREDC under the Choose CHQ initiative.

As part of the development effort, content was collected to help highlight a well-lived life and encapsulate and define a Chautauqua County lifestyle. In April 2024, the Live CHQ initiative was launched with an overall goal to help raise awareness of Chautauqua County as a viable place for individuals and families to live by speaking to the sensibilities, desires, and expectations of people who are considering the county as their primary residence. For more information visit LiveCHQ.org.

After being awarded funding from the NYSERDA Just Transition program, CCPEG continues to work in partnership with the CCIDA, City of Dunkirk, NYSERDA, NRG, and Bergmann Associates to collect building and site infrastructure data to understand the best uses for the site and better develop and inform the Phase II Study. This study is intended to identify viable alternatives for site reuse by leveraging its site assets and its geographic location on the shore of Lake Erie.

In partnership with CHQ Transit, the County, CCPEG, and tourism stakeholders worked collaboratively to develop a tourism transportation system and marketing/branding plan utilizing the new CHQ Transit trolley buses. Formerly known as Chautauqua Area Regional Transportation System (CARTS), the newly branded CHQ Transit launched in 2023 with three trolley-style buses, exclusively for tourism transportation. These trolley buses will better connect tourism accommodations and destinations, extending visitor stays, increasing spending, and improving overall visitor experiences.

The county’s trails organizations have come together to develop an official Friends of the Chautauqua County Greenways group to work collaboratively to apply for larger grant funding opportunities to maintain, market, and develop trails.

In 2024, FCCG worked to develop a County-wide online and interactive Trails and Recreation Map, which was currently lacking in the county. CCPEG received Sheldon Foundation funding to hire a consultant to determine the best organizational structure for the group.

CCPEG will be hosting the Friends of the Greenways Group to coordinate efforts going forward, and has secured occupancy tax resources to hire a part time contractual employee to manage trail development/outdoor recreation projects and collaborations.

CCPEG supported the Village of Mayville in applying for $675,000 in LWRP funding for three of 13 priority projects included in the master plan.  These projects include Chautauqua Bell gateway improvements, a new kayak launch, and a waterfront pedestrian and bicycle trail. The objective of this project is to revitalize the Village’s waterfront area, expanding recreational opportunities for residents and visitors, spurring economic growth within the community.