Housing, Economic Development & Neighborhood Studies
RESILIENCY Planning Effort
The NY Rising Community Reconstruction Program was created to support the planning and implementation of resiliency initiatives in communities impacted by Superstorm Sandy. As a member of the Planning Team, AIM prepared housing and economic needs assessments for six communities in Brooklyn and on Long Island. AIM’s demographic, housing and economic development studies were focused on using baseline data to understand existing conditions and the extent of storm damage; identify community strengths and vulnerabilities; and identify opportunities, strategies and potential projects to strengthen the local community’s resiliency and improve resident and business outcomes. Data sources included stakeholder interviews, site visits, FEMA and SBS storm damage data, US Census data, NAICS Business data, HUD data and NYC Planning data.
The studies were used to inform the selection of short and long-term community-driven programs and projects. NYS made over $100 million in Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds available to implement the resiliency initiatives in the communities AIM supported. Project implementation plans are ongoing in all communities.
Downtown REVITALIZATION PLAN
NYS’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) was created to improve the vitality of urban centers across New York State. As a member of the Planning Team, AIM prepared the housing and economic development profile report for an upstate community with a struggling downtown. The study included demographic, housing, and local economic data; key observations; challenges; and opportunities. AIM also supported the financial feasibility analysis and development of preliminary proformas and cash flow projections for a number of the proposed projects. Our work informed the selection of twenty transformative projects totaling over $30 Million that are included in Amsterdam NY’s Strategic Investment Plan. The State’s $10 million allocation will be used to leverage an additional $20M in public and private funds. Project implementation plans are underway.
