Build Now NY Opportunity: Introducing a 260 Acre Business and Technology Park

A major project under development for 2003 is a new 260 acre business and technology park, a partnership with Empire State Development (ESD) and the Governor's Office of Regulatory Reform (GORR). Cortland was recently selected for the Build Now NY program and will partner with New York State to develop and market the site, which will create an upscale campus-like environment particularly suited to companies in information technology, software development, R&D, life sciences and bio-related sectors.

Cortland County is situated in an intellectual corridor between Cornell University, Syracuse University, SUNY Binghamton, SUNY Upstate Medical Center, SUNY ESF, SUNY Cortland and Tompkins Cortland Community College (TC3). This location creates an available workforce of scientists, engineers, computer specialists and industrial researchers, as well as highly trained specialists. There are few places that offer better access to world class university technology centers with leading edge collaborations between universities, private industry and state government. Cortland works closely with three nearby NYSTAR Centers for Advanced Technology:

• The New York Center for Advanced Technology in Software Engineering at Syracuse University
• The New York State Center for Advanced Technology in Biotechnology at Cornell University and the Cornell Center for Materials Research
• The New York State Center for Advanced Technology in Integrated Electronics at Binghamton University.

Cortland was one of 26 sites in New York State that will receive $75,000 in matching grants under the second round of New York's innovative Build Now NY program. The award was made to the Cortland County IDA and announced by David S. Bradley of GORR who said, "The sites selected in this program are among the best in the world for growing business." ESD will strategically market the shovelready sites to companies in search of new business locations and GORR will assist with the prepermitting process.

The Cortland IDA worked closely with ESD and GORR through the application process, with representatives from both state agencies visiting Cortland several times to meet with local government officials and business leaders. The IDA, working with the Cortland County Planning Department, prepared the comprehensive application which included USGS data, GIS maps, topographic maps, transportation networks, infrastructure capacity, utility information, environmental information, and soils descriptions. Also included was extensive economic and demographic information about the County and the region.

The Cortland IDA submitted the proposal under the category of Business & Technology Park. Such a project could include a variety of uses, ranging from professional offices to light industrial, R&D, small scale warehouse/distribution, commercial offices, data and call centers, and back office operations. It could also support other related activities such as banks, hotels, health clubs, day care centers and community amenities. The project will be designed to have more sophisticated land use planning, higher quality architectural and landscape design, and additional environmental and land use controls.

Applications from across New York State were reviewed by Lockwood Greene, one of the world's foremost business site selection consulting firms. Communities with sites best matching Build Now NY site selection criteria were selected. Joan Herron, Lockwood Greene project manager for Build Now NY, gave high marks to the Cortland proposal when she made a site visit in September.

Build Now NY's strategy, working with local government, is threefold:

• Develop land use profiles and site selection criteria to meet expanding business location needs;

• Provide seed money to local communities to undertake necessary site preparation and permitting for these types of sites, including environmental review, zoning changes, and other site preparation and approvals;

• Strategically market the shovel-ready sites to companies in search of new business locations.

"The Build Now NY designation is a great boost for this project," said IDA Chairman Paul Slowey. "It puts the technical resources of GORR and the marketing power of ESD behind Cortland County, and pushes this site to the forefront of premier available parcels for development in New York State. We look forward to working with ESD, GORR and the Town of Cortlandville to make this program a huge success."

For more information:

• www.gorr.state.ny.us
• www.buildnow-ny.org
• www.empire.state.ny.us
• www.cortlandbusiness.com

Cortland Named One of America's Top Small Towns by Site Selection Magazine For Second Straight Year

Cortland Moves Up Five Places in 2003 Rankings

Cortland was once again hailed one of "America's Top Small Towns for New and Expanded Facilities" in the March 2003 issue of Site Selection magazine, the leading international publication for economic development and corporate real estate. The rankings, compiled by Georgia-based Conway Data, included an assessment of thousands of communities across the country with a population base of less than 50,000. This year, Cortland moved up five places in the rankings to 36th place nationally for small towns with the most corporate investment from 2000 to 2002. Cortland was ranked 41st nationally on the list of top small towns for new corporate investment from 1999 to 2001, which was published in the March 2002 issue of Site Selection Magazine.

Each year Conway Data ranks communities and states across the country for Site Selection Magazine's "Governor's Cup" competition. The rankings are considered the official scorecard in the international economic development community, since they are based on actual investment and facilities expansion.

Site Selection is the oldest publication in the world dedicated to corporate real estate and economic development, and is regarded by corporate real estate magazine's circulation base consists of more than 45,000 executives involved in corporate site selection decisions, most at the CEO/President/CFO/COO level. It is distributed internationally, with a large global readership.

"Our board of directors has set their sights on being one of the best small towns in America for economic development," said BDC/IDA Chairman Paul Slowey. "Two consecutive years on Site Selection's list of "America's Top Towns" demonstrates the positive momentum underway in the County, with $90 million in new private sector investment from 2000 to 2002. The message is clear: Cortland is now one of the pacesetters for Small Town America."