1	Seneca Falls Comprehensive Plan Economic Development and Tourism Element July 26, 2004 John Whiteman
2	Topics to Cover Observations: image, impressions Data, future, trends Looking at the local economy from a comp plan perspective Discussion
3	I. Perspectives
4	View of the Tourist Scenic, quaint Historically significant, great architecture Growing retail interest Good lake access – visual and physical Great region… you want to go drive and see the vineyards Nice the first time; would I come again?
5	View of a Businessperson Great access to Syracuse and Rochester and highway Historic image is good Very small town – deterrent to some Land is available Sewer and water access is good Taxes are low…for now Located a bit beyond the ‘growth zone’
6	Therefore…. Feels ‘up and coming’ There is some evidence of growth in the Town and that is good It feels like a place that I’d keep my eye on. It feels like a place that I would come and visit again if I find some tourism gems. If I heard more, I would be interested…
7	II. Now let’s look at some facts
8	Basic Economic Stats, Yr 2000 Town* Village Total** Housing Units: 1,031 3,136 4,167 Population: 2,389 6,958 9,347 Labor Force: 1,081 3,436 4,517 Prop Taxes $114,000 $3.3 million =Town data without Village data *=Town including Village
9	Growth Returns to the Town
10	Recent growth in the Town – outside the village- is significant given the overall low or no growth trends in the county
11	And…. 2/3’s of people work in county; 1/3 out of county 54% of people commute 20 minutes or less to work 33% travel 21-45 minutes 13% travel more
12	Occupational Breakdown
13	Detailed Occupations of Town Residents
14	What About the Businesses in the Communities?
15	Recent business and employment inventories Found approximately 2500 jobs located in Seneca Falls. Gould Pump, Seneca County, Seneca Falls School District, the Chiropractic College and BonaDent were some of the largest employers.
16	Plus Assessor Business Estimates Assessor data suggest another 80-100 businesses – all small At an average employment of 4 jobs per business = 320 to 400 additional jobs. Most in the service and professional sectors. Therefore, total jobs in village and town might be around 3000
17	And Tourism….
18	Annual Visitation to County’s Major Destinations* Seneca Lake State Park: 245,000 Sampson State Park: 185,507 Montezuma NWR: 138,200 Cayuga Wine Trail: 80,000 Source: Seneca County Tourism office Seneca Wine Trail: 60,000 Women’s Rights Park: 23,000 Seneca Falls Visitors Center: 20,000
19	You should be getting more people into Seneca Falls
20	Many Assets National Park presence State Heritage Area National Register District Water – lake and canal Downtown improvements Great architecture B&B’s Part of well-known travel region Great highway access 45 minutes from two metro areas Wineries pull people through the area Dedicated marketing organization
21	Tourism Challenges Retail sector is recovering, but not fully there yet. Same with dining. Entryways to the community need some sprucing up Image is not one of a place to stay for very long … other attractions may tend to pull people through too fast Do you want to attract more people?
22	Tax Structure About $424 million in taxable value in the Village and Town You raise about $3.4 million in revenues for the Village and Town from property taxes The average Village home brings in about $1200 to the Village. The average Town home brings in about $82 to the Town.
23	Initial Conclusions from Above
24	Observations You’ve survived 25 years of economic stagnation pretty well and you are turning the corner. You took a big hit with the downsizings and closings of major employers and it takes time to recover. You’ve done many of the right things.
25	And… Your population is aging Young people aren’t coming here as much as the past…true? Why? Jobs?, Schools? You have some unusual assets to work with (Landfill $, methane, water power, etc.)
26	You have a variety of assets in your favor Land Sewer and water Great access to highways and markets Amenities and small town character Historical significance Low cost power
27	And…. Your tax structure is appealing in the Town now due to the presence of the landfill. (What do you do with taxes when the landfill closes?) You have the luxury of having funds to invest in the future. (What do you do with them? Is there a capital plan for landfill revenue?)
28	III. What Can a Comp Plan Do?
29	A Comp Plan Perspective There are national/international forces: interest rates, standards of living/wage levels, recessions, wars, trade agreements, etc. There are regional issues: state and county taxes, road systems, educational systems, urban health and amenities, labor quality, housing costs, weather And, there are local issues
30	Economic Issues You Can Affect Land Infrastructure Local highways Schools Recreation Downtown Health Economic Development support and attitude Image Tourism infrastructure Zoning and other regulations Housing quality Public relations/marketing
31	Questions we should answer What type of economy would you like to have in the future? What is feasible? What type of economy might you become given reality and trends? How do you get there? What hurdles can be lowered? What incentives can be provided?
32	For Example: What are You Shooting For? Current job base = about 3000 jobs Current labor force = about 4500 Given that 25% of your labor force travels less than 10 minutes to work, maybe 1000 to 1200 residents are employed in your town/village businesses. If you lose a major employer, you might lose up to 500 resident jobs or close to 10% of your labor force might lose a job.
33	What Should You Target? Jobs? You will need to create 500 jobs to hold steady if your major employers decline. You will need more if you want to induce growth. Taxes? You will need $142 million in value to replace your $1 million per year in landfill fees. Visitors? You will need more to encourage businesses to invest and let them survive. 1000 visitors = $20,000 in expenditures or more. You will need 100,000 visitors to generate enough economic activity to support 10 new small businesses.
34	IV. Three Questions for Discussion
35	1. What Kind of Economy do You Want to Have? Who do you want to be like? Who do NOT want to be like? Diversified or focused? Lot more growth or minimal growth? What do you think are your biggest opportunities?
36	2. How are you doing on these factors?
37	3. What do we want to know from the public? Are there issues that you wonder about in terms of public awareness or preferences? Do you face big decisions on which you want to test the public pulse?