Request for Applications View this document as a PDF

Application Submission || Preapplication Workshops || Who Is Eligible || Joint Applications Eligible Activities || Grant Selection Criteria || Funding Restrictions Satisfactory Progress || Other Grant Requirements for Construction Projects Instructions for Completing the Application Form || Download Application: PDF or  (Request form in MS Word or WordPerfect)

PURPOSE

Funding to advance preparation, refinement or implementation of Local Waterfront Revitalization Programs (LWRP) is available to local governments under Title 11 of the New York State Environmental Protection Fund Local Waterfront Revitalization Program. The LWRP encourages municipalities to plan for the future of their waterfronts and undertake improvement projects to implement their plans.

The Department of State is soliciting grant applications under Title 11 for the following grant categories:

• Visioning and development of local or regional revitalization strategies
• Completing or implementing a Local or Regional Waterfront Revitalization Program
• Preparing or implementing a local or regional watershed management plan
• Downtown and hamlet revitalization
• Urban waterfront redevelopment
• Creating a blueway trail
• Adapting to climate change
• Interpreting Waterfront Resources - New York State Coastal Resources Interpretive Program

Within these grant categories, priority consideration will be given during this grant round to proposals which address the elements outlined on page 11 of this Request for Applications.

State assistance awarded and paid shall not exceed 50% of the total eligible project costs set forth in the application and as approved by the Department. There is no minimum and no maximum request amount.

APPLICATION SUBMISSION

A municipality may submit applications for more than one project. Each project must be submitted as a separate application, with separate applications bound individually and clearly labeled as separate applications. Five paper copies (including one signed original) and one electronic copy (in Adobe® Acrobat® Portable Document Format - PDF) of each application must be submitted. PDF documents must be submitted on a labeled CD-R type CD, and contain the complete application, including signature page and municipal resolution. All applications must be delivered to:

LOCAL WATERFRONT REVITALIZATION PROGRAM
Bureau of Fiscal Management, 11th Floor, Suite 1110
New York State Department of State
1 Commerce Plaza
99 Washington Avenue
Albany, NY 12231-0001

Application forms are available at www.nyswaterfronts.com, by telelphone request to (518) 474-6000, or by e-mail request to coastal@dos.state.ny.us. For general questions on this grant program, please call Nancy Welsh at (518) 474-6000 or e-mail at nancy.welsh@dos.state.ny.us.

Applications must be RECEIVED BY 4:00 P.M. ON JUNE 30, 2008 at the address above.

Late submissions will not be accepted.
Fax and e-mail transmissions will NOT be accepted.

Download Application in PDF Format (135KB PDF File) (16 pages)

PREAPPLICATION WORKSHOPS

Pre-application workshops will be held at several locations around the State. Please see the enclosed schedule of workshops for further information. All those interested in having the process explained and having the opportunity to ask process questions are encouraged to attend.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE

For general program planning to advance any of the eligible activities listed below:

Any municipality located on the State's coastal waters or on a designated inland waterway, or a county that encompasses an eligible waterbody/waterway and is working in partnership with one or more eligible municipalities. A list of coastal water bodies and designated inland waterways is attached.

For planning, feasibility, design, or marketing of specific projects to advance eligible activities:

Any municipality currently preparing a Local Waterfront Revitalization Program or with an approved Local Waterfront Revitalization Program.

For construction projects needed to advance eligible activities:

Any municipality with an approved Local Waterfront Revitalization Program or with the relevant Local Waterfront Revitalization Program component substantially completed.

NOTE: Applications from community-based organizations, neighborhood groups, not-for-profit groups and other organizations can be considered if the application involves the participation of, and is submitted by, an appropriate local government sponsor, with jurisdiction over the project area.

List of Coastal Waterbodies and Designated Inland Waterways

COASTAL WATERBODIES
Arthur Kill Atlantic Ocean East River Harlem River	Hudson River (south of federal dam at Troy) Kill van Kull Lake Erie	Lake Ontario Long Island Sound Niagara River St. Lawrence River
DESIGNATED INLAND WATERWAYS
Ausable River Big Tupper Lake Black Lake Black River Bouquet River Canandaigua Lake Cayuga Lake Chautauqua Lake Chemung River Cincinatti Creek Conesus Lake Cranberry Lake Delaware River Deer River Esopus Creek Fish Creek - East and West Branch Fulton Chain of Lakes Genesee River Grasse River Great Sacandaga Lake	Honeoye Lake Hudson River (north of federal dam at Troy) Indian Lake Indian River Keuka Lake Lake Champlain Lake George Little Salmon - North and South Branch Little Sandy Creek Long Lake Mad River Mohawk River Moose River - North and Middle Branch Oneida Lake Onondaga Lake Oswegatchie River Otisco Lake Otsego Lake	Owasco Lake Raquette Lake Raquette River Sacandaga Lake Salmon River Sandy Creek Saranac River Saratoga Lake Schroon Lake Seneca Lake Skaneateles Lake South Sandy Creek State Canal System Susquehanna River Tioughnioga River Upper Saranac Lake

NOTE: Coastal waterbodies and designated inland waterways are defined in Executive Law, Article 42, Section 911.

JOINT APPLICATIONS

The Department of State encourages the formation of partnerships to address environmental, land use and economic development opportunities, therefore, the submission of joint applications from two or more eligible applicants for proposals that cross municipal boundaries or address regional issues is encouraged. One applicant must be identified as the lead applicant with whom a contract would be developed.

ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES

1. Visioning and Development of Local or Regional Revitalization Strategies

To begin the process of preparing a comprehensive community plan, such as a Local Waterfront Revitalization Program, the Department of State is requiring that a municipality conduct a community participation program to generate a broad understanding of waterfront and community revitalization issues, create a consensus for the future, and develop a strategy for the steps needed to advance the consensus.

Municipalities may apply for grant funding to:

• introduce local leaders and community residents to the planning process through a series of facilitated public planning sessions and technical assistance;
• identify local, intermunicipal and regional assets and issues;
• generate community consensus and a vision for the future;
• prepare an implementation strategy consistent with the community vision; and
• develop a sustainable organizational capacity to implement the strategy.

2. Completing or Implementing a Local or Regional Waterfront Revitalization Program

Building on a vision and revitalization strategy, municipalities may consider preparing a comprehensive local or regional waterfront revitalization program, or components of a partial local or regional waterfront revitalization program - advancing completion of a program in stages by addressing priority issues first. A waterfront revitalization program is a comprehensive land and water use program that expresses a vision for the waterfront and refines state policy to reflect local or regional needs. It follows a step by step process that advances from a vision to implementation, and is associated with numerous benefits including: the ability to attract appropriate development that will respect unique cultural and natural characteristics; technical assistance as part of a long-term partnership among local government, community based organizations, and the State; the ability to ensure that State and federal permitting, funding, and direct actions are consistent with the approved plan; and increased ability to obtain public and private funding for identified projects.

Municipalities currently working toward completion of, or who have completed, elements of a waterfront revitalization program may apply for grant funding to advance or implement the program, including:

• general planning needed to complete, revise or advance a waterfront revitalization program, including:
  • economic development strategies
  • redevelopment strategies
  • reuse of abandoned buildings and sites
  • tourism promotion and development strategies
  • scenic byway corridor management plans
  • scenic enhancement plans and strategies
  • waterfront heritage area and trail plans
  • harbor management plans
  • public access strategies
  • open space inventories, plans and preservation strategies
  • natural resource protection and enhancement strategies
  • habitat management plans
  • wetland restoration plans
  • farmland protection strategies
  • flooding and erosion management plans
  • dredged material management plans
  • post-storm recovery plans
  • local law development
  • development of design guidelines and standards
  • coastal education plans and programs;

• project- or site-specific planning, feasibility, design, or marketing needed to implement an approved waterfront revitalization program, or to implement or advance approved plans or strategies developed as part of local or regional waterfront revitalization program planning. Design projects should be completed to a construction ready stage with permits in place and bid documentation prepared;
• construction of projects necessary to implement an approved waterfront revitalization program, or a substantially completed component of a waterfront revitalization program in preparation; or
• development of local or intermunicipal Geographic Information Systems to improve management of coastal areas and resources.

3. Preparing or Implementing Local or Regional Watershed Management Plans

A watershed management plan is a comprehensive plan to protect and restore specific waterbodies and their watersheds by identifying and prioritizing land uses and capital projects to reduce point and nonpoint source pollution, and protect or restore water quality, tributary corridors and aquatic habitats. Significant contributing areas surrounding and draining into a waterbody generally lie within more than one municipal jurisdiction. Consequently, the preparation of cooperative, intermunicipal plans for a specific watershed can be an effective way to achieve local, regional and statewide goals, and intermunicipal watershed planning and management are encouraged.

Municipalities may apply for grant funding to undertake work that advances the initiation, completion, refinement or implementation of a watershed management plan, including:

• establishment of an intermunicipal watershed management council or other management entity;
• preparation or refinement of a comprehensive watershed management plan, or a component of a watershed management plan, including:

  • characterization of the study area
  • identification of key resource problems and issues
  • identification of principal pollutants and their sources
  • identification of existing point and nonpoint source controls
  • identification of institutional arrangements for water quality management
  • description of existing land and water use controls
  • identification of resources warranting special protection or restoration
  • recommendation and prioritization of implementation projects and actions;

• implementation of priority projects and actions that remove pollutants and restore water quality, living resources or aquatic habitats, or otherwise address identified water quality and habitat issues, and gaps in their protection or management;
• planning for open space protection to provide water quality or aquatic and terrestrial habitat benefits;
• development and implementation of education, outreach and training materials and programs on identified watershed issues and management;
• planning for and implementation of improved institutional arrangements, or amendment or adoption of local land and water use controls to provide coordinated waterbody management; and
• development of local or intermunicipal Geographic Information Systems to improve management of a watershed.

4. Downtown and Hamlet Revitalization

Downtown and hamlet revitalization includes activities designed to create a positive image of a municipality’s downtown commercial district or hamlet centers, to encourage consumers and investors to live, work, shop, play and invest in the downtown or hamlet, to improve the physical and economic characteristics of the downtown or hamlet.

Applicants are encouraged to undertake coordinated activities to lay the foundation for a comprehensive downtown or hamlet revitalization program based on the approach used throughout the country by the National Main Street Center as follows:

• Organization of community talent and resources to implement a community center revitalization program.
• Promotion to create a positive image of the commercial district and encourage consumers and investors to live, work, shop, play and invest in the community center.
• Design to improve the physical characteristics of the community center.
• Economic Restructuring to strengthen existing businesses while recruiting compatible new businesses and new economic uses to the community center.

A comprehensive downtown or hamlet revitalization program includes development of a downtown or hamlet revitalization vision, identification of the economic and market niche of the downtown or hamlet, preparation of a revitalization program and implementation strategy consistent with the vision and niche, establishment of a sustainable organizational capacity for implementation of the strategy, and the implementation of the vision and strategy.

Funding is available for study, analysis, planning, design, pre-construction and construction, and implementation activities including but not limited to:

• Preparing a comprehensive downtown or hamlet revitalization program;
• Development of a public consensus for the future of the downtown or hamlet through surveys, public meetings, focus groups, data collection, charettes, and concept preparation;
• Inventory and analysis of existing resources, assets and issues in the downtown or hamlet;
• Identification of the economic and market niche for the downtown or hamlet that best serves residents, attracts visitors and encourages investors;
• Market analysis of the potential demand for downtown or hamlet residential, commercial/retail and support services;
• Identification of projects or actions needed to strengthen or recruit businesses and economic uses in the downtown or hamlet;
• Identification of potential funding sources and partners;
• Examining and developing the institutional tools needed to support revitalization of the downtown or hamlet, including the creation of coordinated retail management organizations, business improvement tax districts, public-private partnerships, financial strategies and organizational structures;
• Developing local laws and land use regulations to foster a desired development strategy; and
• Design, construction and/or implementation activities related to priority projects identified in a comprehensive downtown or hamlet revitalization program, including:

  • marketing campaigns
  • brochure and website design
  • establishment of cultural, historic, arts and entertainment districts
  • transportation and parking improvements
  • creation of pedestrian-friendly streetscapes
  • infrastructure improvements
  • reuse of abandoned buildings and sites
  • creation, expansion or improvement of public open spaces
  • mixed-use/mixed-income redevelopment
  • development of design guidelines and standards
  • coordinating redevelopment with the expansion of medical, educational and research facilities.

5. Urban Waterfront Redevelopment

Redevelopment of waterfronts is essential for many urban neighborhoods. The Division of Coastal Resources, working with other state agencies, provides both financial and technical assistance to prepare and implement redevelopment strategies for urban waterfront areas with compelling opportunities for revitalization with an emphasis on: spurring appropriate economic activity in previously developed waterfront areas, catalyzing appropriate economic activity through development of water-dependent and water-enhanced uses and activities, reusing abandoned buildings and brownfield sites, and improving the recreational, cultural, environmental and economic value and quality of the urban waterfront.

Municipalities may apply for grant funding to advance the preparation or implementation of site-specific urban waterfront redevelopment projects, including:

• Existing conditions analysis;
• Infrastructure analysis (e.g., traffic and transportation, parking, and water and sewer);
• Market and feasibility analyses;
• Preparation of concept plans and site redevelopment strategies;
• Site-specific design and cost estimating;
• Acquisition due diligence (e.g., title work, appraisals, surveys);
• Preparation of engineering, construction and permitting documentation;
• Site preparation and construction of public amenities and infrastructure; and
• Redevelopment marketing and promotion (e.g., brochures, RFP for developers).

If your urban waterfront has been affected by multiple brownfield sites and your community is not sure how to address the associated impacts, you may want to consider applying for a grant from the NYS Brownfield Opportunity Areas Program. (www.nyswaterfronts.com/grantopps_BOA.asp)

6. Creating a Blueway Trail

One component of regional economic development can be the creation of a blueway trail. Blueways are small boat and paddling routes that combine recreation and environmental awareness and allow users to travel to and between designated stops that link New York’s heritage trails and sites, greenways, historic resources, scenic by-ways, and revitalized community centers. Individual projects along blueways can be catalysts for local economic development, and intermunicipal blueway corridor initiatives can contribute to regional economies.

Municipalities may apply for grant funding to undertake the planning and physical development of Blueway routes, including:

• identification of local and regional assets and attractions;
• route identification and assessment of facilities and infrastructure;
• planning, design and/or construction of launch sites, infrastructure and revitalization projects along an identified Blueway Trail; and
• development or implementation of Blueway Trail marketing and promotion strategies.

Applicants should demonstrate how their proposal complements, builds on, or fills gaps in existing corridor or regional plans; or how their proposal creates an integrated land- and water-based revitalization and development strategy. Emphasis should be on promoting intermunicipal efforts in developing Blueway Trails.

7. Adapting to climate change

Municipalities are encouraged to work as part of intermunicipal and regional partnerships to anticipate and address expected impacts associated with climate change and sea level rise. Municipalities and counties may apply for grant funding to support the development of plans or implementation projects to prepare for and adapt to climate change and sea level rise, and to undertake work that advances the planning and implementation of adapting to climate change and sea level rise.

Work may include identifying and prioritizing potential impacts to a community or a region, and the measures to be taken to reduce the impacts, including, but not limited to:

• identification of risks associated with coastal flooding and erosion, impacts to wetlands, habitats, and other natural resources, including potential saltwater intrusion to fresh waterbodies;
• identification of impacts on water supply and water quality, including impacts to reservoirs, and underground aquifers;
• identification of impacts to economic sectors, including recreation, tourism and agricultural;
• identification of risks to critical infrastructure and systems such as sewage treatment plants, utilities, combined sewer overflows, transmission lines, dams, shoreline stabilization and other in-water structures, and transportation systems;
• identification of opportunities for modifying existing laws, regulations, policies and practices to reduce a community's vulnerability to climate change and sea level rise impacts;
• preparation of strategies, identification of priorities, and assessment of costs for climate change and sea level rise adaptation;
• preparation of land use regulations to minimize risks associated with climate change and sea level rise, given existing development and land use patterns;
• implementation of priority projects and actions that will assist in adapting to impending impacts of climate change and sea level rise, including protection of water supply, water quality, living resources or aquatic habitats, and gaps in their protection or management;
• development of local or intermunicipal Geographic Information Systems to improve impact prediction and assessment, and mitigation and adaptation planning; and
• development of protection measures to minimize runoff and flooding associated with current and new development.

8. Interpreting Waterfront Resources - New York State Coastal Resources Interpretive Program

NYSCRIP's usage of interpretive low-profile signs and three-sided interpretive kiosks promotes waterfront and coastal interpretation in a consistent style across the State. Municipalities may apply for projects that foster the public's understanding of waterfront and coastal resources through the implementation of the New York State Coastal Resources Interpretive Program (NYSCRIP). NYSCRIP's primary objectives are to:

• Connect people living along New York State's coasts and waterways.
• Encourage residents and visitors to travel along New York State's coast and waterways and visit historic, cultural, natural and coastal resources.
• Heighten awareness of the environmental, social and economic value of New York State's coastal and inland waterways resources.
• Advance local stewardship of waterfront and coastal resources.

A NYSCRIP grant application must be complete and include all aspects of the project including: the number and type (low-profile and/or kiosk) of interpretive signs to be installed; location/placement of signage within the waterfront/coastal area; description of preliminary themes as per the NYSCRIP Signage Design Guidelines; graphic design and interpretive writing costs; and, interpretive signage fabrication, delivery and installation costs. Funding NYSCRIP projects will not be considered as part of a larger project; NYSCRIP grant applications must be separate from related projects, and, if funded, will be conducted as a discrete project.

Grant recipients are required to use the approved NYSCRIP Signage Design Guidelines (http://www.nyswaterfronts.com/downloads/pdfs/NYSCRIP_FINAL_VERS_1_27_03.pdf).

GRANT SELECTION CRITERIA

Applications will be reviewed according to specific criteria. A successful proposal is not expected to meet all of these criteria. Each element of the grant criteria is rated using the following numerical evaluation to assess the degree that the application meets the criteria:

High - 3 points
Medium - 2 points
Low - 1 point
Does not meet criteria (a resource or factor is present, but the proposal has been evaluated to have no value or to not have an intended benefit) - 0 points
Not applicable (a resource or factor is not present) - NA

The criteria and elements are:

Public Value of the Proposal

Improves or expands public visual and physical access to public resources

Provides facility of greater than local importance

Enhances community character/visual environment

Improves or expands water dependent recreation opportunities

Implements public amenity that is an identified priority for the community or region

Natural Resource Value of the Proposal

Protects, enhances, restores designated significant habitat

Protects, restores protective feature (wetland, beach, dune)

Protects, enhances scenic area of statewide significance or other recognized scenic resource

Implements management measures of New York State's Coastal Nonpoint Pollution Control Program or otherwise protects or restores water quality

Enhances natural resource values in the built environment

Economic Value of the Proposal

Generates economic activity; creates immediate and future jobs; offers realistic economic development potential

Supports water dependent commercial and industrial uses

Attracts new development to developed centers

Contributes to restoration of the municipality's tax base

Makes efficient use of/protects public investment and infrastructure

Leveraging of Additional Funding/Development of Partnerships

Necessary to enable community/region to make better use of public funds, including the Environmental Protection Fund, Small Cities funding from the Governor's Office for Small Cities, the New York Main Street program, and federal grant programs

Necessary to enable community/region to build private/public partnerships or leverage financial resources to make better use of private funds

Level of Local Commitment

Advances an approved or substantially completed Local Waterfront Revitalization Program

Builds on previous grant projects; quality of applicant's performance under previous grants

Demonstrates a committed local leadership

Demonstrates community support for waterfront planning/redevelopment

Provides for the significant involvement of community-based organizations, neighborhood groups, not-for profit organizations and others who would be affected by or who can advance project implementation

Current status of the project

Regional Significance

Implements a specific recommendation of a regional plan

Advances resolution of problems of regional significance

Improves or protects natural, cultural or economic resources of regional significance

Redevelops/revitalizes a regional center

Advances intermunicipal efforts to resolve shared coastal problems through creative partnerships with other municipalities

Innovation, Comprehensiveness

Presents an innovative approach to waterfront problems and opportunities

Demonstrates a record of developing public/private partnerships

Incorporates more than one eligible grant activity

Is an integral part of a set of actions that comprehensively addresses an issue or opportunity

Evaluation of Budget and Cost

Additional points will be awarded for the elements below:
• Reasonableness of Cost Certification is adequately and accurately documented (5 points)
• Costs meet eligibility requirements of the program (5 points)
• Budget is cost-effective, presents necessary and realistic costs and does not contain extraneous expenses (10 points)
• Costs clearly relate to and support activities in the proposed workplan (5 points)

PRIORITY CATEGORIES: An additional weight of 5 points for each of the following priorities will be given to grant proposals that:

plan for and/or redevelop existing developed areas in upstate cities, villages and hamlets, including projects that advance the reuse of abandoned buildings and sites;

prepare and/or implement upstate regional economic development strategies;

advance waterfront and community revitalization and resource protection and management activities in eligible communities in the Adirondack and Catskill parks, with an emphasis on community-based visioning and planning, strategies and implementation techniques that promote sustainable economic development and resource protection, and intermunicipal projects such as those along river or road corridors or within watershed areas;

create or advance downtown and hamlet revitalization programs in upstate cities, villages and hamlets, with an emphasis on creating linkages between the waterfront and downtown or hamlet, improving circulation, access and transit between the waterfront and downtown and hamlet, and developing joint waterfront-downtown or hamlet marketing or promotion strategies;

advance the incorporation of Smart Growth and Ecosystem Based Management tools and principles in local or regional waterfront revitalization programs, with an emphasis on intermunicipal planning;

promote economic revitalization and waterfront access in communities along the New York State Canal Recreationway, with an emphasis on intermunicipal collaboration;

advance a Brownfield Opportunity Area (BOA) plan, within a study area where there is a completed area-wide analysis (Nomination) and the proposed project advances the stated community vision;

plan for or provide improvements or enhanced access to lands, waters and historic resources associated with Lake Champlain and the Hudson River, in celebration of the legacy of the Hudson-Fulton-Champlain Quadricentennial (HFCQ) in 2009, with an emphasis on inventory, mapping and analysis of waterfront open space, access points and tourism resources, and on developing infrastructure to support public access, recreational use including swimming and boating, and waterborne public transportation throughout the HFCQ corridor. Applicants must demonstrate that their project advances the HFCQ Commission's strategic plan. Additional information is available on the Commission's website at http://www.exploreny400.com/.

In addition, the geographic distribution of grant proposals, information from interagency discussion and the level of funding available may be factors used in determining successful grant proposals. Not less than $6,813,000 will be spent for projects which are in or primarily serve areas where demographic and other relevant data for such areas demonstrate that the areas are densely populated and have sustained physical deterioration, decay, neglect, or disinvestment, or where a substantial proportion of the residential population is of low income or is otherwise disadvantaged and is underserved with respect to the existing recreational opportunities in the area.