Community Development

City Hall
258 Main St
Oneonta, NY 13820

Telephone: (607) 432-0114
Fax: (607) 433-3055

Judy Pangman - Director of Community Development

Application Materials

N/A at current time

Employment Opportunities

City of Oneonta Employment Opportunities may be found on the Personnel Department's page.

Brief History of Community Development Activities

The City of Oneonta has identified significant community development, housing, and economic development needs in recent years, developed improvement strategies, and successfully implemented Urban Renewal, Community Development, Assisted Housing, Urban Development Action Grant, and Farmers Home Administration programs to address identified needs. The programs have helped improve neighborhood target areas in the City, including the River Street, East End, upper Chestnut Street, and the Susquehanna Street neighborhoods. Programs have helped to rehabilitate almost 500 deteriorated housing units, construct over 180 low-income housing units for families, the elderly and the homeless, eliminate major public improvement problems and stimulate economic development, among others. The City has consistently met or exceeded all housing improvement and economic development goals.

Although these actions have helped to address serious housing and economic challenges in Oneonta, the City still needs assistance, economically and physically. There clearly is a need to initiate additional economic development, downtown housing, and other improvement efforts.

Further information on tax incentives for businesses.

Focus on Homeownership in the City of Oneonta

The City of Oneonta has a very high and increasing number of rental properties. The number of rental properties in the City reflects the past demand for housing generated by students from Hartwick College and SUNY Oneonta. This demand has had a most dramatic impact in the Center City area where many single and two family homes have been converted into housing for students.

The impact of student housing extends City-wide. High rents caused by high demand has made it difficult for first time homebuyers in the City to save sufficient funds for a down payment. In recent years, student housing has impacted the City in a much different way. As enrollments have declined at the colleges, many of the converted homes now go un-rented. These structures blight neighborhoods and make the neighborhoods and City a less attractive location in which to live.

Further information on tax incentives for homeowners.

Focus on Downtown Improvement Strategies

The City of Oneonta's downtown area directly services approximately 14,000 residents. The downtown area has suffered dramatically from the exodus of stores to suburban malls and has been forced to change its focus from "retail development" to "diversity." This change has helped make the Oneonta downtown a professional, commercial center with medical and health related services, banking and insurance and specialty retail and eating establishments. It also includes government operations and extensive housing.

Since 1990 Oneonta downtown improvement strategies have tried to focus on downtown renewal, economic development, and job creation activities. Downtown improvements in recent years have been implemented by the City's Office of Community Development using Small Cities funds, Urban Development Action Grants repayments, and local funds.

In 1993, the Downtown Oneonta Improvement Task Force (DOIT) was formed and by 1994 had developed a "Strategic Plan for Downtown Oneonta." This plan identified goals, objectives, and projects designed to improve the downtown physically, economically, and functionally.

Many of the strategies and projects proposed for the downtown have been implemented and the downward spiral of disinvestment has been slowed or reversed in many areas.