New York State Department of Empire State Development
Central New York & North Country Regions
In 2019, EDR was contracted by ESD to lead the Coastal Lakeshore Economic Development and Resiliency (CLEAR) planning process that is intended to address long-term resilient solutions to the flooding and erosion issues associated with variability in water levels along the shorelines of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River for the Central New York (Cayuga/Oswego County) and North Country (Jefferson/St. Lawrence County) Regions. The CLEAR planning process is intended to address these long-term strategies and projects while strengthening the region’s local economies, which are highly dependent on summer tourism. In lieu of what may be a piecemeal approach to short-term recovery efforts in affected communities, a comprehensive approach is needed so that long-term solutions are effective in meeting region-wide and local community needs and opportunities. By building an all-inclusive approach based on stakeholder input in this CLEAR planning process, the need to revisit and re-invest in the same short-term recovery efforts each flooding event.