The town established an Office of Economic Development within the Planning Department and implemented programs like GROW Greece Small Business Assistance to help local businesses recover from COVID-19 shutdowns. Greece was among the first communities in upstate New York to provide direct assistance to businesses during the pandemic, demonstrating its proactive approach to economic resilience. “One of my favorite success stories is Bozza Pasta, a small growing company that outgrew their previous space,” Copey says. “They came to the building department counter one day looking for a new space. Meanwhile, a big commercial plaza in town, Elm Ridge Centre, was in foreclosure with only about 26% occupancy in 2020.” The town’s innovative zoning changes enabled adaptive reuse of commercial spaces like Elm Ridge Centre. By modernizing bulk zoning requirements, like increasing lot coverage allowances from 15% to 50% and reducing parking requirements, Greece facilitated more intensive commercial development within existing footprints, embodying their “growth without sprawl” philosophy. This approach has attracted businesses like Waffle8er, which will occupy 130,000 square feet in a former Sam’s Club space, bringing approximately 150 jobs to the community. BUSINESS PARKS AND INFRASTRUCTURE The strategic enhancement of Greece’s business parks showcases the town’s targeted approach to PROUD TO PARTNER WITH THE TOWN OF GREECE ON ESSENTIAL INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS! 800.724.1070 bartonandloguidice.com Municipal Engineering Transportation Planning & Engineering Water Supply & Distribution Wastewater Management Environmental Services Facilities Engineering Solid Waste Management Asset Management Land Planning & Site Design Landscape Architecture Energy Consulting 33 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 06 GREECE, NY
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