Peter Fleischer, Executive Director

Empire State Future seeks greater and shared prosperity for all New Yorkers. We envision New York’s communities — their main streets, town centers and urban areas — growing in a sustainable and equitable way and becoming all they can be for the people who live there.

Our prescriptions outlined in this report highlighting our 2014 Policy Priorities seek to use the time-honored tools of infrastructure development and land use decision making to the public good. They address New York’s needs in the areas of transportation, housing, jobs, and economic activity in a fiscally constrained way, and with an eye on the needs of future generations.

These goals include:

1. A comprehensive state infrastructure plan focused on rebuilding water and sewer, agricultural, transit-oriented, and quality-of-life infrastructure.
2. Regional Economic Development Council emphasis on projects that rebuild main streets, town centers, and urban areas.
3.  A Location Efficiency metric that along with the work of the Cleaner Greener Communities plans guide the important REDC, NY Works, and other Economic Development and Infrastructure processes.
4. Substantial Return on public and private investment, which is wholly probable when linked to strong state incentives and technical support for Transit-Oriented Development that includes a meaningful quantity of fair and affordable housing.
5. A voting seat for transit dependent riders on the five largest public transit authority boards in the state.
6. Full implementation of the 2010 Smart Growth Public Infrastructure Policy Act.
7. A pilot program to convert struggling or defunct strip malls into sustainable lifestyle centers.

These series of policy steps can lead New York to a brighter future.  Please join with us to support Smart Growth that brings needed jobs, stability, and prosperity to our great state.  This growth can substantially improve our communities if it is in the right place, done the right way.

You can read our draft 2014 priorities here