Hobart and William Smith Colleges

31 January 2005 Mathews and Capraro Join Geneva Overlay Zoning Advisory Committee

Geneva Mayor Don Cass has invited Stanley Mathews, assistant professor of art, and Chip Capraro, associate Hobart dean, to join the citys new Overlay Zoning Advisory Committee. As part of ongoing efforts to revitalize Genevas downtown core, the committees goal is to develop guidelines and principles which will maintain and preserve the existing unique assets of Genevas historic urban center and encourage new development that enhances the traditional urban character of downtown. Capraro and Mathews are working with the committee on specific objectives:

In conjunction with the recommendations of Genevas Master Plan, the Committee will recommend the creation of a Traditional Urban Downtown Design District as an overlay zoning district in the core downtown area.

In conjunction with the recommendations of Genevas Master Plan, the Committee will develop a Site and Architectural Design and Development Manual that is useful to private developers, government officials, and zoning and planning boards.

The guidelines and principles contained in the Manual will enable private developers and municipal planning and zoning boards to balance the co-equal needs for preservation of Genevas existing assets and promotion of new compatible economic development.

The process which will encourage public involvement in the future development of the downtown urban core.

The committee's first meeting was held Jan. 27, and featured in the Finger Lakes Times.

Mathews also worked with the Hobart and William Smith Colleges computing center to grant the committee use of the Colleges web-based Blackboard system for the next several months. The system will form the hub of the committees work, allowing committee members secure access to information and documents.