MAYVILLE, N.Y. — Chautauqua County has been awarded $250,000 through New York State Homes and Community Renewal’s Technical Assistance to Grow Pro-Housing Communities (TAG) program to advance housing development and help municipalities capitalize on opportunities for new residential investment.
The initiative builds upon the Chautauqua County Housing Market Assessment and Development Strategy, completed in February 2024, which identified the creation of a healthy and well-functioning housing market as critical to the vibrancy of local communities, the well-being of residents, and the County’s future economic development.
“Expanding our housing supply is one of our top priorities, and our goal is to help facilitate the creation of more than 400 new housing units across Chautauqua County over the next five years,” said Chautauqua County Executive Paul M. Wendel, Jr.“This grant gives us another important tool to work with our municipalities, identify opportunities for development, and help move viable housing projects from concept to construction. We want Chautauqua County to be a leader in supporting housing growth.”
Through the grant, the County will undertake a coordinated program of technical assistance and pre-development activities focused on municipalities participating in New York State’s Pro-Housing Communities program. Activities will include identifying and marketing potential housing development sites, funding pre-development work, analyzing zoning and regulatory barriers, engaging municipalities and other stakeholders, and connecting development opportunities with the private sector.
The Chautauqua Region Economic Development Corporation (CREDC) and its public-private economic development collaborative, the Chautauqua County Partnership for Economic Growth (CCPEG) will serve as a key implementation partner, leading pre-development activities, developer engagement, project management, and stakeholder outreach. CREDC will receive $165,000 of the $250,000 grant as a subrecipient to carry out these activities.
“Housing and economic development go hand in hand,” said Mark Geise, Deputy County Executive for Economic Development and Chief Executive Officer of the County of Chautauqua Industrial Development Agency. “Our current residents need more housing options and employers need quality housing choices to attract and retain workers, our communities need new residents and investment, and developers need sites that are ready for investment. Through this partnership, we can bring our economic development resources and relationships together and work proactively with municipalities and developers to get more housing built.”
A major focus of the initiative will be moving beyond planning to identify specific development opportunities and complete the early work necessary to make those projects more attractive and feasible for private investment. The County and CREDC will also engage the development community directly, including through a developer forum, to showcase opportunities and better understand the factors influencing housing investment in Chautauqua County.
The initiative will complement the County Department of Planning and Development’s ongoing efforts to encourage and assist additional cities, towns, and villages in pursuing certification through New York State’s Pro-Housing Communities Program. While counties themselves are not eligible for Pro-Housing Community certification, Chautauqua County intends to take a countywide leadership role in supporting the program and helping interested municipalities navigate the certification process.
Pro-Housing certification has also taken on increased importance as New York State has tied eligibility for certain discretionary economic development funding programs to certification. A municipality’s certification status can therefore affect not only its own access to State resources, but also the eligibility of businesses, nonprofits, developers, and other organizations seeking certain State funding for projects located within that community.
“This is bigger than any single housing project,” Geise added. “We want to create an environment throughout Chautauqua County where communities are prepared for housing investment and developers know we are ready to work with them. Encouraging more of our municipalities to become Pro-Housing certified, while helping certified communities turn potential sites into real projects, is an important part of that strategy.”
The Chautauqua County Legislature will consider a resolution authorizing acceptance of the $250,000 award from the Housing Trust Fund Corporation and implementation of the Technical Assistance to Grow Pro-Housing Communities Program at its August Meeting. If you are a municipality that is interested in becoming a Pro-Housing Community, more information can be found on the Chautauqua County Department of Planning and Development’s website at: https://planningchautauqua.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Pro-Housing-Guide.pdf.
