Ontario County Freight Rail Corridor Development Plan: Area 2

Purpose

The Ontario County Freight Rail Corridor Development Plan: Area 2 is funded through the Genesee Transportation Council (GTC) Fiscal Year 2021-2022 Unified Planning Work Program (FY 2021-2022 UPWP).The goal of the project is to:

  • Identify existing and potential shovel-ready, rail-enabled development sites along the Finger Lakes Railway (FLRW) Corridor in four municipalities - Towns of Phelps and Geneva, Village of Phelps, and City of Geneva - located in northeast Ontario County;
  • Assess and make recommendations related to the adequacy and resiliency of the inter-modal freight system to meet the needs of agricultural producers, suppliers, processors, and consumers;
  • Analyze the viability of relocating the FLRW railyard in the City of Geneva or identify strategies and measures to mitigate its impact on nearby lake development and its function as a barrier between low-income residential neighborhoods and recreational facilities at the lakefront parks;
  • Identify options for improving pedestrian and vehicle safety by evaluating either the relocation of the connection between the FLRW railyard and its network to the north and west out of downtown Geneva or proposed improvements to existing at-grade crossings;
  • Evaluate the impact of the functional closure of the Norfolk Southern Railway line from the City of Geneva to Lyons on local and regional industry access to markets. 

The anticipated project completion date is December 31, 2024.

Steering Committee

The following are members of the project steering committee:

  • City of Geneva - Ken Camera, City Councilmember
  • Town of Geneva - Robert McCarthy, Town Councilmember, Deputy Supervisor
  • Town of Phelps - Ronald Allen, Town Board Member
  • Village of Phelps - Michael Cheney, Village Councilmember
  • Ontario County Planning Department
    • Thomas Harvey, AICP, Planning Director
    • Julie Barry, Senior Planner
  • Ontario County Economic Development - Ryan Davis, Economic Developer
  • Finger Lakes Railway - Bruce Habberfield, Manager of Business Development
  • New York State Department of Transportation - Lora Leon, Region 4 Transportation Analyst
  • Genesee Transportation Council - Jody Binnix, AICP, Program Manager, Long Range Planning
  • Fisher Associates
    • Frank Armento, AICP, Project Manager, Planning Group Manager
    • Sarah Martin, AICP, Associate Planner
  • WSP - Stephen Chiaramonte, AICP, Vice President of Transportation Planning

Public Participation Plan

Resources

Ontario County Freight Rail Corridor Development Plan: Area 1