This section examines several reuse factors, or development “drivers” that can impact the PCG site, including key linkages, current zoning, existing Village master plan and the concerns of an important regional neighbor - the Seneca Nation of Indians.
Key Linkages
Some of the key linkages that we see between the
PCG site and other sites in the vicinity are shown in the following aerial
photograph and described below.
1& 2) Cattaraugus Creek and Zoar Valley – The linkages between the PCG site and these two natural resources were discussed in detail in Section Three.
3) 241 Palmer Street – This site is the only large property in the Village that is currently available for new development. Owned by a local housing developer, the site has had at east one potential tenant interested in the property for use as an office and day treatment center. It is critical that reuse of this property, or any portion of it, be coordinated with the redevelopment of the PCG site. Conflicting uses of the two properties would severely hamper the restoration of this entire section of the Village.
4) The Village owns 86-acres of undeveloped property on top of the bluff directly across theCreek from the PCG site. The property contains the former municipal drinking water reservoir. Once the PCG property is remediated, and as the housing market in the Village recovers, this property could be an attractive location for new housing.
5) The Village’s commercial and historic downtown center is approximately 1/3 of a mile away from the PCG site. If an envisioned creek side trail were built, the access between downtown and the site would be even more convenient and direct, offering greater opportunities for linked activities.
6) The Moench Tanning site has been decommissioned and is now sitting vacant. The company had at one time discussed construction of a golf course on the property. If redevelopment of the PCG site takes a recreational focus, it could serve as the impetus needed to move the golf course idea forward. The two projects could be designed to complement each other, and in the process help both of them be successful.
7)
The Gowanda Nursing Home on Miller Street abuts the property at 241 Palmer
Street. An abandoned driveway,
walking trails, and public utility lines link the two sites.
With an increasing senior population in the Village and region, the
potential for an expansion of housing and services for seniors is a real
possibility for this area of the Village.
Current Zoning
Current site zoning is one of the reuse assessment elements that
appear in USEPA Reuse Assessment guidance.
The Peter Cooper Gowanda site is currently zoned I-1 (Heavy Industry)
by local ordinance. The relevance
of the current zoning is, however, questionable in this instance.
According to Village historical records the glue manufacturing plant
was constructed on the Peter Cooper Gowanda site in 1904-1905.
This was two decades before zoning powers were granted to any
municipality in the United States. The
PCG facility certainly predated any zoning code adopted by the Village. The property, therefore, was zoned Heavy Industry by
necessity (since the plant already existed), not as a result of a
comprehensive planning process.
Existing Master Plan
A joint Town of Collins/Village of
Gowanda Master Plan was completed in 1999.
That plan, however, was unable to address redevelopment of the PCG site
due to the complexity of the challenges affecting site reuse.
Cultural Factors
– The Seneca Nation of Indians
Directly downstream from the PCG site on Cattaraugus Creek and neighboring the
Village of Gowanda is the Cattaraugus Territory of the
Seneca
Nation of Indians (SNI). A
meeting between the SNI, Village representatives and University at Buffalo
representatives took place in January 2002.
Complete meeting notes of that meeting are included with this report as
Attachment M. Some of the key
points of that meeting are included below.
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In terms of the redevelopment plan, the Seneca Nation as a sovereign nation would not try to influence how the Village reuses the property. However, the Seneca Nation is very concerned over the property’s impact on the environmental integrity of Cattaraugus Creek.
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Other concerns voiced include:
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There is insufficient data on environmental conditions in Cattaraugus Creek and in the Cattaraugus Reservation.
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The SNI is concerned that the USEPA risk assessment procedures do not consider Native American lifestyles, especially traditional practices that put residents in contact with the creek, the land and groundwater.
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There is an environmental justice issue given the potential impact of Peter Cooper and other contaminated properties in the region, and their ultimate effect on the Seneca Nation.[1]
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There was a discussion of the Seneca Nation as an “untapped resource” that will help the Village of Gowanda and the surrounding region recover economically.
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A concern was raised about what might happen if the Village of Gowanda and surrounding region (including the parts of the Seneca Nation that are accessing the Village water supply) had to go back on groundwater wells sometime in the future due to a catastrophe or some other unforeseen circumstance. This was raised in light of the groundwater sampling results and the concept that contamination could be left in the ground at the Peter Cooper site.
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There was a discussion about the amount of silt that settles in Cattaraugus Creek along the portion of the creek that runs through the SNI and out to Lake Erie (parallel to Route 438).
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There was a discussion about the high level of barium found on Seneca Nation lands and how there has been no explanation found.
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There was a discussion about the Seneca Nation’s objectives for environmental conditions for the property. These objectives are primarily based on traditional values and will be described in a letter from the Nation to the Village of Gowanda.
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There was a discussion on how in the Seneca Nation of Indians there are only three remaining territories in Seneca aboriginal lands that people of the nation can live, one of them being the Cattaraugus Reservation. Mr. Jemison also discussed how the Seneca Nation owns its property – the property is not held in trust by any other government.
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There was a discussion on how the Seneca Nation looks at the world in terms of “perpetuity” not short-term actions or plans.
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For easier printing on your PC, this section of the PCG Reuse Report is also available in Adobe PDF format. |
