Fulton County, NY Executive Summary

 

Fulton County – A positive place to be.

By 2026, Fulton County, New York is positive it will be a premier place to invest, work, start a business, own a home, raise a family, vacation and retire.

Our quality of life, vibrant atmosphere, healthy lifestyles, friendly neighborhoods and scenic lakefronts will appeal to young people, families, empty­‐nesters, artists, entrepreneurs, local employees and downtown professionals. Fulton County will continue to be a place where one can take a 180 degree turn away from a high cost and high stress way of life toward a relaxing lifestyle with a reasonable cost of living, quality housing and well­‐paying jobs.

Our 44 lakes, featuring the Great Sacandaga Lake, our memorable Adirondack vistas, Mohawk Valley history and diverse four-­season recreational opportunities will appeal to residents and be destinations for visitors.
 

The Cities of Gloversville and Johnstown will be safe, welcoming and energetic places, alive with restaurants, shops, galleries, museums and entertainment venues, parks and farmer’s markets. We will live, work and enjoy life together along bustling streets lined with preserved historic buildings with magnificent architecture that offer a variety of reasonably priced housing for residents of all ages, abilities and incomes. Outside of the cities, our towns, villages and hamlets will represent all that is good about “small town America,” boasting convenient community centers and neighborhoods that are compact and walkable.

Fulton County will remain a close­‐knit and connected community with a deep personal stake in our excellent schools, accessible health care, community services and well­‐maintained public infrastructure. Our dedicated community leaders will work cooperatively to create sustainable revenue streams that keep our County affordable, promote an enviable quality of life, encourage investment, create jobs and fuel positive change.

Named after the famed inventor Robert Fulton, the County will continue its proud history of making and growing things people need. Our diverse economy, with a globally competitive workforce and creative ‐ economy talent, will speed innovation, expand technology, leverage private capital, and engage higher education. Strategic Development Areas have spurred housing and retail growth, while local farms and agri ­‐ businesses drive a thriving agricultural economy. Our abundant water and wastewater capacities promote Fulton County as a smart place to invest.

Fulton County has a strategy to achieve its Vision. The Strategy has three goals:

    1.   Promote Fulton County as an extraordinary place to live with an enviable quality of life.
    2.   Build a strong economy and tax base.
    3.   Create healthy communities connected to nature.

Fulton County:

    •   Is located within four hours of 20% of the United States’ population including New York City, Boston, Hartford, Philadelphia, Buffalo and major Canadian markets including Montreal and Toronto.
    •   Is located within NY’s Technology Triangle, a Nanoelectronics hotspot formed by Globalfoundries to the east, SUNY Poly College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering to the south and Marcy Nanocenter to the west.
    •   Has quick and easy access to four major Interstate Highways: I-90, I-87, I-88 and I-81.
    •   Has convenient access to tourist, recreational, historic, art and cultural resources in the Region.
    •   Is a short drive to major employers in the Region including Globalfoundries, SUNY Poly College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, General Electric and others.

 

Fulton County is a place where one takes a 180° turn away from a high-stress way of life.

    •   Fulton County has world class year-round recreational opportunities: 44 lakes including the Great Sacandaga Lake, fishing, hiking, camping, boating, downhill skiing, cross country skiing, snowshoeing and snowmobiling.
    •   55% of Fulton County, or 180,000+/- acres, lies within the Adirondack State Park which features world renowned hiking, fishing, hunting and other outdoor recreational opportunities.
    •   Fulton County has:
       ·  Lowest cost of living in Region.
       ·  Low crime rates.
       ·  Assortment of historic, heritage and cultural offerings.
    •   Fulton County has quality housing at reasonable prices.
    •   Fulton County is easily accessible to renowned recreational assets in the Region including the Baseball Hall of Fame, Saratoga Race Track, Rivers Casino, Palace Theater and many others.
    •   The Cities of Gloversville and Johnstown have a strong inventory of architecturally significant buildings available to transform into housing, retail and mixed use developments.

Fulton County has three Primary Development Areas (PDA) totaling almost 1,000 acres of land primed for development. Each PDA consists of a tract of land planned and endorsed by local communities for Smart development.

The three PDA’s are:


    •   Hales Mills Development Area, Town of Johnstown
    •   Vail Mills Development Area, Town of Mayfield
    •   Tryon Development Area Town of Perth

Development Concept Plans for each Development Area identify a mixture of housing, commercial, retail, recreational and mixed use types of development. All three PDA’s are ready to be developed, supported at the local level and are properly zoned.

Fulton County’s 2017 Housing and Retail Strategies document a demand for new housing and retail in each Development Area.

 

Fulton County's workforce:

    •   The Region’s workforce totals nearly approximately 500,000. This workforce, which spans nine (9) counties, includes workers within 45-minute drive.
    •   Average annual wage in Region is $43,000.
    •   Average commuting time is 23.4 minutes.
    •   Fulton-Montgomery Community College (FMCC) offers tailored training to provide local companies with skilled workers.
    •   Two Pathways in Technology (PTECH) Programs serve Fulton County. These PTECH schools, which are new models for secondary educations, train students in business management, advanced manufacturing, information technology and health science. Upon graduating from these PTECH Programs with Associates Degrees, these graduates represent another source of trained, skilled labor for businesses in the Region.
    •   There are 15 colleges and universities in the Region that continually supply trained workers for local companies.

Fulton County's economic benefits:

    •   Office/industrial/commercial land values and rents are highly competitive when compared to other regions in New York State.
    •   High quality, professionally managed municipal infrastructure systems exist in Fulton County. These systems have excess capacities that are available to support and promote new growth and development.
    •   Tryon Technology Park offers shovel-ready sites to attract new businesses into Fulton County.
    •   Targeted Industry Analysis for Tryon Technology Park identified seven Industry Clusters that would be ideal for Tryon:
       ·   Biomedical Research and Development
       ·   Electronics
       ·   Food and Beverage
       ·   Headquarters and Business Services
       ·   Health Care Products and Services
       ·   Renewable Energy
       ·   Software and Media
    •   Local governments utilize an expedited (1-2 month) process to secure local approvals.
    •   The purchasing power of County residents is growing evidenced by median household incomes rising 10% between 2010 and 2014.
    •   A 2017 Retail Strategy documented the demand for nearly 400,000 sq. ft. of new retail development opportunities in the County.

 

 

 

Executive Summary