Broome County IDA to host June 25 webinar on proposed technology park

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — The Broome County Industrial Development Agency (IDA) will hold an informational webinar on Tuesday, June 25, at 6 p.m., to provide the pubic with an overview of the State Environmental Quality Review (SEQRA) environmental-impact assessment process for the proposed Broome Technology Park in the towns of Maine and Union. The webinar will cover why a general environmental impact statement (GEIS) is being prepared for the project and the steps involved in the process. Leaders from the IDA, along with subject-matter experts, will present information about the project’s objectives and explain how the environmental review and public engagement will shape the project’s future. The webinar is part of the IDA’s strategy to engage the public, inform the community about the vision for the Broome Technology Park, and solicit input crucial to shaping the plan for a sustainably designed technology park. As part of the SEQRA process, community members have an opportunity to provide formal comments on the scope of the draft GEIS and what potential environmental impacts the IDA should assess. The IDA expects to release a draft scoping document for public review later this summer. Once public comments are received and a final scope is accepted, the IDA will prepare a draft GEIS. That draft will also be released for public comment before it is made final. “We are dedicated to ensuring transparency and active community participation leading us to a Broome Technology Park that secures a brighter economic future for the county and the region,” Leadership Alliance CEO Stacey Duncan said in a press release. The Leadership Alliance is the strategic partnership between Broome County Industrial Development Agency/Local Development Corporation and the Greater Binghamton Chamber of Commerce. “We welcome the public’s input throughout the SEQRA review and believe that at the end of this process, we’ll be able to move ahead with a site that becomes a model for sustainable economic development statewide.” The Broome Technology Park is a proposed 526-acre development aimed at creating a new sustainably focused technology park to attract businesses in advanced electronics, semiconductors, test packaging, and related supply chains as well as life sciences and agricultural processing. If it comes to fruition, it will be the first new business park since the Broome Corporate Park site in Conklin opened in the mid-1980s. With that park nearly 100-percent occupied, the county lacks other sufficient space large enough to accommodate the needs of high-tech-related development. The IDA’s vision for the project is a park that features facilities built with sustainable materials, has access to renewable-energy resources, utilizes green infrastructure, and incorporates amenities that benefit on-site workers and the community such as walking trails and public art. More information about the project is available online at broometechpark.com. Those interested in the webinar are asked to register in advance at: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_yO_swWi5SKqCFPqrF-Qj5g