Jamestown is located in the Western New York Region for reopening, along with the rest of Chautauqua County, as well as Niagara, Erie, Cattaraugus, and Allegany Counties.

The Western New York Region will begin phased reopening on Tuesday, May 19. Please see the info below for Phase One industries and guidelines. General information can be found at https://forward.ny.gov/.

Please check this page for updates on reopening timelines, as well as guidelines for businesses.

Below you will find information about New York State requirements for reopening, along with guidelines and safety protocols, broken down by industry sector, that will assist as you prepare to reopen your business. If you have a specific question related to your business, you can contact the Jamestown Department of Development at 716-483-7541 or email them at dod@jamestownny.gov.

Information is also available from the following organizations:

County of Chautauqua Industrial Development Agency (CCIDA): https://ccida.com; Tel: 716-661-8900/Email: ccida@ccida.com

NYS Small Business Development Center at Jamestown Community College: https://www.sbdcjcc.org/; Tel: 716-338-1024/ Email: sbdc@mail.sunyjcc.edu

Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce: https://www.chautauquachamber.org/; Tel: (716) 484-1101/ Email: info@chautauquachamber.org

It is important to note that New York State will be releasing their own version of guidelines for reopening in the future. We will update our links as those become available.

CDBG COVID-19 Recovery Grant Programs

June 23,2020

The City of Jamestown Department of Development, with funding provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), through the allocation of a federal Community Development Block Grant, has released two COVID-19 Recovery Grant programs to assist with the financial impact of the nationwide Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The Rental Assistance Grant is for tenants whose household income has been reduced as a result of the pandemic. The Small Business Relief Grant is available to for-profit businesses that have suffered financial losses as a result of the state-wide shut down of businesses in response to the pandemic.

The Rental Assistance Program will provide up to $1,500 to assist tenants whose employment has been negatively impacted by the state’s response to COVID-19 and are not receiving rental assistance through other agencies. Tenants must have documentation of job loss or reduction in hours due to COVID-19, provide paystubs for the last 3 months of employment for all occupants of the household over the age of eighteen, provide proof of residency, and a rental agreement signed by both the tenant and the landlord.

Grant applications can be submitted through the following methods:

- - - - Direct submittal via SurveyMonkey link at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/COJRentalAssistance
        
        Email form to dod@jamestownny.gov
        
        Via mail to Department of Development, City Hall, 200 E Third Street, 3rd Floor, Jamestown, NY, 14701
        
        Via Fax to 716-483-7772

The Small Business Relief Grant will provide flexible funding assistance to for-profit businesses in the City of Jamestown that employ up to fifty (50) employees. Businesses will be able to apply for grants of up to $20,000 for the purposes of reopening and recovering from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Businesses will be required to provide proof of economic injury due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Grant applications can be submitted through the following methods:

- - - - Direct submittal via SurveyMonkey link at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/COJSmallBizRelief
        
        Email form to dod@jamestownny.gov
        
        Via mail to Department of Development, City Hall, 200 E Third Street, 3rd Floor, Jamestown, NY, 14701
        
        Via Fax to 716-483-7772

For technical assistance with submittal of applications or questions regarding the application process or your application status please call 716-483-7541 or email wright@jamestownny.gov.

Business Reopening Guidelines and Safety Protocols

As part of the Phased Plan to Reopen New York, all businesses are required to develop a plan, prior to opening, for how they will operate to ensure the health and safety of employees and customers. Below you will find information on the Phased Plan to Reopen New York, as well as links to guidelines and protocols broken down by industry. Be sure to review the material under your business’s industry sector, as well as the general category. This material can be used as a template, and will assist you in developing a specific plan for your business. Be sure to check back often, as new material will be added as it becomes available.

Watch the City of Jamestown’s Video on setting up your business re-opening guides:

Business Safety Template

Phased Plan to Reopen New York State:

On April 26, 2020, Governor Cuomo announced a series of regional guidelines that must be met in order to reopen New York State. A description of the guidelines can be found here. The reopening will take place through a series of four phases implemented on a regional basis. Niagara County is located in the Western New York region. View the regional monitoring dashboard to see where all regions in New York State stand in the Regional Reopening Plan. The four phases are broken down by industry sector and are as follows:

Phase One: Construction, Manufacturing and Wholesale Supply Chain, Retail using curbside pickup only, Wholesale Trade, Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting. Click here for a detailed description of business types that can open in this phase.

Phase Two: Professional Services, Financial and Insurance, Retail, Administrative Support, Real Estate and Rental Leasing

Phase Three: Restaurants and Food Service, Hotels and Accomodations

Phase Four: Arts, Entertainment, Recreation, Education

New York State has created NY Forward, a guide to reopening New York and building back better.

JRC Programs

The Jamestown Renaissance Corporation Urban Core Committee has approved the following programs for local businesses. The deadline is 6/12/2020 for businesses to submit their applications. More info can be found in the links below:

Urban E-Commerce

Business owners may apply for matching grants for website development services, online marketing consulting services, and other technologies and services that progress the programs goals.

Application

Urban Dining

Business owners may apply for matching grants for outdoor seating furniture and equipment including tables, chairs, umbrellas, and balusters as well as City permit application fees.

Application

Parklets

Business owners may apply for matching grants for outdoor parklets as well as City permit application fees. This is a letter of interest as well as an application . No grants will be made or committed to until after the City of Jamestown approves parklets codes and design rules, completing this application does not force you to progress a parklet.

Application

NY Forward Loan Fund

The NY Forward Loan Fund (NYFLF), announced on Friday by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, will begin accepting pre-applications today. The $100 million fund is a new economic recovery loan program aimed at supporting New York State small businesses, nonprofits and small landlords as they reopen after the COVID-19 outbreak and NYS on PAUSE.

The NYFLF targets the state’s small businesses with 20 or fewer full-time equivalent (FTE) employees (90% of all businesses), nonprofits and small landlords that have seen a loss of rental income. The NYFLF is specifically timed to support businesses and organizations as they proceed to reopen and have upfront expenses to comply with guidelines (e.g., inventory, marketing, refitting for new social distancing guidelines) under the New York Forward Plan.

Priority will be given to industries that have been reopened. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis as regions and industries reopen, and seek to target:

Small businesses and nonprofits employing 20 or fewer full-time equivalent (FTE) employees;
Small businesses that have gross revenues of less than $3 million per year;
Nonprofits that provide direct services and have an annual operating budget of less than $3 million per year; and
Businesses that have not received a loan from either SBA Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) or SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) for COVID-19 in 2020.

The program is not a first-come, first-served loan program. Program information can be found on ESD’s website (https://esd.ny.gov/nyforwardloans-info), as well as on the pre-application page (https://nyloanfund.com).