Office of Planning

Overview

The Office of Planning is responsible for all matters pertaining to the interpretation and application of the City’s zoning ordinances. The City Planner prepares and coordinates the preparation of information that leads to the update of the Zoning map, Zoning ordinance, and the Comprehensive Master Plan. The City Planner coordinates grant applications and administration with various departments. The City Planner also serves as staff for the Planning Board, Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA), Historic Preservation and Architectural Review Board (HPARB), and the Traffic Commission. 

What we do

At its heart, The Office of Planning is a convener and coordinator of complex projects and plans, which balance multiple objectives and set the direction for Cohoes’s future. In collaboration with partners and the community, The Office of Planning aligns resources and actions for the next generation of urban strategies that will achieve community goals through:

• Comprehensive land use, neighborhood, district, economic, historic and environmental planning, and urban design.

• Research, policy and technical services to advance green building, energy efficiency and the use of solar and renewable energy, waste prevention, composting and recycling, and a sustainable food system.

• Policy and actions to address a multitude of quality of life and sustainability measures. 

Addressing equity

The Office of Planning is working to embed equity into all of our work. We use the following definition of equity:

Equity is when everyone has access to the opportunities necessary to satisfy their essential needs, advance their well-being and achieve their full potential. We have a shared fate as individuals within a community and communities within society. All communities need the ability to shape their own present and future.

Within our Comprehensive Plan, and part of our pledge as s a Climate Smart Community and Clean Energy Community, equity is central to all of our daily tasks. 

Boards and Commissions

Visit the City’s agenda center to access past meeting agendas, power points, and minutes, as well as upcoming meeting material. All scheduled meeting dates and their submission deadlines can be accessed below. Contact the Office of Planning should you have any questions.

Planning Calendar meeting dates and submission dates 

ZBA Calendar meeting dates and submission dates 

HPARB Calendar meeting dates and submission dates 

Traffic Commission Calendar meeting dates and submission dates