NEW YORK CITY – New York State Homes and Community Renewal Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas announced that $5.3 million in grant awards have been made to municipalities and nonprofit organizations across New York to support projects that improve and revitalize Main Streets and strengthen local economies.
The grants will fund façade renovations, interior commercial and upper story residential improvements, and streetscape enhancements. Funding for the New York Main Street program was included in Round 12 of the Regional Economic Development Council Initiative.
“By investing in the revitalization of Main Streets and downtown areas, we can bolster local efforts to stimulate economic growth, create new jobs, and increase housing opportunities,” said HCR Commissioner Visnauskas. “The $5 million in awards announced today will support communities across the state, especially our smaller towns and villages, through projects that will enhance the quality of life for business owners and residents for years to come.”
Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado said, “Vibrant and thriving Main Streets are the foundation for healthy and economically resilient communities. Through the Regional Economic Development Councils, New York is helping localities make upgrades to their unique downtown districts that promote further growth, attract additional private investment, and build more sustainable communities for the long term.”
A total of 21 grants were awarded through New York State Homes and Community Renewal’s New York Main Street program. The New York Main Street program provides financial resources and technical assistance directly to nonprofit organizations and municipalities to strengthen the economic vitality of the state’s traditional Main Streets and neighborhoods through targeted commercial and residential redevelopment.
Regional Councils reviewed projects from this program and provided scores that reflect how well a project aligns with a region’s goals and strategies. Applicants utilized New York’s Consolidated Funding Application, the state’s single application for state resources, which includes programs from numerous agencies. It is designed to provide expedited and streamlined access to a combined pool of grant funds and tax credits from dozens of existing programs. A full list of Round 12 awards that have been made can be found here.
A complete list of New York Main Street awards by region is below.
Capital Region
$20,000 to the town of New Lebanon to develop community-based Main Street Revitalization design guidelines and a Renovation Project Action Plan for the town’s main commercial corridor.
Central New York
$500,000 to the village of Pulaski to assist in the renovation of the three-story, mixed-use property located at 4817-19 Salina Street. The project will transform the blighted building into commercial and residential space.
$302,000 to the town of Lafayette to stabilize the 11,000-square-foot Hamlet Center building in preparation for full rehabilitation and reuse.
Finger Lakes
$500,000 to the village of Waterloo to assist in the renovation of 9-27 East Main Street. The project will create 13 new upper floor residential apartments and buildout commercial units on the ground floor.
$315,000 to the village of Arcade to assist in the renovation of commercial and mixed-use properties in downtown, including the transformation of two blighted gateway buildings.
$157,000 to the Livingston County Development Corporation to assist in the renovation of the “Center Stage” project, a restaurant and coffee house in downtown Geneseo.
$108,000 to the village of Brockport to assist in the renovation of the Brockport Strand Theater.
$20,000 to the town of Lyons to undertake a feasibility analysis of building rehabilitation and reuse options for several key properties along Geneva and Canal Streets.
Mid-Hudson
$500,000 to RUPCO to support mixed-used building renovations on the Broadway corridor in the city of Kingston.
$20,000 to the village of Sleepy Hollow to develop an economic revitalization plan for a distressed section of the village’s main commercial corridor.
Mohawk Valley
$500,000 to the city of Oneonta to assist in the stabilization of the historic Oneonta Theatre.
$405,000 to Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute to stabilize 503 Henry Street, an unoccupied architecturally significant residence in downtown Utica.
North Country
$428,000 to the Clayton Improvement Association, Ltd., to assist in the stabilization of a large mixed-use property in the hamlet of LaFargeville.
$200,000 to the North Country Children’s Museum in downtown Potsdam to complete an expansion and renovation of the museum’s second floor.
$20,000 to the town of Hermon to complete a feasibility analysis and design work for buildings located at 106 and 108 Church Street in the hamlet of Hermon.
$20,000 to the Foothills Art Society, Inc. to assist in the development of a building adaptive reuse analysis for a building located at 45 Pearl Street in Malone.
Southern Tier
$20,000 to The MARK Project, Inc. for technical assistance to support the village of Fleischmanns in the completion of a downtown assessment, design guidelines, and façade drawings for properties located on the village’s Main Street.
Western New York
$500,000 to the village of Springville to assist in the renovation of commercial and mixed-use properties.
$375,000 to the Greater Lockport Development Corporation to assist in the environmental remediation of the former Farmers & Mechanics building in the city of Lockport.
$358,000 to the village of Sherman to assist in the renovation of commercial and mixed-use buildings in the historic downtown commercial core on East and West Main Street.
$20,000 to the village of Angola to conduct a building reuse plan that will identify sustainable development opportunities for vacant and/or underutilized commercial and mixed-use properties in the village’s business district.
New York Main Street Program
The New York Main Street program was formally established in Article 26 of New York State Private Housing Finance Law. NYMS funds are awarded to units of local government and not-for-profit organizations that are committed to revitalizing historic downtowns, mixed-use neighborhood commercial districts, and village centers. A primary goal of the program is to stimulate reinvestment and leverage additional funds to establish and sustain downtown and neighborhood revitalization efforts. NYMS grants are available for technical assistance projects or targeted improvements such as facade renovations, interior commercial and residential building renovations, and streetscape enhancement projects.
For more information on the New York Main Street program, visit HCR’s website.
About the Consolidated Funding Application
The Consolidated Funding Application was created to streamline and expedite the grant application process. The CFA process marks a fundamental shift in the way state resources are allocated, ensuring less bureaucracy and greater efficiency to fulfill local economic development needs. The CFA serves as the single-entry point for access to economic development funding, ensuring applicants no longer have to slowly navigate multiple agencies and sources without any mechanism for coordination. Now, economic development projects use the CFA as a support mechanism to access multiple state funding sources through one application, making the process quicker, easier, and more productive. Learn more about the CFA here.
About the Regional Economic Development Councils
The Regional Economic Development Council initiative is a key component of the State’s approach to State investment and economic development. In 2011, 10 Regional Councils were established to develop long-term strategic plans for economic growth for their regions. The Councils are public-private partnerships made up of local experts and stakeholders from business, academia, local government, and non-governmental organizations. The Regional Councils have redefined the way New York invests in jobs and economic growth by putting in place a community-based, bottom-up approach and establishing a competitive process for State resources. Learn more at regionalcouncils.ny.gov.
