It’s been a transformational summer for the Downtown Revitalization Initiative—investing $10 million in communities across the state that have a winning vision for remaking their downtowns. In July and August, the Governor announced details of the winning projects from Round Three communities and began announcing its Round Four winners. Highlights of winning projects:
- Capital Region--Albany: Albany’s Clinton Square neighborhood, rich in arts, history and culture, is set to become a thriving gateway connecting downtown and the Warehouse District with enhanced and improved streetscapes and providing new development that includes affordable housing, residential and artists’ exhibition spaces and local Death Wish Coffee Company’s first standalone café.
- Central New York—Auburn: Auburn will reclaim its rich cultural and artistic heritage, building on existing downtown historic assets with restoration of a historic theater and museum spaces, revamping a strip mall for a public safety building; creating modern facilities for culinary arts, addiction and health care services; and new mixed-use development.
- Finger Lakes—Penn Yan: Planned Penn Yan projects will capitalize on the village as a food and craft beverage industry hub and on the area’s natural beauty—transforming empty and underused spaces into restaurants, a bakery, mixed-use developments and housing; revitalizing historic buildings, including a theater, hotels and inns; improving waterfront spaces and expanding a parks and trails network.
- Long Island—Central Islip: Winning DRI projects will leverage access to the Long Island Railroad and continue the transit-oriented development that will make Central Islip a hub for the community, with infrastructure and pedestrian improvements, redevelopment of a former train station and building rehab and improvements to create additional commercial and residential opportunities.
- Mid-Hudson—New Rochelle: New Rochelle will leverage DRI investments to better connect its residential areas to cultural and commercial resources, with planned projects that will improve traffic circulation, repurpose a stretch of highway as a public space for recreation, create a new theater and education center and encourage new neighborhood-scale development and affordable housing.