Five Grants Awarded to Support Development of Shovel-Ready Sites in Four Regions

To Date, $200 Million in FAST NY Grants Awarded to Help Communities Attract and Grow Businesses in Advanced Manufacturing and Other Key Industries

Additional $100 Million Included in FY25 Budget

Empire State Development (ESD) today announced that nearly $25 million has been awarded to improve five locations under the Focused Attraction of Shovel-Ready Tracts New York grant program. The program, first announced in February 2022, is designed to prepare and develop sites across the state to further New York’s shovel-readiness and increase its attractiveness to large employers and high-tech manufacturing companies. Today's announcement highlights one piece of New York's commitment to reshoring jobs and manufacturing businesses in the state. The program helps to diversify New York State’s economy while generating new investments for businesses, communities and job creation. To date, FAST NY has awarded $200 million to 25 sites, with locations in every region across Upstate New York.

ESD President, CEO and Commissioner Hope Knight said, "Through the FAST NY program, our strategic investments are helping communities across Upstate New York develop shovel-ready sites to attract new and expanding businesses in key industries. These awards will support the development of five sites across Upstate New York, with the potential to attract businesses and manufacturers looking to establish or grow a footprint here, creating jobs and generating regional economic growth."

The latest awardees are:

• Village of Bergen – $1.26 million: This project will support electrical infrastructure upgrades, including improvements to the electrical substation and distribution lines, which will increase capacity to serve anticipated load growth. These upgrades will allow Apple Tree Acres Corporate Park to further develop an additional 47 shovel ready acres intended for future manufacturing.

• Town of Liberty – $20 million: This project will support water and sewer infrastructure upgrades along the old Route 17 corridor by extending water lines and implementing a sanitary pump station and new force main sewer line. These site improvements will enable the construction of a one million square foot facility in the town and encourage the potential development of an additional 210 acres and four million square feet within the commercial corridor.

• Town of Schodack – $366,000: This project will advance several necessary environmental studies, including State Historic Preservation Office consultation. It will also help to cover costs related to engineering and site design, including site plan and subdivision approval and conceptual designs. The site is located on the Route 9 corridor, which is currently undergoing a five-mile-long, $10 million water line extension, and is directly off of I-90 near several established distribution centers.

• Town of Schoharie – $2.79 million: This water and wastewater infrastructure project will upgrade and extend existing water lines; add a new well, connection piping and storage tank; and extend sewer lines. These improvements will double the wastewater capacity and increase the public water availability for the proposed site, enabling development of an additional 80 underutilized acres within the existing water and wastewater district while improving marketability. Funding will also help unlock the potential of the 350-acre commercial district.

• Schoharie County IDA – $390,700: This involves the creation of a buildable lot in Cobleskill which will accommodate approximately 750,000 square feet of large-scale industrial space, including creating conceptual site design documents and plans for utility connections. The completed project site intends to create up to 450 short-term and long-term jobs, is adjacent to the New York State Thruway, and located less than five miles from the SUNY Cobleskill campus.

Senator Sean Ryan said, "When we think about the best ways to promote economic development, we want to prioritize strategies focused on the creation of a large number of family-sustaining jobs. Attracting high-tech manufacturing companies to New York brings thousands of stable, well-paying jobs to our state. Readying sites across Upstate New York for these businesses of the future is a smart investment.”

Assembly Member Al Stirpe said, "The $25 million FAST NY Grant investment supports the development of shovel-ready sites in four regions across New York State, which will ultimately attract high-tech manufacturing businesses. I appreciate Empire State Development and Governor Hochul's efforts to diversify New York State's economy, as we now have over $200 million invested in 25 sites, with an additional $100 million planned for the 2025 budget. These investments will create new opportunities for communities and make it easier for companies to set up shop in our state."

This year, Governor Kathy Hochul secured an additional $100 million in funding through the FY25 State Budget for the FAST NY program. FAST NY grants are awarded for pre-development activities and infrastructure investments to develop sites that will attract many eligible industries —including high-tech manufacturing, semiconductors, clean-tech renewable energy, life sciences, agribusiness, optics, transportation equipment, materials processing, industrial machinery manufacturing and other advanced manufacturing. These sites can also be used for interstate distribution and logistics. For more information, or to apply for a FAST NY grant, visit esd.ny.gov/fast-ny.

About Empire State Development

Empire State Development is New York’s chief economic development agency, and promotes business growth, job creation, and greater economic opportunity throughout the state. With offices in each of the state’s 10 regions, ESD oversees the Regional Economic Development Councils, supports broadband equity through the ConnectALL office, and is growing the workforce of tomorrow through the Office of Strategic Workforce Development. The agency engages with emerging and next generation industries like clean energy and semiconductor manufacturing looking to grow in New York State, operates a network of assistance centers to help small businesses grow and succeed, and promotes the state’s world class tourism destinations through I LOVE NY. For more information, please visit esd.ny.gov, and connect with ESD on LinkedIn, Facebook and X.

Contact:
ESD Press Office | [email protected] | (800) 260-7313