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Governor Hochul Announces Lancaster and Wellsville as Western New York Winners of First Round of NY Forward Awards

Village of Lancaster and Village of Wellsville to Receive $4.5 Million Each

New $100 Million NY Forward Program Builds on Momentum of the Successful Downtown Revitalization Initiative to Support a More Equitable Downtown Recovery for New York's Smaller and Rural Communities

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that the Village of Lancaster and the Village of Wellsville will each receive $4.5 million in funding as the Western New York region winners of the first round of NY Forward. Building on the momentum of the state's successful Downtown Revitalization Initiative, the $100 million NY Forward program adopts the same "Plan-then-Act" strategy as the Downtown Revitalization Initiative to support a more equitable downtown recovery for New York's smaller and rural communities. As part of NY Forward Round One, two to three awards will be granted to smaller communities in each of the state's 10 economic development regions to support the development and implementation of a downtown revitalization plan.  

"New York's downtowns are the lifeblood of our state, and my administration is committed to ensuring communities in every region have the resources they need to thrive," Governor Hochul said. "Through NY Forward, we're building on the continued success of our Downtown Revitalization Initiative to provide crucial support to New York's smaller and rural communities. I'm proud to announce this funding today for Lancaster and Wellsville to help bring our downtowns back and strengthen our communities for the next generation of New Yorkers."

NY Forward is a component of the state's economic development efforts, working together with DRI to accelerate and expand New York's burgeoning downtown revitalization. NY Forward is meant to serve smaller communities and support local economies that often have a feel and historic character that is distinct from larger, more urban central business districts typically funded through DRI. NY Forward communities are walkable, less dense areas that serve the immediate local community, and are more local in nature, focusing on the immediate surrounding residential or rural agricultural centric development. 

Read the full press release here.