September 2, 2009
GOVERNOR PATERSON ANNOUNCES MORE THAN $14 MILLION IN RESTORE NY GRANTS FOR CENTRAL NEW YORK
Syracuse Awarded $6.3 Million for Connective Corridor to Link Syracuse University with Downtown
Governor David A. Paterson today announced the award of $14.9 million for Central New York as part of the third round of Restore NY grant program. The Governor was joined by State and local leaders to make the announcement in Syracuse, which will receive $6.3 million for the Connective Corridor project to link Syracuse University with cultural institutions and Downtown. The award is part of the $153.6 million in Restore NY Communities Initiative, which is administered by Empire State Development. The awards for 79 projects across the State will help revitalize urban areas, stabilize neighborhoods, and invite renewed investment.
“The Restore NY program is critical to our economic development, smartly leveraging private investment with State dollars so that we provide our neighbors with the resources they need to grow,” Governor Paterson said. “With this third round of funding, our villages, towns and cities can move forward with renewal projects that create jobs and attract businesses and consumers.”
The Connective Corridor project will focus on residential, commercial and retail mixed-development projects along the Downtown component of the Corridor. The overall project consists of five properties, including renovations to four existing buildings and demolition of three adjoining properties to be reconstructed into one new 40,000 square foot facility. The City of Syracuse recognizes that a successful urban center requires a strong mix of residents, workers and visitors. This project will make a significant impact in achieving this goal.
In addition the Connective Corridor, the Central New York projects include:
- $1.6 million to the Village of Canastota for a project to will rehabilitate a nine-acre site, which was once occupied by multiple derelict and fire ravaged buildings. The project comprises the rehabilitation of both a 48,000 square foot and a 5,600 square foot steel structured buildings. The buildings will be leased to a commercial tenant proposing to create 80 jobs within two years.
- $900,000 to the Town of Sullivan for a project that will result in the rehabilitation of the historic Chittenango Pottery Company site, adjacent to the Village of Chittenango on the Erie Canal. The 1.6-acre site is currently in the process of being listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places and it is located in the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor. The buildings (approximately 15,800 square feet combined) will be renovated into a mixed-use project of loft-style rental housing and several commercial uses.
- $1.6 million to the City of Oswego for a project to develop the Stevedore Building, a vacant warehouse located on the Erie Canal Heritage Corridor and in the Oswego Empire Zone. The developer proposes to transform the vacant warehouse space into a mixed use building, creating 33 market rate residential units and five commercial retail/office spaces in the building. Development of the Oswego Stevedore is consistent with the Oswego 2020 Vision Plan and local waterfront revitalization program addressing the need for market rate housing, job creation and economic development in Oswego’s downtown waterfront district.
- $883,302 to the Village of Liverpool to redevelop First Street, its historic “Main Street.” Funding will assist a developer, working with village officials, to complete the rehabilitation of a strategically situated, historic three-story structure of 11,200 square feet at 401-403 First Street, which is currently vacant and in extremely poor structural condition. The developer has received site plan approval and submitted construction documents for a mixed use building permit (nine apartments and two retail spaces). Completion of this project is essential to the fulfillment of the Village’s Comprehensive Plan for revitalization.
- $2.5 million to the Village of Camillus for the Downtown Urban Redevelopment Initiative, which consists of the demolition and rehabilitation/reconstruction of two properties along the main street in the Village of Camillus: (1) the former Camillus Cutlery Building located at 52-54 Genesee Street in the Village Center and (2) 55 Genesee Street, across the street from Camillus Cutlery.
- $818,718 to the Village of Pulaski for the North Jefferson Street Revitalization Project to rehabilitate and renovate three, historically significant buildings located in the Historic District of the Village of Pulaski, along the escarpment of the Salmon River. Renovations will be made to the interior of one and the interior, exterior and site of two buildings to establish a mix of commercial and residential uses.
- $300,000 to the Town of Cortlandville for the Cultural Gateway Project to renovate renovations to the 23,000 square foot main building of the future home of the Central New York Living History Center. The complex of vacant commercial buildings will house a Brockway Trucks Museum and the collections of Ken Eaton, including 160 years of war and railroad memorabilia. Funding will allow the museum to open in late 2010, improves the gateway to the Town of Cortlandville and establishes a visitor center along the banks of the Tioughnioga River. Renovations will also be made to the 16,000 square foot vacant, former Grossman’s Outlet building as a home for the Cortland Repertory Theater. The site is located directly across Route 11 from the History Center.
Restore NY grants are awarded to municipally sponsored projects to demolish, deconstruct, rehabilitate and/or reconstruct vacant, abandoned or condemned buildings. The projects must be architecturally consistent with nearby and adjacent properties or built in a manner consistent with the area’s local revitalization or urban development plan. Awards were made to qualified applicants based on statutory criteria outlined in the 2006-2007 State budget and, to the fullest extent possible, in a geographically proportionate manner throughout the State. Rounds I and II provided a total of $150 million for these kinds of projects. A full list of the recipients of the Restore NY Round III funding is available at:
http://www.ny.gov/governor/press/pdf/press_0902091.pdf.
For more information regarding Restore NY, please visit www.empire.state.ny.us/restoreNY/default.asp.
The following statements were provided in support of the Restore NY Round III grants:
Empire State Development Chairman & CEO, designate, Dennis M. Mullen said: “These projects have the potential to reposition our State by spurring economic development, creating resilient communities that provide the foundations for future growth and the means to transform neighborhoods. The process was a competitive one that identified those projects that would truly serve to revitalize urban cores, leverage private investment and bring future business expansion to New York State.”
Senator David J. Valesky said: “The revitalization of our Main Streets is critical to economic development in Upstate New York. Programs like Restore NY make a big difference in advancing this development by creating jobs and attracting new businesses.”
Assemblywoman Joan K. Christensen said: “The comprehensive project takes a holistic strategy for resolving many of the housing and economic issues facing a struggling area by rehabilitating houses and commercial investment alike. Further, not only will this project structurally better the community, the project itself will stimulate the economy by generating an estimated $16.5 million in home rehabilitation contracts and $4.5 million in private mortgages.”
Assemblyman William Magnarelli said: “It is very difficult for Syracuse to fund a project such as the Connective Corridor without state aid and private investment. Here we are seeing both. The Connective Corridor is designed to help revitalize the city while also allowing residents to get back on their feet during this economic downturn by creating jobs, supporting the local art community and upgrading local infrastructure.”
City of Syracuse Mayor Matthew J. Driscoll said: “Restore NY grants provide vital gap financing to leverage private and institutional investments that are rebuilding the fabric of Downtown Syracuse. We are grateful that Governor Paterson and his development team have made a third round of grants to continue the momentum Syracuse is experiencing.”
