Millions of dollars in state funds are heading to four central New York communities to support efforts to spark downtown development.
The village of Homer is the winner of $10 million, as part of the state’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative. Hal McCabe, the mayor of Homer, said the village wants to reactivate the waterfront and restore historic buildings, while increasing sustainability and creating new job opportunities.
"As you know, it's a very historic place, and so, we're going to put a premium on making sure that we retain that feel,” said McCabe. “We're not looking to give that away, but we also want to position ourselves to be ready for Micron."
The state is also focusing on smaller and rural communities as part of a new program called NY Forward. As part of that initiative, the village of Phoenix will receive $4.5 million. Moravia and Hamilton will get $2.25 million each.
Gary Mulvaney, the mayor of Moravia, said he’s hoping Moravia will become a tourist and social destination.
"This is a great day for Moravia,” Mulvaney said. “We've never even been thinking about something like this. We worry about what we're going to do next week and how we're going to pay for it."
Phoenix’s mayor said his village plans to focus primarily on developing its canal waterfront district with the funding.
Hamilton’s mayor says village officials there are interested in capitalizing on assets like Colgate University by expanding access to housing and encouraging students to stay post-graduation.
New York Secretary of State Robert Rodriguez said the initiative is about more than money.
"It's an exercise in community outreach, community building, and helping to build support around a shared vision for the future,” he said.
The villages will now come up with strategic investment plans with a local planning committee, private sector experts, and state planners.
