August 23, 2023
Opportunities for Funding Downtown Projects
Canton, NY – The Village of Canton is considering an application to the 2023 rounds of the Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) and NY-Forward competition. The State has designated $200 million in the 2023 state budget for these programs – $100 million to the DRI and $100 million to NY-Forward – to help communities develop plans and implement projects that will “accelerate and expand New York’s burgeoning downtown revitalization.”
The programs divide the state into 10 regions, with each region receiving one $10 million DRI award and another $10 million for up to three smaller NY-Forward awards. The Village of Canton is considering applications to both programs. Previous recipients of the grants in the North Country region include Plattsburgh, Watertown, Saranac Lake, Potsdam, Massena, Tupper Lake, and Waddington.
To prepare for the program applications, the Village of Canton wants to engage community partners. “We are interested in hearing ideas for revitalizing our downtown area,” says Economic Development Director Leigh Rodriguez. “Key to the applications is to present a pipeline of potential projects which demonstrate that if we are awarded funding, we have committed partners and are ready to proceed.”
An in-depth public session will be held on Tuesday, August 29 at 5:30pm at TAUNY, 53 Main Street where we will share information about the programs and offer opportunities to discuss project proposals. Additional office hours will be available the remainder of the week for members of the community to have more direct conversations regarding project funding.
Applications will be reviewed by the North Country Regional Economic Development Council, which based on the potential for transformation, nominates applications to be forwarded to the state selection team. If awarded funding, Ms. Rodriguez said, there is “an intense planning process,” to develop a Strategic Investment Plan, followed by formal solicitation and selection of projects by a local planning committee.
More information is available on the Canton DRI/NY-Forward website: canton-dri.mailchimpsites.com or from Leigh Rodriguez, Director of Economic Development, at (315) 386-2871 #5 or [email protected].
###
Last modified: August 23, 2023
