Owego seeks Downtown Revitalization Initiative project proposals

OWEGO, N.Y. — The Tioga County Industrial Development Agency (TCIDA) announced it is accepting requests for proposals (RFP) from property owners within the village of Owego’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) boundary for its multi-site projects fund.

Property owners are encouraged to submit project proposals that support façade revitalization or business development.

New York State awarded Owego
$10 million in DRI funding in 2018, but some projects have not moved forward since that time. Others have relinquished their funding. The multi-sites project fund was established to reallocate those relinquished funds.

“We are excited to be able to extend DRI funding in the village of Owego and allow more property owners to apply for funding for their projects,” Tioga County Economic Development and Planning Deputy Director Brittany Woodburn said in a statement. “These projects will continue to grow the village’s downtown and contribute to the improved landscape started by the currently in-progress and completed multi-site projects.”

Before submitting an RFP, property owners must attend a pre-application meeting with Tioga County Economic Development and Planning staff. All projects are subject to an environmental-review process before moving forward, as well as Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) participation goals.

Guidelines and the application are available online at https://www.tiogacountyny.com/departments/economic-development-planning/ under the “V. Owego DRI TCIDA Multi-Site Program Fund” heading in the links on the left side of the page.