Endicott selects projects following state award of nearly $10 million in Downtown Revitalization Initiative

“We have been working a long time to rejuvenate the village through redevelopment, renovation, and revitalization,” Mayor Linda Jackson said in the state’s press release. “The projects included in this award will support our goals to create jobs, support housing development, and make our village more inviting with new storefronts, lighting, and streetscapes. This DRI grant will be a great ‘shot in the arm’ for our upcoming future.”

The projects

Endicott’s projects include a more than $3.1 million effort to implement a multi-pronged initiative to link areas of downtown through sidewalks, streetscape improvements, signage, landscaping, and lighting.

Endicott will also a more than $3.1 million award to revitalize a vacant 18-acre site as a warehouse-distribution center to bring jobs and transform the western gateway into downtown, Hochul’s office said.

They also include a $910,000 project to implement interior renovations and facade upgrades to 32-26 Washington Avenue to a large mixed-use building with two upper-floor apartments, “strengthen” existing tenants, and bring in new uses including a restaurant.

Endicott will use $600,000 to create a fund to help small businesses and property owners in the downtown-revitalization area make capital improvements such as facade improvements, interior upgrades, small business creation and expansion, and green building elements.

In addition, a $402,000 project will focus on building a new mixed-use development with workforce housing and ground-floor retail on a parking lot along Washington Avenue.

The projects also include a $100,000 effort to upgrade and improve the facade at 54 Washington Avenue to support ongoing interior renovations, retain the ground-floor business, and upgrade spaces for upper-story office and residential uses.

Endicott will also use $1,141,000 to implement building and site upgrades at the Southern Tier Community Center to help it better serve the community with safer and more efficient space.

The community will use $271,000 to establish a wine-tasting facility in a newly constructed building in Little Italy, per Hochul’s office.

“This award will help the village of Endicott emerge from the ashes of the once-proud IBM legacy,” Town of Union Supervisor Richard Materese said. “It is our hope that new businesses will develop in Endicott, attracting more employees and visitors, igniting an economic upturn that would benefit the town of Union as well.”

The state’s DRI helps communities work on turning downtown areas into “vibrant centers” with a focus on promoting the use of public transit and reducing the dependence on private vehicles, Hochul’s office said.