LOWVILLE, N.Y. — Nine projects throughout Lewis County will use grant funding totaling nearly $691,000 as part of the vacant property revitalization (VPR) program.
The Lewis County Development Corporation (LCDC) approved the funding for the nine projects in the first-round application process, per the announcement.
Naturally Lewis, in partnership with Lewis County, created the VPR Program to target vacant and “potentially unsafe or blighted” properties within downtown and surrounding areas to turn them into usable spaces for business-development opportunities.
The VPR program was created with $1 million of funding made available to the LCDC through the American Rescue Plan Act and Lewis County.
The projects awarded funding included the following:
- The Case Building Remodel in West Leyden was awarded $50,000 to construct new commercial space on the first floor, and an apartment on the second floor.
- The Crumbs Bakeshop building won $71,730 to turn the vacant second and third floors into living space.
- The Lowville Apartments (Dollar General) building in Lowville, was awarded $100,000 to turn the second and third floors into rental units.
- Double Play Community Center in Lowville won $100,000 to help turn a vacant former restaurant building into their new consolidated community center
- Grand Slam Safety in Croghan received $49,235 to renovate a vacant former bus garage on their property into additional manufacturing space, which will create five new jobs.
- The Kellogg Block building in Lowville was awarded $100,000 to renovate the second floor into apartments.
- McRez Packing International in Lyonsdale received $100,000 to renovate a vacant former storage building into a U.S. Department of Agriculture-certified, meat-processing facility, which would create 13-15 new jobs.
- Port Leyden Portal (Phase 2) in Port Leyden was awarded $100,000 toward the renovation of the second story of the former Port Leyden school building (river facing) into short- and long-term apartments and lodging units.
- Snow Ridge Ski Resort in Turin won $20,000 toward the renovation of an underutilized 2nd floor space into a short-term lodging unit.