State awards DRI, NY Forward funding to four CNY communities

HOMER, N.Y. — New York State has awarded the Village of Homer in Cortland County $10 million as the Central New York winner of the sixth round of the Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI).

At the same time, the state awarded funding to the Villages of Phoenix, Moravia, and Hamilton as the Central New York region winners in the first round of the NY Forward program.

The Village of Phoenix receives $4.5 million, and the Villages of Moravia and Hamilton each get $2.25 million, the office of Gov. Kathy Hochul said in an announcement.

New York Secretary of State Robert Rodriguez announced the funding awards during a Tuesday morning appearance at the Center for the Arts in the village of Homer.

Building on the DRI, the $100 million NY Forward program adopts the same “Plan-then-Act” strategy as the DRI to “support a more equitable downtown recovery” for New York’s smaller and rural communities, Hochul’s office said. As part of NY Forward’s first round, the state will announce two to three awards for smaller communities in each of the state’s 10 economic-development regions to support development and implementation of a revitalization plan for their downtowns.

Homer DRI award

Homer has been awarded $10 million in state funding and investments to revitalize its downtown neighborhood and generate new opportunities for long-term growth following the local planning process, Hochul’s office said. Homer joins the cities of Oswego, Cortland, Auburn, Fulton, Oneida and Syracuse, which were Central New York’s winners in the first five DRI rounds.

Homer will begin the process of developing a strategic investment plan to revitalize its downtown with up to $300,000 in planning funds from the $10 million DRI grant. A local planning committee made up of municipal representatives, community leaders, and other stakeholders will lead the effort, supported by a team of private-sector experts and state planners.

For DRI round 6, each of the state’s 10 economic-development regions are being awarded $10 million, to make for a total state commitment of $100 million in funding and investments to help communities boost their economies by transforming downtowns into vibrant neighborhoods, the state says.