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The Village of Homer, south of Syracuse in the Finger Lakes region, is using its $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative award — announced by NYS Secretary of State Robert Rodriguez in a press conference on Tuesday — to prepare for the arrival of Micron Technology in the central New York region.

The Downtown Revitalization Initiative, led by the NYS’s Department of State, launched in 2016 as part of the New York State economic development program. This year’s awards will go toward improving downtown neighborhoods to attract property development, support businesses and create jobs and housing opportunities, according to the New York Downtown Revitalization Initiative’s webpage.

For the initiative’s sixth round of investment distribution, DRI will invest a total of $1o0 million across the 10 communities and partner with state development and research agencies.

“What makes the DRI special is that it is not the state coming in and telling a community how they should change and develop and transform — it’s the community seeing how they want to change and transform and utilize their $10 million grant,” Rodriguez said in the announcement. “It’s a plan and then act strategy.”

Rodriguez said Homer is seeking to reactivate its waterfront and downtown regions in an effort to boost the village’s tourism. Homer, located about 3o miles south of Syracuse, identified 270 acres to compose its designated DRI investment area, Rodriguez said. This area includes both the Old Homer National Register Historic District and the zoned Central Business District.

“They’re not forgetting about their culture and their history,” Rodriguez said. “They’re actually looking to invest in it and celebrate it for the future.”

Hal McCabe, Homer’s mayor, said he wanted to retain the village’s historic value while also positioning the area for the arrival of Micron Technology in nearby Clay.

“It’s going to be an enormous thing for this region,” McCabe said.

Micron is building a 1,400-acre semiconductor manufacturing plant in Clay, along with a planned $100 billion package of investments in the region. In Hochul’s Feb. 6 press conference at Syracuse Hotel, the company announced its plans to begin construction in 2024 with an expected completion date in 2030.

The DRI award recipients for this year include Homer, the Village of Perry, Huntington Station, East Harlem, the Town of Ticonderoga and the city of Dunkirk. Each received $10 million to advance projects they identified in their grant applications with a letter of intent and a vision statement.

Rodriguez also announced the villages of Phoenix, Hamilton and Moravia as recipients of the first-ever round of NY Forward awards, which Gov. Kathy Hochul created last year to apply the DRI’s support to small and rural communities.

The three villages will focus on promoting business, community development and housing for their respective downtown areas, Rodriguez said. While Phoenix focuses on reviving its Canal Waterfront District, Hamilton hopes to encourage Colgate University students to stay in the town after graduation, and Moravia will work to become the provider of key services to Cayuga County.

Syracuse did not receive a DRI grant. But the city is included in provisions from Hochul’s 2024 FY Budget, including $1 million for each the Syracuse Build Pathways to Apprenticeship Program and the Syracuse Surge High-Tech Careers Bridge Program to support semiconductor manufacturing career resources. The budget proposes another $10 million for public housing developments in the city.

Rodriguez said the state’s investments won’t end with the $10 million awards, but rather will continue to attract private investment for the communities going forward.

“It’s an exciting time in central New York,” Rodriguez said.

Published on February 15, 2023 at 1:23 am

Contact Kendall: kaluther@syr.edu