Mid-Hudson Funding Awards Announced by Gov. Hochul

Congratulations to the Village of Sleepy Hollow and the Town of Cornwall and Village of Cornwall-on-Hudson on their selection to each receive $4.5 million in funding as the two Mid-Hudson Region winners of the first round of NY Forward. The funding awards were announced this week by Governor Kathy Hochul at a press conference held at Pace University’s campus in Pleasantville.

Building the momentum of the state’s successful Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI), the $100 million NY Forward program adopts the same “Plan-then-Act” strategy as DRI to support a more equitable downtown recovery for New York’s smaller and rural communities.

“We are helping small towns and cities across our state build a better future for New Yorkers through our NY Forward program,” Governor Hochul said. “These awards will help the Village of Sleepy Hollow and the Town of Cornwall and the Village of Cornwall-on-Hudson develop their downtowns, improve the quality of life for residents and visitors, and create new jobs and attract businesses to expand economic opportunity across the region.”

Mid-Hudson Regional Economic Development Council Co-Chairs Dr. Marsha Gordon, President and CEO of The Business Council of Westchester and Dr. Kristine Young, President of SUNY Orange said, “The funding awarded through this program will help these communities to advance revitalization projects that will encourage new investments and new regional economic growth.”

Sleepy Hollow Mayor Kenneth Wray said, “This grant enables us to revitalize our downtown to become a regional attraction for visitors far and wide thus building a foundation for our many small businesses that are near and dear to all our residents.”

In another boost for the Hudson Valley’s economy, Gov. Hochul also announced on Tuesday details of the Mid-Hudson Momentum Fund, a $150 million funding initiative specifically for mixed-use housing and infrastructure projects throughout the Mid-Hudson Region. The funding is designed to help communities meet growing infrastructure needs in light of the recent, region-wide population increase brought on by the pandemic.

Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner Hope Knight said, “With the implementation of Governor Hochul’s Mid-Hudson Momentum Fund, residents, employees and tourists will have more choices for where they choose to live, work and visit. The Fund will incentivize the development of much needed, mixed-use and infrastructure projects, improving the overall quality of life in the region.”

Detailed information will be available on the Empire State Development website and interested parties may sign up to be notified when the fund is open and accepting applications at: https://esd.ny.gov/momentum

Prior to the news conference, Gov. Hochul held a roundtable discussion on her proposed New York Housing Compact plan. Among the business and political leaders participating in the roundtable was BCW Executive Vice President and COO John Ravitz.