OSSINING, NY, July 15, 2022 - On November 22, 2021, Governor Hochul announced that the Village of Ossining was awarded $10 Million as one of the two Mid-Hudson Winners of the Fifth-Round Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI). The DRI works to transform downtown neighborhoods into vibrant communities where New Yorkers want to live, work, and play. Winners of this grant are provided with funding for infrastructure to ensure equitable and accessible future growth, while improving the wellbeing of traditionally underserved communities.

 

Coordinated by the Department of State, several additional state agencies (Homes and Community Renewal, Empire State Development, and NYSERDA) worked with local officials and Regional Council members in the identification of stakeholders and community representatives to serve on the Local Planning Committee (LPC). The Village of Ossining's LPC included:

Leveraging the diversity of stakeholders included on the LPC, the DRI team built on the community vision identified in the DRI application. Through the DRI public and stakeholder engagement process, local assets and opportunities were examined, and additional analysis was performed to help establish goals for the DRI Area and identify strategies for achieving those goals. The following key projects, were identified to advance the vision/goals and additional leverage investment.

The ten projects formally advanced by the LPC will be included in a Strategic Investment Plan to be evaluated by state agencies for alignment with state and local goals, project readiness, catalytic effect, secondary benefits, and cost-effectiveness. Once the State has chosen the final projects, NY State staff will work with project sponsors to execute project agreements and manage DRI contracts.

 

Finally, the Village will begin project implementation. DRI Funding will be assigned in order to advance the most transformative projects from the Strategic Investment Plan. Additional projects that were not chosen are now on the Village’s radar, and may be considered for implementation through a CFA grant or other funding sources.

 

"Leveraging our past studies, reimagining Ossining’s downtown, and engaging hundreds of people from our community over the past six months has been an amazing journey in creating the ten selected high-priority initiatives," said Mayor Rika Levin. "These initiatives will be transformative for our village and will touch the lives of our residents and businesses. I am excited to see which key projects will be chosen by the State.”

 

“The Village of Ossining’s Strategic Investment Plan, which will align with New York State’s objectives, will be directly correlated with opportunities for Westchester County’s regional economic growth,” said Dr. Marsha Gordon. “With growth comes opportunity – and with new opportunities, a community can retain and expand existing businesses while cultivating exciting new ventures and creating jobs that would otherwise have gone elsewhere.”

 

For updates on the Village of Ossining Downtown Revitalization Initiative, visit our website @ https://www.villageofossining.org/nys-dri