Press Release:
The City of Batavia is working with the Batavia Development Corporation (BDC) to apply to New York State for a second Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) grant.
Governor Hochul and State Legislative leaders have ensured that New York Cities can continue to grow their tax base and business by championing the DRI grant program. The City was a recipient of a DRI in 2018 and have completed seven (7) out of eight (8) transformational projects in the core of downtown Batavia.
“Without the Governor, the Department of State, and Empire State Development the City of Batavia would not have seen such a dramatic transformation from a fledgling downtown into a flurry of investment; sparking retail, commercial, and residential progress.
The DOS Brownfield Opportunity Area program gave Batavia the blueprint to focus investment on contaminated and underutilized sites. The DRI added the funding to move these projects from the planning stage to construction and completion. The City is ready to extend this winning combination and apply for another DRI grant with a new project boundary,” said Rachael J. Tabelski, City Manager, Batavia.
Over $75 Million of investment by the private sector was matched to the $10M grant funds to make major improvements in the City.
- DRI 1.0 Grant Projects
- City View Residences
- Healthy Living Campus/YMCA
- Carr’s Department Store
- Main Street Theater 56
- Building Improvement Fund
- Jackson Square
- City Centre Improvement Project
- Savarino
One of the primary goals of the DRI was to identify projects that are catalytic, leverage additional private and public funding, and are ready to move from planning to construction.
Batavia’s first DRI Steering Committee recommended 16 final projects ready for investment and New York State choose the top 8 projects for funding.
“The DRI program was a tremendous success in the City of Batavia providing our citizens with new opportunities for recreation, arts, culture, entertainment and housing. I’m thrilled to work on new opportunities for investment in the City,” said Eugene Jankowski Jr., City Council President.
The City and the BDC continue to assist and incentivize many new projects across the City, however, there are many more projects that are ready to spur more economic development, building revitalization, and housing construction with grant assistance that a DRI award could provide.
“The BDC continually pairs properties and building owners with grants and incentives to drive investment and business development in the City. Since the first successful execution of the DRI program there has been an increase in developer interest within the City. New projects that qualify for the DRI 2.0 will continue to boost the quality of life in our City,” said Tammy Hathaway, Executive Director of the BDC.
If you are interested in learning more and have a project in the City please send a letter to Tammy Hathaway, BDC Executive Director expressing your interest. Please include the following:
- Name of Project
- Address
- Proposed Project or Idea
- Potential Investment
After you submit your letter of interest you will be contacted by a member of the DRI Steering Committee to assist you with preparing a full project application and due diligence.
Full Project Application https://www.batavianewyork.com/home/pages/downtown-revitalization-initiative
Full Project Applications will include:
- Drawings, renderings, or plans.
- Order of magnitude cost estimates
- Description of project benefits
- Timelines and schedules for implementation
- Proof of funding
- Zoning and other permit information
An initial map of the project area is attached, however if you have a project outside the boundary please send a letter of interest to the BDC Executive Director Tammy Hathaway at director@bataviadevelopmentcorp.org.
