Ossining Wins $10M State Grant To Revitalize Downtown

OSSINING, NY — Ossining has won one of New York's coveted downtown revitalization grants, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Monday.

In its fifth year, the statewide program will invest $200 million in up to 20 downtowns. Communities were nominated by the state's 10 Regional Economic Development Councils based on the downtown's potential for transformation.

The village, a finalist in 2019, was one of two communities in the Hudson region to win. The other was Haverstraw, which is connected to Ossining through the NY Waterway ferry. Each will receive $10 million to develop a downtown strategic investment plan and implement key catalytic projects that advance the community’s vision for revitalization.

"This was our fourth or fifth time applying and this was the charm, apparently," Haverstraw Mayor Michael Kohut told Patch. "We sistered up with the village of Ossining because we share a ferry and share the river and thought there could be connections between us — and the state obviously thought that as well."

Haverstraw and Ossining now join the cities of Middletown, Kingston, New Rochelle and Peekskill, which were the Mid-Hudson Region's winners in the first four DRI rounds, respectively.

Ossining's list of possible projects is long.

At the top: developing the old public works site on Water Street for affordable housing and parkland; turning the old bank at the top of Main Street into a business incubator; repurposing the historic firehouses; redeveloping the Market Square and post office parking lots; expanding the Caputo Community Center; and expanding the village pier.

“This is a historic day for Ossining, for 10 million reasons. Today's announcement by Governor Kathy Hochul that Ossining has been selected as one of the two winners of this year's Downtown Revitalization Initiative in the Hudson Valley is an outstanding celebration of Ossining's vibrant downtown, and a huge vote of confidence in the village's bright future," said state Senator Elijah Reichlin-Melnick. "I'm beyond excited for the village, and look forward to continuing to work with Mayor Rika Levin and other local leaders to sustain New York's investment in Ossining. I also want to congratulate the Village of Haverstraw, which is linked to Ossining by ferry and was named as the second winner of this year's DRI. On both sides of the Hudson River, great things are happening in our communities!”

In its fifth year, the statewide program will invest $200 million in up to 20 additional downtowns statewide. Participating communities were nominated by the state’s 10 Regional Economic Development Councils based on the downtown’s potential for transformation. In 2019 Ossining was a finalist.

Here's what the state said about the two villages:

Haverstraw

Haverstraw's downtown is a high-density neighborhood close to the Hudson riverfront. The village aims to make this area an inclusive, lively, 21st century urban center where residents and visitors can live, work, learn and play. Haverstraw has stayed committed to downtown revitalization with multiple completed and ongoing projects, including multiple mixed-use developments, a new waterfront esplanade, and streetscape improvements. Building on this work, Haverstraw aims to redevelop vacant space, expand public space, increase the economic activity of and access to the waterfront, as well as embrace their diverse history.

Ossining

Ossining's DRI will focus on the Waterfront District. With a downtown that is on both the State and the National Historic Registers, Ossining wants to use their existing assets, including a rich history, public amenities, engaged residents, and an innovative business community, to build on previous successes and strengthen their downtown to have the greatest economic impact. Previous successes include a mixed-use development with a waterfront park, promenade, beach, and fishing pier on a former brownfield, the Sing Sing Kill Greenway, and the ongoing Sing Sing Prison Museum project. Building on these projects, Ossining aims to improve community services, increase access to and the economic impact of the waterfront, expand public space, and repurpose areas for development.

The Mid-Hudson Region Economic Development Council conducted a thorough and competitive review process of proposals submitted from communities throughout the region and considered all seven criteria below before recommending Haverstraw and Ossining as the nominees:

• The downtown should be compact, with well-defined boundaries;
• The downtown is able to capitalize on prior or catalyze future private and public investment in the neighborhood and its surrounding areas;
• There should be recent or impending job growth within, or in close proximity to the downtown that can attract workers to the downtown, support redevelopment and make growth sustainable;
• The downtown must be an attractive and livable community for diverse populations of all ages, income, gender, identity, ability, mobility and cultural background;
• The municipality should already embrace or have the ability to create and implement policies that increase livability and quality of life, including the use of local land banks, modern zoning codes and parking standards, complete streets plans, energy efficient projects, green jobs, and transit-oriented development;
• The municipality should have conducted an open and robust community engagement process resulting in a vision for downtown revitalization and a preliminary list of projects and initiatives that may be included in a DRI strategic investment plan;
• The municipality has the local capacity to manage the DRI process; and
• The municipality has identified transformative projects that will be ready for near-term implementation with an infusion of DRI funds.

Next steps

Winners are provided with funding for the much-needed infrastructure to ensure equitable and accessible future growth while improving the wellbeing of traditionally underserved communities.

Led by the Department of State, an interagency team of state experts will now work with Haverstraw and Ossining to begin the process of developing a Strategic Investment Plan to revitalize their downtowns with up to $300,000 in planning funds from the $10 million DRI grant.

Local Planning Committees 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.

The Strategic Investment Plans will examine local assets and opportunities and identify economic development, transportation, housing, and community projects that align with each community's vision for downtown revitalization and that are poised for implementation. The Strategic Investment Plans will guide the investment of DRI grant funds in revitalization projects that will advance the community's vision for its downtown and that can leverage and expand upon the state's $10 million investment. Plans for the DRI's fifth round will be complete in 2022.