Fifth time's the charm? Newburgh takes another shot at DRI funding
Lana BellamyCITY OF NEWBURGH - Perhaps this is Newburgh's year to get a piece of the pie.
Members of Newburgh's City Council believe they are well positioned to win millions in state money that would go toward a downtown revamp.
"I do believe this is our year and that it will really help us jumpstart some of the things we want to do in our city," said Councilman-at-Large Anthony Grice at the council's Sept. 9 work session.
Newburgh applied last week for the state's annual Downtown Revitalization Initiative, setting its eyes on the top award of $20 million.
The application, which can be viewed in full at cityofnewburgh-ny.gov, focuses on two major projects: a major beautification of Broadway and a reborn Newburgh Landing. The document provides a snapshot of recent developments in Newburgh, including improvements in its overall financial condition, and highlights major projects that have come to fruition downtown.
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Plans to transform Broadway include lining it with trees, making it more pedestrian friendly and creating dedicated public transit and bicycle lanes. These improvements would hopefully draw visitors at the bustling waterfront area up the hill and into the city's downtown, according to the application.
Reconstruction of Newburgh Landing Pier is already in its final design stage. The work would cost about $5 million and include building a new structure with two pier extensions to accommodate large cruise ships. It has been closed since it sustained ice floe damage in 2014.
Other projects featured in the application include finishing the first phase of renovations at the Ritz Theatre at 107 Broadway and renovations to the Newburgh Boys and Girls Club's new headquarters at 74 Broadway.
The application process is highly competitive. In years past, the initiative awarded $10 million to other nearby municipalities, including Kingston and Middletown.
The DRI is administered through the New York Department of State in partnership with Empire State Development and New York State Homes and Community Renewal.
Ten Regional Economic Development Committees, referred to as REDCs, submit nominations from their respective areas for the DRI award. The rules and amount of funding have changed this year. Each committee can either nominate two communities to receive $10 million each or choose one community to receive $20 million, according to ny.gov.
Applying for the full $20 million grant does not preclude a community from receiving $10 million.
Newburgh has applied for DRI money five times, or every year it's been available. Last year's contest was called off because of the pandemic.
Part of why Newburgh didn't win DRI funding in the past could have been its distressed financial condition, said Ali Church, director of Newburgh's Department of Planning and Development.
Major budget adjustments and leadership changes since 2019 led to Newburgh finishing 2020 with a surplus. Church noted that could put Newburgh's DRI application in a better position to win this year.
Church said other communities that won funding in the Mid-Hudson already had a substantial amount of development happening in their downtowns.
The DRI funding seems most likely to be awarded to communities that need a financial boost to bring projects over the finish line.
"I think for a long time Newburgh wasn't really there," Church said. "We hadn't had the big private development already working downtown. I think this year it's very different. There are a lot of projects already happening without this money."
Public and private investments in Newburgh exceeded $144.6 million over the past three years, and $128 million in investments is expected over the next few years as current projects move along, according to Newburgh's DRI application.
In 2020, 1,840 building permits were issued, which represented a total development value of $36.7 million, according to the application.
It is unclear when the DRI winners will be announced, but applicant interviews could begin as soon as October.
lbellamy@th-record.com