Central New York once again walked away with one of the most lucrative awards from the Governor’s Regional Economic Development Sweepstakes Thursday. $80 million will help projects ranging from hotels and apartment development… to small businesses and the inner harbor.
The proposal of more than 80 projects was attractive and innovative enough to draw one of the top awards in this fourth year of these competitive economic grants. The idea is to have state investment give a boost to local job creation. Centerstate CEO Rob Simpson helps vet the proposals to make a strong showing for the competition…but also have a strong impact on the region.
“Various projects we applied for are going to represent more than 850 new jobs for the region. They’re going to support almost 1000 retained jobs in the region and probably more than 1000 construction jobs in the region as well. There’s immediate stimulus impact from these investments; there’s also long-term wealth and value and job creation that’s so important.”
This latest round includes more than a million and a half dollars for inner harbor developments, money to help the red house and sky armory downtown; Two Million to help double the size of the Crouse hospital emergency department; and One-and-a-half Million for Le Moyne College science and academic facilities. Simpson singles out another project for which the community has been waiting a long time.
“Not the least of which is the Hotel Syracuse, a project that’s been on the wish list for Syracuse and Central New York for more than a decade. We’re going to give that project a chance for a new life and that’s a really great feeling.”
The hotel gets 3.6 million dollars to go with 15 million the state is putting into the project.
SOME OF THE CNY PROJECTS FUNDED IN THIS LATEST ROUND OF DEVELOPMENT GRANTS
- Almost $1 million for Inner Harbor infrastructure, $750,000 for housing, veterans center at the Inner Harbor
- $900,000 to help relocate the Redhouse Arts Center
- $360,000 for a Northside Syracuse Training, Entrepreneur center
- $400,000 to Sky Armory to continue renovation of Wells & Coverly bldg
- $ 2 million for Crouse Hospital Emergency dept to double space
- $350,000 for Good Nature Brewing in Madison County
- $1.5 million for Le Moyne College science and academic facilities
- $370,000 for an Onondaga Creek revitalization and access project
- $1.2 million to a Cazenovia hotel and Business center
- Around $4 million to the NUAIR, unmanned aircraft, drone testing site for advanced radar
- $500,000 for a SUNY ESF research project on green roofs, porous pavement, other green infrastructure performance
- $2.3 million to help the redevelopment of former Blue Cross bldg. downtown into apartments, retail and office space.
In the previous three years our area has also fared among the best in these Regional Economic Development Council Projects.…and Simpson says more than 90-percent of those projects are finish or on schedule to help boost the economy.
