A host of projects in the Lower Hudson Valley will receive state money, including converting a Sleepy Hollow theater into an arts and community center, improving pedestrian connections in Cornwall, enhancing a Port Jervis park and housing.
Five Sleepy Hollow initiatives are getting help, including renovating a park and creating mixed-use affordable housing on College Avenue, Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement Tuesday.
The governor’s press release states that the village of nearly 11,000 residents along the Hudson River will receive the following, allocated through the NY Forward program:
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$1.5 million to renovate Strand Theater into a venue for a range of artists and performers. There are plans for a studio space for local artists and art groups, a gallery and a future Sleepy Hollow Visitors Center.
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$1 million to upgrade WL Morse Elementary School’s park with new playground equipment and seating.
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$1.2 million to upgrade Cortlandt Street with new sidewalks and crosswalks, better drainage, trees, lighting, new street furniture and four EV charging stations.
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$500,000 to build transit-oriented, mixed-use affordable housing at 100 College Avenue.
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$300,000 to establish a fund to help businesses and property owners improve building facades, according to the Downtown Sleepy Hollow Façade Renovation Design Standards.
NY Forward was launched in 2022 as an effort to revitalize smaller and rural places.
“Generations of New Yorkers have experienced Mid-Hudson’s historic and vibrant downtown, and we are taking steps to safeguard their future,” Hochul said in a statement. “These major investments will fuel the economic revitalization of businesses and local communities and create a place where families can thrive.”
Orange County projects include Cornwall, Port Jervis
In Orange County, the release said, the city of Cornwall and the village of Cornwall-on-Hudson are also receiving NY Forward money. Are assigned:
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$1.13 million to improve sidewalks and crosswalks, add public art, street furniture, public toilets, street trees and pollinator plantings for a safe pedestrian connection from Medical Group at Montefiore St. Luke’s Cornwall through the town and village centers.
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$773,000 to convert two interior spaces in the Storm King Theater building into a black box theater that serves as a community-oriented space. There are plans to integrate a separate lounge and dinner theater into an existing restaurant, the release said.
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$783,000 for additions to Riverlight Park, including an Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant walkway with a story walk around Ring’s Pond, ADA-compliant restrooms, an inclusive playground and a new skate park. The project also calls for improving drainage with rain gardens, renovating the ice house as a public pavilion and renovating the Sands Ring Homestead Museum.
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$649,000 to preserve the exterior of the Donahue Farm barn and renovate the ice house for public programming. New toilets would be built and a visitors kiosk added to assist with public use of the site.
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$480,000 to build a 2,500-foot path for a pedestrian connection between downtown, Donahue Farm and the waterfront. It includes improving 1,000 feet of existing path, new sidewalks, a gravel path and drainage improvements.
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$300,000 to start a small project fund to assist with downtown economic development. Projects may include facade and interior improvements that allow for business expansion, and other capital improvements.
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$382,000 to develop a marketing strategy and install signage to increase the visibility of downtown Cornwall and attract new residents, businesses and visitors, the release said.
Port Jervis receives funding from the state’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative for the following:
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$2.65 million to improve Riverside Park by rebuilding the water tower with a “Welcome to Port Jervis” sign and a new pavilion, all-inclusive playground, stage and amphitheater, pickleball courts, basketball court, skate park and mini park to be developed. -golf course.
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$2 million to build a mixed-use residential and commercial building on an underutilized parking lot on Jersey Avenue, with affordable housing.
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$1.5 million to build a mixed-use apartment complex with ground-floor retail at 29 Front Street.
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$707,000 to renovate the vacant second and third floors of 46 Front Street for commercial use and apartments. The roof will be renovated and a fire escape will be installed.
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$522,000 to renovate the first and second floors of 22 Jersey Avenue to create co-working spaces, studios and event, gallery, retail and café space. Fire protection for the entire building will improve.
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$300,000 to renovate a vacant building into apartments on the second and third floors and commercial space on the first floor.
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More than $1 million to improve the streetscape of Jersey Avenue with changes aimed at calming traffic and improving accessibility for pedestrians and cyclists.
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$600,000 for various small projects downtown, such as facade improvements, commercial or mixed-use space renovations and equipment purchases.
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$350,000 for Port Jervis marketing, branding, digital media, signage and other uses.
“This $19 million in funding will expand housing options, stimulate economic growth, improve recreation and make the Mid-Hudson and Delaware River Valley regions more attractive to families today and into the future,” said RuthAnne Visnauskas, state housing commissioner. community renewal. said in the statement.
Michael P. McKinney covers growth and development in Westchester County and the Lower Hudson Valley for The Journal News/lohud.com and USA Today Network.
This article originally appeared in Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Sleepy Hollow, Hudson Valley projects to get money from New York. See the list.
