Lt. Governor Kathy Hochul was in town this afternoon to deliver some great news: $10 million in State funding for six New Rochelle projects.
You might be thinking that this announcement was already made, and, in a sense, you’d be right. New Rochelle was declared the winner of the State’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) last September. But this is the first time that the State has approved dollars for specific projects.
The lion’s share of the award, $6 million, goes to “The Linc,” which will transform much of Memorial Highway into a linear park, creating an exciting new open space asset, and enhancing both safety and mobility between Lincoln Avenue and Library Green.
Other funded projects include safety enhancements on Lincoln Avenue itself, the Black Box Theater and Art Education Center on Main Street, a new park to serve Heritage Homes, zoning to spur entrepreneurial investment and housing opportunities in the Lincoln Avenue area, and construction of a public comfort station within Lincoln Park.
Our application was based on extensive community input and shaped by a Local Planning Committee, consisting of neighborhood, city, and regional leaders.
As a whole, these projects — especially The Linc — will forge stronger physical, economic, and social connections between our burgeoning downtown and the Lincoln Avenue neighborhood, while helping all people in New Rochelle benefit from inclusive, equitable growth and prosperity.
Winning the highly-competitive DRI was one of New Rochelle’s most notable accomplishments of the past decade. I am grateful to the many municipal, community, and county representatives who contributed to our successful application, as well as our State legislative delegation, which has been exceptionally effective in advocating for New Rochelle. With the State’s invaluable financial support, we are poised to accomplish (more) great things.
This press release has all the details.