GOVERNOR HOCHUL ANNOUNCES DUNKIRK AS THE $10 MILLION WESTERN NEW YORK WINNER OF SIXTHROUND DOWNTOWN REVITALIZATION INITIATIVE

State

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that the City of Dunkirk will receive $10 million in funding as the Western New York winner of the sixth round of the Downtown Revitalization Initiative. For DRI Round 6, each of the state's 10 economic development regions are being awarded $10 million, to make for a total state commitment of $100 million in funding and investments to help communities boost their economies by transforming downtowns into vibrant neighborhoods.

"We are writing a new chapter of opportunity and prosperity for Western New York - prioritizing investments that will make the region a better place to live and visit," Governor Hochul said. "This funding will transform Dunkirk by activating the city's waterfront, creating inclusive workforce housing and expanding economic development opportunities. We will continue to invest in Western New York's revitalization efforts, which will help bring a renewed sense of hope to its communities."

The DRI serves as a component of the State's economic development policy by transforming downtown neighborhoods into vibrant centers of activity that oer a high quality of life and attract businesses, jobs and economic and housing diversity. Like past DRI rounds, each selected community will develop a strategic plan through a bottom-up, community-based planning process that articulates a vi- sion for the revitalization of its downtown and identies a list of signature projects that have transformative potential and leverage further private and public investments. The Department of State will then award DRI funds to selected projects with the greatest potential to jumpstart revitaliza- tion and realize the community's vision.

Dunkirk Dunkirk seeks to harness its connection to Lake Erie to attract new investment, activate its waterfront and serve as a conduit for redevelopment of its historic business dis- trict. New investment combined with past investments will create a robust environment for the rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of historic downtown buildings and infill development that incorporates mixed-income residential opportunities. Dunkirk's vision is to amplify the city's unique sense of place with a genuine and authentic experience that will be catalytic for future organic growth and will foster development that is inclusive while embracing its strong heritage and ethnic diversity. Through this vision, Dunkirk will meet the needs of its diverse and strong manufactur- ing base as well as its future digital and new biopharma employers.

The

New York Re -

-Downtown is compact, with well-dened boundaries;

-Downtown can capitalize on prior, or catalyze future private and public investment; -Recent or impending job growth within, or close to, the downtown that can attract workers, support redevelopment and make growth sustainable;

-Downtown is an attractive and livable community for diverse populations;

-Municipality already embraces, or has the ability to create and implement policies that increase livability and quality of life;

-Municipality conducted open and robust community engagement resulting in a vision for downtown revitalization and a preliminary list of projects and initiatives;

-Municipality has the local capacity to manage the DRI process; and

-Municipality has identied