LOWVILLE, New York (WWNY) – Fourth time’s the charm.
At least, that’s what Lowville officials hope.
The village has been trying for years for Downtown Revitalization Funding, or DRI for short. It’s $10 million to remake the heart of a city or village.
Trains used to stop in the village dozens of times a day. Now the tracks go nowhere, and near-by buildings are vacant.
The hope is $10 million will help change that, will “make that area a lot more viable than it is right now,” says Joe Beagle, Lowville’s mayor.
This is the seventh round of the DRI initiative, and the fourth time the village has submitted an application.
“I think this is probably one of the best applications we’ve put in in the last few years,” Beagle said.
The new application proposes what’s called the “Three Trees” neighborhood vision, made up of an area around Trinity, Forest and Shady avenues.
It includes a former co-op and food pantry, and would bring a community garden, market-rate housing and a hub for retail.
Village officials had already identified the area for development, and then realized it would be a natural fit for the state money.
“It was a completely separate neighborhood visioning process, but it actually worked right in with the DRI, because it was an identified neighborhood within those boundaries,” said Casandra Buell, Director of Planning & Community Development.
It’s unclear when the village will find out if it was awarded the funding. In the past, winners have been announced anywhere between late fall to early January.
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