Walsh says grants “epitomize the purpose and promise of the American Rescue Plan”
Funding will help businesses recover from pandemic and leverage $54 million in additional private investments to make neighborhoods stronger for the long-term
Syracuse, N.Y. – Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh announced 43 grants to businesses and organizations across the city funded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Commercial Corridor Improvement Fund. The grants will be multiplied 27:1 by additional investments to generate new growth in neighborhood business corridors, reactivate storefronts, add quality housing and support recovery from the impact of COVID-19. The $2 million program, a key part of Mayor Walsh’s ARPA investment strategy, was authorized by the Syracuse Common Council earlier this year.
“The grants epitomize the purpose and the promise of the American Rescue Plan. The funds will help businesses and organizations recover from the impact of the pandemic. In addition, we structured the program to also ensure the grants have a permanent positive impact on neighborhoods,” said Mayor Walsh. “$2 million in pandemic relief funds will leverage a total of $54 million in investment across 17 different neighborhoods.”
The Commercial Corridor Fund supports the redevelopment and improvement of underutilized commercial and mixed-use properties, and quality of life and “catalytic” neighborhood development programs. The projects funded under the program are planned to create more than 230 jobs and retain another 92 jobs in the city of Syracuse. They will also fund the construction of 75 units of housing. Two-thirds of the grants to for-profit entities support BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) and women entrepreneurs.
Grants range from $10,000 to up to $100,000. They are being used to make interior and exterior improvements to existing properties, support new construction and infill development, as well as site work enhancements to support beautification efforts and eliminate blight. Funded projects include upgrades to assist with the reopening of Laci’s Tapas Bar in the Hawley Green Neighborhood, exterior façade enhancements to 701 South Geddes Street on the Westside, and the renovation and adaptive reuse of 1418 Grant Boulevard that will serve as the new headquarters for NJ Jones Plumbing on the Northside.
Two $100,000 grants for Quality of Life Corridor enhancements will go to community organizations to fund neighborhood-wide improvements. Growing Good Works, Inc., will apply its grant toward a project to add ornamental street lighting to the James Street corridor in Eastwood. The Downtown Syracuse Foundation will use its funding for new lighting, gateway signage and kiosks throughout downtown.
The ARPA program is aligned with Mayor Walsh’s Resurgent Neighborhood Initiative (RNI) which is designed to create investments in ten neighborhood business corridors across the city.
“The projects selected and supported through the ARPA Commercial Corridor Fund will result in tangible benefits that will be seen and felt throughout Syracuse’s neighborhoods as these investments get underway,” said Eric Ennis, Deputy Commissioner of Business Development. “We look forward to working alongside each of these award recipients who are investing their time, money, and energy into strengthening our city’s business corridors. They are generating new economic opportunities for all those who live, work, and visit these project locations.”
More than 50 applications were submitted to the program, and requests were reviewed and considered by a committee of Neighborhood and Business Development staff and members of the Common Council. A full list of grants is available here(PDF, 273KB).
