Press release:
On Wednesday June 14, the City of Batavia will be applying for Governor Cuomo’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) Competition. Prior to submission the Batavia City Council and the City Manager’s Office want to hear from you.
“City Council has ramped up engagement with our citizens over the last few years with the Batavia Opportunity Area planning, the 2016 DRI process, the 2017 Comprehensive Planning process and other strategic initiatives that the city has completed, and we want to continue to connect with residents,” said Eugene Jankowski, City of Batavia Council president. “We need citizens and businesses to share their thoughts, ideas, and stories with us” said Jankowski.
The Governor’s DRI competition is in the second year. The program funds communities to implement transformative projects in their downtown neighborhoods. The goal is to create vibrant sustainable communities that are inclusive of all ages and socioeconomic situations. Last year the City of Geneva was granted the top prize for the Finger Lakes Regional Economic Development Council Region (FLREDC), and this year Batavia hopes to bring home the prize.
“Through the leadership of City Council, we have undergone major planning in the last few years to set the direction of the City of Batavia,” said Jason Molino, City of Batavia Manager.
“These plans that have yielded considerable community feedback and participation are shaping our 2017 DRI application. We know that receiving the top prize will propel the downtown, and the community, to a new level and yield more investment and jobs that are needed for residents."
The City of Batavia is at a tremendous disadvantage to the rest of Genesee County with three, out of six, census tracts are classified as highly distressed. No other community in Genesee County is in such a difficult situation as the city. Recent activity to combat the high unemployment and poverty has included the Batavia Pathway to Prosperity (BP2), a program to reinvest PILOT payments from all taxing jurisdictions directly into the City to combat brownfields and poverty.
“The BP2 is a long-term plan to help reduce the blight and poverty within our city, but the 2017 $10 million DRI could bring immediate change that you will be able to see and feel within months of the award. Please contact us at the email listed or reach out to your councilmembers to start the discussion,” said Jankowski.
The email address $100MillionImAllIn@batavianewyork.com will be operational starting today (June 6th) and serve as a general email address for citizens input on the direction of the city as it relates to economic development and planning in the City.
