New York State awarded the Village of Canton $4.5 million to kick off a face-lift of their downtown area, Governor Kathy Hochul announced Tuesday. The funding came through one of the state’s small-town economic development grants, the NY Forward Award.
Two other North Country villages, Alexandria Bay and Lowville also received funding from the state to the tune of $4.5 million and $10 million, respectively.
Canton’s proposed plan for re-vamping its downtown area includes turning dilapidated buildings into housing developments and improving commercial spaces along Main Street. Village officials hope that these improvements make downtown Canton a more welcoming and accessible place.
Frederick Hanss is the planning and development director for the Village of Potsdam. He oversaw his village’s 2019 effort to secure funding through New York’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative. “You want to have a downtown that is inviting, that leaves you with a feeling that it is a secure and safe environment to travel through,” he said.
Potsdam received a DRI grant of $10 million. The village has used it to fund 12 projects, including improving streetscapes and funding the development of vacant properties by the children’s museum and local arts council. “Five years from now, you won’t recognize that neighborhood,” said Hanss, referencing a section of Raymond Street. “That’s what DRI is supposed to do. It’s supposed to be a transformational program.”
Canton now hopes to bring a similar transformational change to their downtown with their NY Forward funding. Canton decided to apply for the smaller NY Forward grant instead of the larger DRI grant because they did not need $10 million. “To request $10 million, you have to have at least $14 million of projects to propose,” said Leigh Rodriguez, Canton’s Director of Economic Development. “We only had $8 million.”
Rodriguez said a vibrant and thriving downtown is essential for a community. “Housing opportunities, job opportunities, cultural and art opportunities, and recreation opportunities” are all added benefits of a thriving downtown, said Rodriguez. Together, these opportunities support local businesses, colleges and the general quality of life within the community.
One project Canton plans to fund is the renovation of the Midtown Plaza. “Nothing has been finalized right now, but we do have a proposal to remove the structure and build a mixed-use building,” said Rodriguez.
The overhauled plaza would include commercial office space on the ground floor and residential units on the second and third floors. SUNY Canton already has plans to put a new entrepreneurship center on the ground floor of the proposed building.
“I think that investing in downtowns can spur economic growth and aesthetic improvements,” said Matt McCluskey, a Canton village resident who teaches a land use policy and development class at St. Lawrence University. He feels that a strong downtown allows neighbors to interact and support each other’s business endeavors. “It’s been exciting to see the positive changes other communities that have received these grants have been able to make,” said McCluskey.
The state has dished out more than $700 million to 69 municipalities in the DRI program’s first six years. Housing and commercial development in small towns remains a top priority for Governor Hochul’s administration in Albany.