The Village of Hempstead is the latest Long Island municipality to be awarded $10 million from New York State's Downtown Revitalization Initiative, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Friday.
In addition, the Village of Farmingdale will get $4.5 million as the Long Island winner of the third round of NY Forward grants.
"Long Island's downtowns are more than hubs for business, they're the infrastructure that inspires people to build a better world around them," Hochul said in a written statement. "By investing nearly $15 million in revitalizing Hempstead and Farmingdale, we're creating stronger communities that honor their history and possibility -- paving a path for generations of Long Islanders to experience all they have to offer."
The Village of Hempstead follows several other Long Island downtowns who have been awarded the $10 million DRI grant. Last year, Kings Park won the grant and previous DRI recipients include the Village of Westbury, which nabbed the very first DRI grant in 2016; Hicksville (Town of Oyster Bay), which received the DRI award in 2017; Central Islip (Town of Islip) in 2018; Baldwin (Town of Hempstead) in 2019; Amityville and Riverhead for 2020 and 2021; and Huntington Station for 2022.
With the $10 million DRI grant, Hempstead seeks to use the funds towards transforming its Main Street into a thriving hub of activity, community and commerce, including the creation of a broad mix of housing opportunities, increasing business and service offerings, enhancing cultural arts and fostering recreation and entertainment, according to the statement.
"Hempstead is a proud, hardworking community, and this $10 million investment will go a long way in making our downtown a place where families, businesses, and visitors can thrive," Hempstead Mayor Waylyn Hobbs said in the statement. "We're incredibly grateful to Governor Hochul for believing in Hempstead and for giving us the tools to build a stronger, more vibrant future. This funding means more opportunities for local businesses, more housing for our residents, and a downtown that truly reflects the energy and diversity of our village. We're excited to get to work and make this vision a reality."
With its $4.5 million NY Forward grant, Farmingdale will focus on projects that advance its downtown with a strong sense of place, including a new performing arts center. The village seeks to attract new businesses, encourage a diverse population, improve downtown living and quality of life and enhance the pedestrian walkability and cyclability of the downtown, according to the statement.
"On behalf of myself and the Board of Trustees, all Farmingdale Village residents, our merchants and local community, we are thrilled to have won a $4.5 million grant for a Performing Arts Center," Farmingdale Mayor Ralph Ekstrand said in the statement. "Thank you to New York State. We are so fortunate and thankful for the incredible efforts of all involved who helped secure the grant, it's truly spectacular news for our community. As everyone knows, Farmingdale Village has been going through an incredible revitalization and has become a downtown destination."
The DRI has invested in the creation of more than 4,400 units of housing, 1,823 of which are affordable or workforce, according to the statement. The programs have given more than $8.5 million to 11 projects that provide affordable or free childcare and childcare worker training. DRI and NY Forward have also invested in the creation of public parks, public art (such as murals and sculptures) and art, music and cultural venues that provide free outdoor recreation and entertainment opportunities.
Eric Alexander, director of Vision Long Island and founder of the LI Main Street Alliance, assisted in advancing Farmingdale's NY Forward application.