Karn DhingraNew York’s budget for fiscal year 2025 includes $1.4 billion for Southern Tier schools, the region along New York’s border with Pennsylvania, and $123 million for SUNY-Binghamton. The budget also includes $84.7 million for healthcare capital projects in the Southern Tier and $7.5 million for improvements at Taughannock Falls State Park.
At Binghamton University, $60 million will be used to build a lecture hall, classrooms and a chem lab building. Another $30 million will go toward renovating a science building that houses biology classrooms and labs, and the fine arts building will receive $22 million worth of renovations. University officials will use $11 million on maintenance improvements campus-wide.
As winners of the seventh round of New York’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative, Roxbury and Grand Gorge, located within the Town of Roxbury, will receive $10 million each. Groton and Urbana/Hammondsport both received $4.5 million from NY Forward, the state’s downtown revitalization program for rural towns. In 2024, 143 New York communities including Roxbury, Groton, Urbana, and Hammondsport, also launched applications to become Pro-Housing Communities. In 2023, Hochul’s budget allotted $100 million each for the Downtown Revitalization Initiative and NY Forward.
In the first six years of these programs New York committed $700 million to 69 downtowns that needed revitalization and have the potential to become magnets for redevelopment, business, job creation and greater economic and housing diversity.
New York’s 10 Regional Economic Development Councils nominate communities based on the potential for transformation of their downtowns. In return for $10 million, each community develops a downtown strategic investment plan and carries out projects that advance the community’s revitalization vision and leverage private and public investments.
To qualify for these funds, municipalities need to be certified Pro Housing Communities with the state. The designation means these communities are building more homes to address New York’s housing shortage.
Photo courtesy of Jonathan Cohen and Binghamton University
