The city of Schenectady has won a $10 million economic development grant from the state under its Downtown Re-vitalization Initiative. Empire State Development Director Eric Gertner, speaking at Proctors Theatre Tuesday morning, says investing in downtown areas is a crucial part of the state's regional economic strategy.
Governor Cuomo was in attendance and said the competition is "ferocious" for the funds, and reflect a desire on the part of young people to come back to downtown.
The plan basically involves connecting the Mohawk Harbor area to downtown through several initiatives, including the Jay Connector and re-opening a pedestrian tunnel.
Since 2016, the effort has allocated $100 million annually statewide, awarding one locality in each of the state’s 10 economic development regions $10 million for downtown improvements.
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