Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the DRRI Grant topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Fairport hears DRRI grant pitch and proposed $76.3M project slate; board to meet for quick submission vote
Summary
At a Village Board meeting, presenter Janna outlined Fairport’s application for New York State’s $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative, showing about $4.7M in public concepts and roughly $71.6M in private proposals (total ≈ $76.3M) and urging a brief special meeting next week so staff can file the Nov. 7 application.
Janna, the project presenter, told the Fairport Village Board that the Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRRI) is a $10 million competitive grant awarded to one community per New York State region and that Fairport is competing in the Finger Lakes region. "The DRRI is a $10 million grant," she said, and emphasized respondents should treat the projects in the packet as conceptual visions rather than committed contracts.
The presentation explained the application timeline (the application was due Friday, Nov. 7) and the two-stage process: an initial conceptual submission followed — if awarded — by local planning committee (LPC) work with New York State and later individual contracts. Janna said no construction can start until contracts are executed, which typically places the start of work at least 12–18 months after an award is announced.
The packet presented public concepts (Canelli Park revitalization, harbor and promenade improvements, streetscape and wayfinding, bicycle infrastructure and smaller public projects) and private proposals (façade improvements, a hotel, and a large residential proposal). Janna described the Canelli Park concept—reoriented sightlines to the canal, upgraded lighting and a refurbished performance area—with an estimated cost of about $900,000. Private proposals included a major workforce-housing concept reported as approximately 100 residential units and other reuse projects along Main Street.
Janna summarized the numbers shown in the packet: roughly $4.7 million in public project concepts and about $71.66 million in private project concepts, for a combined conceptual slate of about $76.3 million. She cautioned that those private figures are project requests rather than committed match dollars. "Those are just the requests from those private projects. Those are not committed dollars to any project," she said.
Board members asked about how projects were selected and why the public-art trail from the Public Arts Committee arrived too late for the survey. Janna and staff said the public-art submission can still be scoped and included if the village manager (Brian) verifies scope and cost in time; the board asked Brian to schedule a short meeting early next week so members could consider a resolution to allow Janna to submit the application.
Several technical and process clarifications were also discussed: the DRRI application asks for both public and private projects at a conceptual level; transformative projects were presented as those above $75,000; and the packet listed a proposed $600,000 DRRI contribution to a small-project fund for lower-cost items.
Next steps: Janna asked the board to expect outreach from Village Manager Brian about scheduling a short meeting to approve a resolution or other legislative action needed for submission; board members agreed to look for a brief window next week for a special vote.
What’s next: The application was due Nov. 7, with award announcements expected in January–February 2026. If Fairport is awarded funds, a local planning committee with state and local representatives will vet final project selection and individual project contracts before any work may begin.
