Empire State Development says state technical assistance can help make sites 'shelf-ready' and unlock grants

Brian Kim Coleman of Empire State Development's Long Island Regional Office described a technical assistance partnership program that the transcript names (verbatim) as the "long forward housing program," which pays for services to make sites more shelf-ready. Coleman said the state-funded services can cover studies such as traffic analyses and other technical needs and that getting technical assistance can create opportunities to pursue additional grants.

"The state pays for the ARC pays for those services," Coleman said, noting the program's intent to help municipalities advance specific sites and make them shelf-ready. He added that once developers are selected, additional needs such as traffic studies and other technical inputs may be paid for through state partnerships. Coleman encouraged the town and potential proposers to consider applying for follow-on assistance and outlined that partnership with the state may include other programs such as loan and investment funds.

Coleman's presentation framed the state program as a practical pathway to reduce early-stage costs for municipalities and developers by funding technical studies and advancing grant-readiness, and he invited the town to continue engagement with the regional office on follow-up funding and partnership options.