Albion sets public hearing on Restore NY grant seeking aid for 17 sites in village

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 January 2023 at 1:13 pm

Photo by Tom Rivers: The Village of Albion has 17 properties included in a Restore NY application, including 28 East Bank St. (left).

ALBION – The Albion Village Board has set a public hearing for 6 p.m. on Wednesday at the Village Hall for residents to comment on an application to state for Restore NY funding.

Albion has qualified as a severely distressed community and is eligible for Restore NY funding. That state program seeks to revitalize the heart of community centers, bringing funding for residential and commercial projects.

The Restore NY program could bring up to $10 million to revitalize distressed commercial and residential sites, providing 90 percent of the costs, said Jay Grasso, the village’s grantwriter and owner of G & G Municipal Consulting and Grant Writing.

The Restore NY program funds reconstruction, structural repairs, repair and replacement of mechanical systems, energy efficiency upgrades, and demolition.

Restore NY can be used for vacant, abandoned, condemned or surplus buildings. These properties can be demolished, deconstructed, rehabilitated or reconstructed. The grant allows up to $70,000 per residential unit.

Albion has made it past the first round of the application and needs to submit a more detailed application by Jan. 27.

There are 17 properties in the downtown business district identified for the village’s application.

The properties identified for the village application include:

117 North Liberty St., 6,960 square feet
124 South Clinton St., 7,692 square feet
132 North Main St., 5,984 square feet
18 North Main St., 19,600 square feet
165 South Platt St., 34,344 square feet
52 North Main St., 9,996 square feet
102 East Bank St., 1,530 square feet
10-12 North Main St., 6,270 square feet
138-140 North Main St., 6,932 square feet
116 North Liberty St. (Beaver Alley), 14,250 square feet
24 and 28 East Bank St., 21,900 square feet
101 North Main St., 6,696 square feet
25-27 East Bank St., 1,860 square feet
38 Platt St., 3,759 square feet
255 East Bank St., 2,936 square feet
160 North Main St., 10,870 square feet
34 North Main St., 3,472 square feet