Port Jervis Grant Committee Reviews Project Presentations for Downtown Revival.
A Port Jervis committee tasked with recommending projects to the state for consideration of the $10 million downtown revival grant heard selling pitches from 10 applicants on Aug. 31.
Launched in 2016 under then-New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) provides a $10 million grant to a municipal recipient from each of the 10 state regions each year; it can also be awarded to a joint application of two or three small communities that share a single vision.
Transforming Port Jervis
Brett Gartner, the developer behind the project with the largest price tag, presented his plan for a new five-story apartment building next to a retail hub on 103 Jersey Avenue.
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“We have called this project ‘The Tunnel,’ a nod to the geography where the train meets the mountains,” Mr. Gartner said, adding that he sought $2 million grant funding for the $9.2 million development.
The 26-unit building also has vertical and rooftop gardens, greenery landscaping, bike racks, a parking lot, and commercial space.
Mr. Gartner and his wife have invested in Port Jervis for nearly a decade.
Committee member and local developer Jim Blanton commented that the project would beautify and transform Jersey Avenue, a relatively underdeveloped area in the city.
The other new development project is a proposed mixed-use residential building on 29 Front Street.
Cory Puopolo, a teacher in the local school district and developer behind the project, said he and his business partner planned to tear down the existing structure and build a new seven-story, 32-unit apartment building with storefronts. The construction costs about $5 million, and he seeks $2 million in grant funding.
“It is currently a vacant building, and it is an eyesore for downtown,” Mr. Puopolo said. “We already talked to architects and engineers who can easily replicate it … and make it look like an old building.”
“We are willing to make 10 to 12 units as affordable housing—affordable housing is very important for a diverse downtown,” he said, adding that some of the units might be co-ops.
Mr. Puopolo is also currently developing a seven-story downtown hotel.
Mr. Blanton said that he liked the idea of having co-ops on Front Street because having homeowners living in the downtown area would help transform the entire city.
Most other private projects are about redeveloping the upper levels of existing buildings into residential units, including 43 Front Street, 11 Sussex Street, and 13 Flower Street.
Sean Donnelly, owner of Fox N Hare at 46 Front Street, also proposed to renovate the upper levels into commercial space and residential units.
Fox N Hare is one of the first businesses that moved into the largely boarded-up downtown less than 10 years ago and helped to foster the downtown revival momentum in Port Jervis.
Local developer Anne Rogers is working on turning the building at 22 Jersey Avenue into a multiuse space for retail shops, artist studios, art classes, coworking, and events. She hopes to receive about $400,000 in grant funding.
Johny Little, another local developer, and his wife, Roselle Little, presented their plan to renovate the building at 32 Ball Street and relocate a primary care clinic there.
A spokesperson for Switzerland-based IWG Partnership, the only developer outside Port Jervis, proposed building a coworking space on the third level at 123 Pike Street. The company seeks a $300,000 grant funding for the $400,000 development.
Bill Carlisle, president of the Tri-State Railway Preservation Society, presented a million-dollar plan to improve the visitor experience at the Erie Yard Heritage Center.
City Projects
At the committee meeting, Port Jervis Mayor Kelly Decker presented four city-sponsored projects totaling nearly $8 million in grant funding requests.
The largest project is to improve Riverside Park by adding a new 100-car parking lot, a new pavilion, and new recreational facilities, such as a playground, basketball court, skate park, mini-golf course, adult fitness area, and new walking trails.
“This isn’t just any pavilion. This is a pavilion where people can have weddings,” Mr. Decker said. “It would have a full-fledged commercial kitchen as well as bathrooms that provide for events both at the pavilion and the nearby amphitheater.”
The park improvements are estimated to cost $5 million; the city plans to chip in $250,000 with the rest from the downtown revival grant funding.
Another big-ticket city project is to enhance the streetscape along Jersey Avenue by replacing sidewalks between Fowler and East Main Street, which costs about $3 million.
The other two projec
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