East Williamsburg has been awarded $20 million from New York State to overhaul its commercial corridors, and the neighborhood is now being asked to decide what gets built with it.
Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso announced the launch of the East Williamsburg Downtown Revitalization Initiative on September 18, according to a statement released by his office. The money comes through the New York State Department of State’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative, a state grant program aimed at rebuilding neighborhood downtowns. The catch, and the reason for the public meetings, is that the $20 million is not a check the borough president writes on his own. The projects have to come from the community, get vetted, and win selection.
The first chance for residents and business owners to weigh in is a public workshop on September 23 at 6 p.m. at the Williamsburg Community Center at 195 Graham Avenue. That is where community members can help shape the vision for the initiative and learn how the funding actually works. Reynoso’s office directs anyone who wants to participate to www.eastwilliamsburgdri.com.
The pipeline works like this. A Local Planning Committee held its first meeting on September 16, and a Call for Projects went out right after it. Anyone who wants a slice of the $20 million submits a proposal, and the money has to go toward capital projects that can, in the language of the release, transform the neighborhood’s downtown physical environment. Every project has to sit inside the East Williamsburg DRI Strategic Investment Area.
The eligible categories are broad. According to Reynoso’s office, that means new development or the rehabilitation of existing buildings, public space improvements, signage or branding projects, and facade enhancements, among others.
The requirements to actually qualify are more specific. A project needs a sponsor who can lead the planning and construction, sign a contract with the State, and front the money while waiting to be paid back, because the state reimburses sponsors after the work is done rather than paying up front. Sponsors also have to show site control through ownership, a lease or another legal agreement, come in with a defined scope and budget based on professional plans or comparable estimates, and demonstrate that the project will contribute to the economic revitalization of the strategic investment area.
“This $20 million investment is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for members of the East Williamsburg community to see the neighborhood grow how they want it to,” Reynoso said in the statement. “I was proud to lead the application process alongside Graham Ave BID and Grand Street BID which brought this funding to East Williamsburg. Now, I encourage everyone from the neighborhood to join this upcoming workshop and make their voices heard for the future of their community.”
Reynoso’s office said he led the application alongside the Graham Ave BID and the Grand Street BID, the two business improvement districts that cover the neighborhood’s main shopping strips. The office said the borough president and the State are committed to keeping the process inclusive and transparent, and that participation is open to everyone in the community.
Several practical details are not yet public. The materials from Reynoso’s office do not state a deadline for the Call for Projects, how much a single project can receive, how many projects the $20 million is expected to cover, or which specific corridors will be prioritized. The September 23 workshop is the venue the office is pointing people to for those specifics.
Featured image: Courtesy of the East Williamsburg DRI
