Town Center Economic Development Commission - Regular Meeting

Let's try one more time. Okay. Yeah. Good evening all. Uh welcome to the town economic the town center economic development commission meeting. Uh let the record reflect that the meeting was called into order at 6:02 uh Tuesday, December 16, 2025. Welcome. Uh will you please call to order, please? James Michelle, present. Julio Kerisio, absent. Antinet Gulie absent. Lenny Hudgen,

present. Mora Riley present. We have a quorum. Thank you very much. Can I get a motion to approve the meeting of of October 21, 2025? So move. All right. The minutes for the our last meeting has been moved. Can I get a second? Second. Any um any discussion changes? Uh hearing and seeing none. All those in favor of the minutes as presented signify by saying I. I any abstensions?

I the chair votes I. The motion carries unanimously. Thank you much. Uh we have uh we have the 2026 meeting schedule. It was it was emailed last week to all of us. Uh before we uh can I get a motion to approve the minute the the schedule meetings for 2026? So moved. It's been moved. Can I get a second? Second.

Moved and second. any discussions or all those bits look fine as always we are looking to meet the third Tuesday of every month as scheduled and if we don't have anything to discuss we will we will cancel the meeting with the proper notification to the public so all those in favor of the meeting scheduled as presented signify by saying I I chair votes I the motion carries unanimously thank you very much u anyone present for public comment All right. There be no public comments registered. So, we're going to move on to item five, which are item six, all business. Uh, we're looking for a community investment fund, a fund application update. Our consultant will give us an update. Thank you.

Okay. Denise Robu from Gman, New York. Good evening, everyone.

Good evening. Um, I wanted to give you an update on our CIF grant application. It was put in on time, actually the day before it was due. The ask this year was for 19 million for round eight or approximately there. Um, this is down from round seven by about $3.9 million. Most of that was due to we actually had appraisals done for the properties in question. So the investment for the town is at 4.02 million 20,000 of which has been spent on phase one environmentals. Um we expect approximately 80 87 million or more to be put in by developer funding. Now the 19 million that we are asking DEC for um is going to go to land acquisition and infrastructure improvements. So, um, to bring you a little bit up to date on that, we're talking a total of approximately $110 million for the town center project. So, this round, because we did not get round seven, we addressed um there were 13 questions that came back with our overview from round seven. We addressed all those in the application. Plus, we also addressed questions that had come up from the CIF board prior to that. So, if you have any questions, I can answer them. But that's a roundabout of what we did.

Okay. So, what's the timeline for approving the U to hear back from C CDC? Um, it is March, but right now what we have to focus on is getting support from town leadership, going out to, um, your representatives, um, Speaker of the House, anyone we can get their ear for because the CIF goes by political support. So, we need as much as we can to move this through. So, uh, and is that is that effort underway in terms of recruiting elected officials to support?

Yes, I have spoken with the mayor. Um, and I think after the first of the year, we really have to kick in and hard. We obviously during the holidays, we can't do that, but we had two great letters of support from Senator Slap and from uh, Representative Gibson. We couldn't get one from Senator McCory because he's on the board. So, but I think one of the important things that we have to do is if we can get the speaker down here and to tour the area, show him what the vision is for the new downtown, that that will be important. So, is somebody working on that? Yes, we will be working with Tony on that. Mayor, sorry, excuse me. Okay.

Okay. So, but it's going to be a concerted effort all around from the town manager down to staff and whoever we know. Well, let us let me know how I could help, but let us know how we could be helpful. Definitely. Okay. Okay. Um, one other question I have is uh the $19 million for land acquisition and infrastructure. How many properties are we looking to acquire? I believe it is six properties all around the town center. Yes. Yes. Is it all concentrated in one one area or is it

Yes, it is. It is concentrated chapter 11 of your um master plan that go prepared that details the properties that are in this area. It includes the town green also. The town green will increase in size to about one and a half acres. Okay. Within that development. Okay. Okay. It goes, if you look at it, it's from the town green over to the railroad tracks. Okay. Okay. Thank you. Any other questions for my colleagues?

All right. So, the timeline is sometime in March. Yes. We will hear something. Yes. We hopefully will hear before that if they have questions. Okay. If they have questions and uh but earlier next year we got we will be recruiting if you will Mhm. or lobbying Yes. uh elected officials to support this effort. Right. Okay. And you will let us know if you need us Yes. to be part of that process. We have been told by DEC that we need to lobby for this. Okay. So Okay. So, um, let me know. Um, I I do know the speaker and some other folks in the house. Let me know how I could be of any help.

Definitely. You will be one making phone calls and probably visiting. Yeah. Well, I I prefer the in person. Yes. And I think that's important. More effective. I really think for them to see, you know, we can show them the vision that we have within the plan, but to be able to walk the downtown area and show them what is planned for the town center. Okay. And the changes that can be made and how it's going to build on what's already been done and serve as a catalyst for the rest. Okay. Is there any possibility of building any little SK any little models? So, so it's more visual. I I know it's very early. It's very early in the process.

So when people see could actually see something, you know, tangible. You mean like I I mean we probably only have the capability of 3D 3D drawings, but what we have done within the plan are strictly conceptual. Once the developer comes in, they're going to, you know, tweak it to what they can afford to develop, what they will develop. We have set the guidelines for what the town wants. That's up to 260 um apartments. That's the expanded town green. That's up to I believe 75,000 square ft of retail space. No, I'm saying sometime if you have a scale some something some something visual people could actually see. Yeah.

Sometime that helps them to visualize what it's going to look like. That's all. We have a we have a hands up. Um Dr. Poland, you need to unmute yourself. Yeah, between the hands and the mute button, just couldn't figure it out. Uh, so for the record, Don Poland with Goor. Uh, I just wanted to comment. Yeah, I I like the idea chairman of a some type of model as a visual. Uh, let us let us look into that. I know of other communities that have done it. let us look into a what it would take, b how long it would take, and c how much it would cost,

okay? And we could get back to you via staff. So, again, we understand concepts, but the thing is, uh, unlike architects or city planners, people, most people can't see, right, visualize it, right? They just can't see it, right? Uh, but it's just to see a structure in front of them, right? give them a feel and look that could help sell the whole the whole so just to throw that well I think the expanded green alone has so much potential to show people um and if you were here during the I don't know if you were able to come to the food truck festival and see how many people I was out of town were there it was it's amazing and the people that show up for the concerts

you know look how many more people we can accommodate and how many more people can gather in the town center All right. So, okay. Thank you very much. You're welcome. Thank you. Appreciate it. Uh, and if there are no other questions for my colleagues, thank you very much. Appreciate it. So, that being the only business left, I will entertain a motion for adjournment. So, move. It's been moved. Second. Second. All those in favor signify by saying I. I.

Uh, chair votes I. Motion carries unanimously. Thank you very much. Appreciate it. Everyone, please um have a have a happy holidays. Those of you who celebrate Hanukkah, happy Hanukkah, merry Christmas and um and a very festive and happy Quanza for those of you who celebrate Quanza. Thank you all very much. Enjoy. Bye-bye.