NY Forward

Town of Cicero, NY

About NY Forward

Focus Area

Planning Process

How to Get Involved

Project Documents

About NY Forward

NY Forward

The Hamlet of Brewerton is one of two communities in the Central New York region to be selected for the second round of the State’s NY Forward program. Brewerton was awarded $4.5 million to help complete transformative and/or catalytic projects in and near downtown. NY Forward funds are also used to provide robust capacity-building and technical assistance directly to communities throughout each phase of the program.

Latest

We want your feedback! Please review the public meeting presentation below and then complete this survey to tell us what you think about the projects being considered for NY Forward funding. Your feedback will be shared with the Local Planning Committee as part of their evaluation process. The project feedback survey is open until Oct. 4: https://forms.office.com/r/LqwnPScLLu
Thanks to everyone who attended the second public meeting on September 17! The consultant team shared information on the projects being considered for NY Forward funding.
- The presentation is available to review here: https://ciceronewyork.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Brewerton_PM2_240917-GIVEN.pdf.
- Posters with project information are here: https://ciceronewyork.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/BWTN_PM2_ProjectPosters_240917.pdf

About NY Forward

This is the second year of New York State’s NY Forward (NYF) program to invigorate and enliven downtowns in New York’s smaller and rural communities. As a complement to the Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI), NY Forward focuses on creating healthy, vibrant, walkable downtowns that catalyze sustainable economic development and accrue numerous economic, social, and environmental benefits to the locality, the region, and the State as a whole.

NY Forward is led by the NYS Department of State (DOS), in close partnership with Empire State Development (ESD), NYS Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) and New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). For more information, please visit https://www.ny.gov/programs/ny-forward.

Focus Area

Brewerton is a center of social life for its residents and businesses. It is also the Gateway to Oneida Lake, where Central New York first greets Erie Canal boaters and where anglers disembark for world-class fishing on Oneida Lake. The Towns of Cicero and Hastings have come together to help their shared hamlet realize its potential to be a community that attracts visitors as a destination but also channels such investment in a way that enhances amenities and services that contribute to the quality of life for current and future residents.

Brewerton’s NY Forward focus area (in yellow) centers along Brewerton Road/Route 11 and the waterfront. It extends from the Speedway south to Miller Road, and from the I-81 bridge west to approximately Comstock Road. Potential projects should be within this boundary for LPC consideration.

Planning Process

Our NY Forward planning process started in May and will continue through Fall 2024 with the completion of the Strategic Investment Plan (SIP):

- Downtown Profile: The consultant team will prepare an analysis of downtown’s key characteristics, strengths, opportunities, and challenges.

- Vision, Goals, Strategies: The public and the Local Planning Committee (LPC) will provide feedback on these guiding elements for the future of our downtown.

- Project Identification and Development: An Open Call for Projects will ask project sponsors to submit detailed information for the consultant team and LPC to review. Projects should be large enough to be transformative and/or catalytic for downtown, and should leverage other private or public funding sources. The consultant team will evaluate proposals, provide support as needed to strengthen them, and present findings to the LPC for consideration.

- Project Profiles: The consultant team will create project profiles that describe key aspects of potential projects and are the core element of the SIP.

- Strategic Investment Plan: The SIP will include a list of projects recommended by the LPC for NY Forward funding. This list should total $6-8 million in requested NY Forward funding. The completion of this document concludes the planning process.

- Project Selection and Implementation: Following the submission of the SIP to the State, a multi-agency State team will review each project recommended for NY Forward funding. A subset of the projects recommended in the SIP will be awarded a total of $4.5 million by the State for project implementation. These projects will be expected to start within two years of the funding award.

How to Get Involved

Transparent, open, and ongoing public engagement is a critical component of the NY Forward planning
process and the development of the SIP.

- The Local Planning Committee (LPC) is comprised of local and regional leaders, stakeholders, and community representatives intended to represent diverse interests. The LPC oversees the planning process and the development of the SIP. LPC meetings are working meetings for committee members but are open to the public to observe:

Co-Chairs:

- - - - Mike Aregano, Town Supervisor, Cicero
      - Tony Bush, Town Supervisor, Hastings
      - Nora Spillane, CenterState CEO

Members:

- - - - Sue Bonnet, Bonnet Sales & Services
      - Ray Brooks, RB Woodcraft
      - Jake Burgett, Jake’s Grub & Grog
      - Erin Cassidy, Northern Onondaga Public Library
      - David Eiffe, Retired firefighter; Airbnb Owner
      - Sarah Lucas, The Hub
      - Shane Miller, Wild Horse Bar & Grill
      - Mike Piraino, Jr., Bear Creek Restaurant
      - Steve Stevenson, Fireman
      - Ginny Stewart Gordon, Brick House Café

- Two public meetings will be held during the planning process. These interactive meetings are open to everyone to participate. The consultant team will provide more information on the planning process and ask for community feedback on vision, goals, and potential projects.

- The consultant team hosted a pop-up at the July 18 summer concert at Riverfront Park. We handed out survey flyers to more than 70 attendees and talked to people about the NY Forward planning process

- The Open Call for Projects ran from June 14 to July 28. Office hours were held June 26 at the library for interested sponsors to discuss ideas. Projects that were submitted for funding consideration are being reviewed by the consultant team and LPC.