Documents › Board of Trustees Work Session, 2026-05-27

application 3 pages

A May 22, 2026 memo from planner Valerie Monastra, AICP, to Mayor Pugh and the Board of Trustees on a possible 2026 NY Forward grant application. The program, launched in 2022 for smaller walkable communities, has each Regional Economic Development Council award $4.5 million to two communities to develop a Strategic Investment Plan. The memo lists candidate projects: Croton Station parking lot upgrades, streetscaping along Riverside Avenue and Benedict Blvd., bike lanes from Oneida Avenue to Croton Point Avenue, Historic Hudson Valley Phase 2 upgrades, development at 425 South Riverside Ave. and the Save-Mor Pharmacy site, and a Small Project Fund, with a proposed boundary map attached and discussion planned for the May 27, 2026 work session.

Hudson Valley: 156 Route 59, Suite C6, Suffern, NY 10901  845.368.1472 Long Island: 70 Maxess Road, Melville, NY 11747  631.427.5665 MEMORANDUM TO: Mayor Pugh and Members of the Village Board of Trustees FROM: Valerie Monastra, AICP SUBJECT: 2026 NY Forward Grant DATE: May 22, 2026 CC: NY Forward was launched in 2022 to support smaller communities, with a focus on hamlets, villages, and neighborhood-scale commercial centers. According to the NYS Department of State NYS Guidebook, NY Forward areas include the following characteristics: • Provide important services to the local community/neighborhood in a mixed-use, walkable setting; • Feature a distinct sense of place due to the presence of rich cultural, historic, natural, and/or agricultural assets; • Usually have less dense development than a DRI community; however, NY Forward communities are still compact and walkable; and • May include villages, hamlets, and neighborhood centers nested within a larger municipality. Communities submit applications to their Regional Economic Development Council (REDC). Each REDC awards $4.5 million to two NYF communities to develop a Strategic Investment Plan that includes a vision for the downtown and a list of transformative projects that could be funded as a result of the public NY Forward process. The Village of Croton-on-Hudson is interested in submitting a grant application this year. The first step in this process is to identify an area that meets the criteria in the bullets above. The second step is to identify projects for the application that are potentially fundable. Projects that are fundable through NY Forward include: • New Development and/or Rehabilitation of Existing Downtown Buildings. • Public Improvement Projects. These may include projects such as streetscape and transportation improvements, recreational trails, wayfinding signage, new and upgraded parks, plazas, public art, green infrastructure, and other public realm projects that will contribute to the revitalization of the downtown. • Small Project Fund. A locally managed X matching Small Project Fund may be proposed to undertake a range of smaller downtown projects, such as facade enhancements, building renovation improvements to commercial or mixed-use spaces, business assistance, or public art. 2026 NY Forward Grant May 22, 2026 • Marketing and Branding. Attached to this memorandum is the proposed NY Forward area, and below is the current list of projects that could be funded with the NY Forward grant. 1) Croton Station Parking Lot Upgrades 2) Streetscaping along Riverside Avenue and Benedict Blvd. 3) Bike lanes from Oneida Avenue to Croton Point Avenue 4) Historic Hudson Valley Phase 2 Upgrades 5) 425 South Riverside Ave development 6) Save-Mor Pharmacy development 7) Small Project Fund I will be at the May 27, 2026, work session to discuss the proposed NY Forward boundary area and the projects. I can also answer any questions you may have on the NY Forward grant and planning process. Metro North Hudson Line Croton Point Ave Young Ave ve Cl eve l a nd Dr Franklin Ave Metro North Huds on Line S Rive rside Av e Gateway Plz Wayne St Metr G atew ay Plz Gateway Plz St. Augustine's Church Van Cortlandt Manor Legend Croton NY Forward Boundary Croton Tax Parcels Croton Boundary ¯ Croton Harmon Station