Village of Homer. (Photo via the Village of Homer).
Homer’s Local Planning Committee (LPC) will hold its third public workshop for an array of proposed Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) projects that will be on display.
The workshop is scheduled for Wednesday (Nov. 29) from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in the community room of the Center for the Arts at 72 S. Main St.
The public is invited to attend the workshop. Those who cannot attend the workshop in person can watch it via Zoom. Login information for Zoom can be found here.
The village of Homer won the sixth round of the $10 million DRI grant this past February. Since then, the LPC compiled a wish list of projects for the village and husked it down in an attempt to fit within the $10 million budget.
At the workshop, the LPC will review the DRI process and the slate of proposed projects (with amounts) that will be recommended to New York state. Each project will be presented and on display at the workshop.
According to Emma Phillips of C&S Companies, the projects on the slate and proposed for DRI funding are as follows (Proposed cost in parentheses):
- Construct a Riverwalk Overlook ($652,000): Construct a Riverwalk Overlook on the banks of the Tioughnioga River at the Homer Festival Grounds (53 S. Main St.). The overlook is the anchor for a future Riverwalk, a long-imagined multi-use waterfront pathway that will be developed in the future. The overlook will feature a plaza that can host small outdoor events and where residents and visitors can linger on the water’s edge.
- Improve the Homer Festival Grounds ($1,425,000): Improve the Homer Festival Grounds, creating an appealing amenity in the DRI Area with the development of an east/west pathway from Main Street and overflow parking areas for downtown events. Greening of the entire area will include pavement reduction, new sidewalks, introduction of additional grass and trees throughout, rain gardens, naturalized stormwater outfall and small craft boat launch.
- Create a Downtown Marketing and Signage Program ($300,000): Create downtown promotional materials, wayfinding and gateway signage to draw more visitors into downtown Homer and help define the downtown. The program will enhance the DRI area for drivers and pedestrians and promote downtown Homer’s unique destinations.
- Administer a Small Projects Fund ($500,000): Administer a fund to finance interior and exterior building improvements and improve the aesthetic appeal of downtown’s historic buildings. Improvements can include façade improvements, installation of new exterior lighting, replacement windows, code and safety updates and handicapped accessibility improvements.
- Restore the Historic Water Street Bridge ($300,000): An engineering report will be commissioned, leading to the restoration of the historic double lenticular truss Water Street Bridge, reopening it for pedestrian use. Safety and aesthetic improvements include painting, lighting, and railings compliant with environmental, transportation and historic preservation agency requirements.
- Develop a Wellness Spa ($1,000,000): A deteriorating residential building will be transformed into a Wellness Spa designed to pamper and rejuvenate body and soul with services that include hair styling, manicures and pedicures, saunas, facials, and body treatments. The 3,000 square-foot destination for Homer residents and visitors will be connected to a boutique hotel, proposed under a separate DRI project submission.
- Develop a Boutique Hotel ($4,198,000): A new boutique hotel will transform the 1825 Manor at Briggs Hall, 11 N. Main St. The 34-room full-service hotel with dining, lounge, and conference facilities will be attached to a Wellness Spa to be developed in the neighboring property.
- Develop the Lofts at Brockway Square ($3,350,000): The Lofts at Brockway Square will become a bustling social and economic hub on James Street within easy walking distance of the heart of the DRI Area on Main Street. The residential community will include 41 loft-style apartments, and extensive public amenities including a year-round farmer’s market, community center, community kitchen, and co-working space.
- Develop Commercial Space on Wall Street ($396,000): The 11 Wall St. building will undergo extensive renovation and restoration evocative of a Victorian-era train station. The mixed-use development will include a café, indoor and outdoor seating, local art and gift items, an area to display the works of local artists and a performance area are also planned. A trail to the Tioughnioga River will lead patrons to the water’s edge.
- Restore the Village Food Market Interior ($139,000): Owners of Homer’s Village Food Market, a Main Street fixture for nearly 200 years, will update the interior of the grocery store. The project will complement the exterior façade restoration done in 2012 with new flooring, grab-and-go-counter and butcher counter, accessible rear entrance and handicapped parking to provide 21st century service in a charming and attractive restored setting.
- Implement ADA Improvements, Building Enhancement, and New Parking at the American Legion ($409,530): The American Legion Post will make its Main Street Post building more accessible with improvements including new exterior doors, elevator and accessible washrooms, and parking area improvements., plus installation of new heating/cooling units.
- Develop a Commercial Kitchen, Community Center, and Year-Round Farmers Market ($822,500): Seven Valleys Health Coalition in collaboration with Cortland Collective Impact Initiatives will renovate a 4,600 square-foot space at 41 James St. to include licensed commercial kitchen and multi-use space for a year-round farmers market and community center offering low- and no-cost programs, performance and rehearsal venue, and rental classrooms for educators and instructors.
- Initiate Redevelopment of the Historic Little White Church ($1,169,393): The Homer Center for the Arts will undertake the first of four phases of restoration and renovation of the Little White Church on the Village Green, transforming Homer’s first religious building into the Homer Cultural Center. The vision for the Homer Cultural Center is of a venue for meetings, events, programs, and festivals for the Village of Homer, Homer School District, Landmark Society of Cortland County, and Homer Center for the Arts, and others.
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For further information, contact Phillips at [email protected]. For information on the village’s DRI and to review documents, click here.
