MASSENA – The Village of Massena, along with its state partners, will hold its third meeting of the Downtown Revitalization Initiative Local Planning Committee (LPC) on Tuesday, April 12, at 3 p.m.

The meeting will be held at the Massena Town Hall, second floor, 60 Main St. This meeting is open to the public and will include an opportunity for public comment at the end of the meeting. The meeting will also be available on Zoom. Registration is required to participate in the virtual option. Please visit the Massena DRI website at www.MassenaDRI.com for more information and to register for the Zoom meeting.

The Downtown Revitalization Initiative launched in 2016 to accelerate and expand the revitalization of downtowns and neighborhoods to serve as centers of activity and catalysts for investment in all 10 regions of the state. The initiative represents an unprecedented and innovative plan-to-act strategy that couples strategic planning with immediate implementation.

In the first four years of the program, the state committed $400 million to invest in downtowns that are ripe for revitalization and have the potential to become magnets for redevelopment, business, job creation, greater economic and housing diversity, and opportunity. The fifth round of the DRI will have an additional $200 million commitment. Participating communities are nominated by the state's 10 Regional Economic Development Councils based on the downtown's potential for transformation. Each community is awarded at least $10 million to develop a downtown strategic investment plan and implement key catalytic projects that advance the community's vision for revitalization.

The initiative is headed by New York Secretary of State Robert J. Rodriguez. Communities receive support from private sector experts and a team of state agency staff led by the Department of State in close partnership with Empire State Development, and state Homes and Community Renewal.

The Local Planning Committee (LPC) includes local and regional leaders, stakeholders, and community representatives. LPC members will attend a variety of meetings at which they will be asked to brainstorm ideas, provide direction to consultants, review planning products, and prioritize actions. Mayor Greg Paquin and Patrick Kelly of the St. Lawrence County Industrial Development Agency are the Massena DRI LPC co-chairs.

The Consultant Team selected to assist in developing the DRI strategic investment plan is being led by M.J. Engineering and Land Surveying, P.C. (MJ) of Clifton Park and includes CLA SITE Landscape Architecture, Engineering & Planning, PC, Hamlin Design Group, Highland Planning, E.M. Pemrick and Company, and Captain Consultants, LLC.

Public engagement is a key component of the DRI planning process and fundamental to the success of the DRI. The objective of public engagement is to ensure that all stakeholders have ample opportunity to be informed about the DRI process and its intended outcomes; to comment on the study as it progresses; to express their concerns and contribute ideas; and to participate in building a consensus about the vision for the Downtown and other outcomes, culminating in a locally supported DRI Strategic Investment Plan. Public workshops and engagement activities will be scheduled throughout the effort to allow opportunity for public input.

More information about the DRI can be Found at www.ny.gov/dri.