BY PAUL MITCHELLNorth Country This Week

CANTON – The Village of Canton’s $4.5 million NY Forward grant is literally moving forward following a first conversation with the New York Department of State.

Mayor Michael Dalton updated village trustees Wednesday night on what’s now involved in the utilization of the NY Forward money.

A committee of 8 or 9 people needs to be established with Dalton and a state-appointed person serving as co-chairs. The mayor said he needs to submit the names of 6 or 7 people to the state.

“They [the state] are basically looking for a cross section of the community,” said Dalton.

A group of state representatives, the mayor continued, will visit Canton in March to review items contained on the application to eventually develop a Strategic Investment Plan.

“There will be an open call for projects throughout the whole review process,” said Dalton, adding that public meetings will be held at least once a month. 

Dalton noted that the local planning committee will create a list of projects totaling in the $6.5 million range then the state will decide how the $4.5 million will be allocated.

“It’s a 9-month to one year process with the state ultimately picking the projects,” Dalton remarked.

A major target in the downtown revitalization effort is the demolition of the Midtown Plaza with plans to construct a $21 million mixed-use development offering diverse housing options including a SUNY Canton Entrepreneurship Center on the first floor. The upper level would have 45 residential units.

In May 2023, the village received $2 million through the Restore New York Communities Initiative. That money will be used to tear down the plaza and help pay for asbestos abatement.

The housing part of the proposed development fits into the governor’s call to enhance housing options .

“The governor has made housing a big part of this,” the mayor noted.

Both the village and town of Canton were some of the first municipalities to receive a state Pro-Housing Community designation. 

By attaining this designation, town and village officials will be afforded to four important steps: 

• Streamlining permitting for multifamily housing, affordable housing, accessible housing, accessory dwelling units, and supportive housing.
• Adopting policies that affirmatively further fair housing
• Incorporating regional housing needs into planning decisions, increasing development capacity for residential uses
• Enacting policies that encourage a broad range of housing development, including multifamily housing, affordable housing, accessible housing, dwelling units, and supportive housing.

“With broad participation from the community and strong support from area businesses, committed stakeholders and private investors, our team has assembled an ambitious set of projects that will transform Canton,” the mayor stated earlier.