An open call for project proposals to be considered for DRI funding has been announced by the Local Planning Committee. An informational session further detailing the process and what is required for proposals will be held at 6 p.m. on Thursday, February 24 on Zoom. (Photo by Dustin Genter of 5th Dimension Photography)

NORWICH — The Local Planning Committee (LPC) overseeing the planning and implementation of the $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) grant, along with Bergmann, their lead consultant for the process, has announced their open call for project proposals to be included in the Norwich DRI Strategic Investment Plan.

"The LPC has decided to go through and open it up to other community members that are interested in submitting projects to be considered for DRI funding," said Bergmann Assistant Project Manager Samantha Aldrich. "So overall, this open call for proposals is an opportunity for the public to submit their projects to be considered to be included in the overall Strategic Investment Plan. Projects can be submitted by either private or nonprofit entities."

They will be holding an informational session on Zoom at 6 p.m. on Thursday, February 24. Attendees will learn all about the process of developing a project proposal and submitting it to the LPC for consideration. The meeting can be found at bit.ly/NorwichDRIOpenCall. The meeting ID is 839 4470 1591, and the passcode is 371971.

The team also held a virtual public workshop on Thursday, February 17 to meet with community members and discuss the overall DRI process. The meeting covered what the DRI is, the DRI boundary, a general timeline of each step of the process, eligible and ineligible projects, project evaluation criteria, and more.

Aldrich explained the community would be most involved in the development of the Strategic Investment Plan, which will detail projects the city would like to implement in downtown Norwich, and will be submitted to the state for final approval this summer.

"January and to July ... it says planning process and development of the Strategic Investment Plan. So this is where the community will be the most active and involved throughout the entire DRI planning process, and is anticipated to end over the next six months in July 2022, and our team anticipates to submit the Strategic Investment Plan to the state with the recommended projects by the community and the LPC," she said.

Project eligibility

Projects that are eligible for DRI grants include capital improvements such as park and street improvements, projects that enhance employment opportunities, or facilitate housing options; branding and marketing projects such as implementing downtown signage; and property development and rehabilitation. The Strategic Investment Plan is also allowed one smaller project such as building and site improvements, according to Aldrich.

She also explained there are specific criteria that must be met for DRI project proposals. The first requirement is that projects are within the DRI boundary, although she said the LPC will consider projects outside of the boundary so long as they are located relatively close to the designated area. Projects should also be ready to get started within two years.

"Importantly, they should be ready for implementation. So this is an important and preferred requirement," said Aldrich. "Projects must be able to break ground within two years or sooner, and really this is intended to ensure that projects are well developed and primed for implementation. The size and scale of projects is also considered and these are to ensure that projects are of a significant size and truly transformative."

Additionally, those submitting project proposals should have an idea of the scope of work that will be needed, as well as cost estimates and concept designs, if possible.

"Our preference [is] that project sponsors, or potential project sponsors, have an idea of what that exact scope of work would be for specific projects that are submitted, maybe what those preliminary cost estimates would be, and ideally those projects would have some sort of concept design or site floor plans already established if possible," explained Aldrich.

For projects that may not have cost estimates or site plans developed, Aldrich said sponsors can work with the LPC, Bergmann, and state agencies to fully develop this area of their proposals.

"If some of the projects don’t necessarily have concepts or site or floor plans put together, or preliminary cost estimates established, that’s where our team can come in and really help to develop projects with project sponsors that come in and submit a project," she said. "So that project sponsor would have access to technical support from our team as well as state agencies to help them with the creation of renderings, or help them with cost estimating."

The LPC can also work with applicants who have a project idea but may not own the property involved, or don't know the full scope of what would be needed to complete it.

There are also new requirements for this round of DRI projects. Aldrich said the overall cost must be over $100,000 to be considered for implementation, and any residential projects must be for properties of eight units or larger, and have an affordability component that will be determined by the state and the LPC.

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) is also getting involved this year to promote decarbonization efforts within the projects. This could include things like electric vehicle charging stations, and could receive up to 50 percent funding through NYSERDA incentives.

"A new component of the DRI program this year is also related to decarbonization. So NYSERDA is going to be more of a prominent state partner this year in the DRI program and really will be a resource for project sponsors to help them understand new requirements as it relates to energy efficiency, and how that implicates their projects or helps them achieve better efficiency standards," Aldrich explained.

Ineligible projects

Some projects will not be eligible for DRI funding. These include planning, operations and maintenance, property acquisition, training and other program expenses, and expenses relating to existing programs.

"DRI funds are intended to be used for activities that are one time costs, and really help to directly implement the strategic investment plan, and the specific goals and vision of the community," said Aldrich.

She added that all DRI funding is reimbursed, so project sponsors will have to foot the bill of the projects before receiving funds from the state.

"The DRI program is a reimbursable program. So typically project sponsors will have to expend their projects expenses before they are reimbursed for the projects that they have implemented, and the pre-cost award is specific to the award of individual projects that are selected by the state," Aldrich explained. "Costs incurred before approximately this fall would not be eligible to be covered as part of DRI funds."

How to submit a project proposal

Those who have a project in mind and would like to submit a proposal for DRI funding can find applications online at NorwichDRI.com as well as at the Commerce Chenango offices and the Norwich City Hall. Completed applications can be submitted on the website, mailed to Commerce Chenango, or emailed to Aldrich at saldrich@bergmannpc.com.

"Once an application is ready to be uploaded and submitted it can be uploaded at the NorwichDRI link, it could be emailed to my email address," Aldrich said. "Or you can mail a hard copy to Commerce Chenango as well, and we’ll make sure we get all those compiled and organized."

Project proposals are required to be submitted no later than March 18 at 4 p.m. for consideration.

"An important part to note is that this is a quick moving process," said Aldrich. "Proposals will have a deadline of March 18, so that is only a few weeks away. So just something for everyone to be aware of."

Grant awards and project implementation

Aldrich said it is anticipated that grant awards will be announced by the state in the fall of 2022, with projects getting started in early 2023.

"It says that the state announces DRI grant awards in fall 2022, and currently this is the target for selection of individual grant awards," she said. "However, this could be subject to change. It’s just a general time frame after the overall DRI planning process is complete, and based on past DRI rounds when projects have been selected by the state for award."

"From there implementation of projects takes place in early 2023," Aldrich continued. "But overall this is just the overall, big picture time frame that you can anticipate, from really starting this planning process now, and through to implementation of individual projects."

More information on the DRI process can be found at NorwichDRI.com. Recordings of past LPC meetings, public workshops, and informational sessions are linkned on the website as well.

Further information on project proposals and how to apply will be provided at this week's informational session, scheduled for 6 p.m. on Thursday, February 24. Any questions or comments can be submitted on the Norwich DRI website, or sent to Aldrich at saldrich@bergmannpc.com.

"The community and the LPC will be helping to identify which projects are, overall, included in that Strategic Investment Plan. And our job is really to present those projects to the LPC and the community, and for you to tell us what is most important to you," Aldrich said. "We’ll help implement the overall revitalization vision of Norwich itself."