Port Jervis Downtown Revival Grant Committee Hears Project Presentations

Restaurant owner Sean Donnelly presents at the Downtown Revitalization Initiative local planning committee meeting at Port Jervis High School in Orange County, N.Y., on Aug. 31, 2023. Cara Ding/The Epoch Times

A Port Jervis committee tasked with recommending projects to the state for consideration of the $10 million downtown revival grant heard selling pitches from 10 applicants on Aug. 31.

Launched in 2016 under then-New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) provides a $10 million grant to a municipal recipient from each of the 10 state regions each year; it can also be awarded to a joint application of two or three small communities that share a single vision.

Transforming Port Jervis

Brett Gartner, the developer behind the project proposal with the largest price tag, presented his plan for a new five-story apartment building next to a retail hub on 103 Jersey Ave.