May 14, 2026: GOVERNOR HOCHUL ANNOUNCES $4.5M IN NYACK GRANTS
We have great news to share: Governor Hochul’s office has announced the 10 recipients of the $4.5M New York Forward grant that we won last year.
As you may remember, Nyack won this competitive Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant grant last March, and then followed a process where a committee and the public reviewed almost 30 proposals from organizations throughout the Village. We eventually recommended 14 proposals for about $6.5M to the state, which selected the 9 that are now going to receive the $4.5M in grant funding.
Those projects are:
1. Renovate the Angel Nyack Sanctuary Space to Expand Use for Arts and Events Programming ($951,000): Renovate the building’s former sanctuary space to include new HVAC system, flooring, millwork, and electrical upgrades to facilitate use for arts and performance programs, weddings and other events.
2. Activate the Waterfront by Constructing a Restaurant and Open Space ($1,250,000): Construct a one-story casual restaurant building with outdoor dining deck and public open space with seating, landscaping, and game areas to activate waterfront and provide connections to the marina.
3. Improve and Restore Downtown Buildings with a Small Project Fund ($540,000): Establish a Small Project Fund dedicated to revitalizing building facades, upgrading building interiors, purchasing permanent equipment or installing public art.
4. Connect Downtown Nyack and Boost Tourism with a Comprehensive Branding, Marketing, and Wayfinding Initiative ($450,000): Develop a new brand for downtown Nyack accompanied by a marketing strategy and wayfinding signage to encourage visitation to and circulation within downtown.
5. Renovate the Nyack Center to Enhance Use of the Auditorium ($138,000): Modernize the auditorium's stage and sound and lighting systems to create a professional-grade space and upgrade outdoor lighting.
6. Renovate the Edward Hopper House Museum and Study Center to Expand Programming ($305,000): Restore the Edward Hopper House exterior, upgrade garden theater and infrastructure, and renovate the art lab to expand programming.
7. Modernize the Elmwood Community Playhouse ($305,000): Conduct an exterior facade renovation and technical upgrade of the existing lighting and sound systems to enable expansion of programming.
8. Improve Pedestrian Experience in Downtown Nyack with Lighting and Sidewalk Upgrades ($480,000): Add approximately antique light poles along North and South Broadway and enhance a portion of Main Street slightly east of Broadway with a widened sidewalk and two tree pits.
9. Create a Mural on the Rockland County Pride Center to Celebrate the History of Nyack ($81,000): Celebrate the history of Nyack by engaging the community in the creation of a mural on three sides of the Rockland County Pride Center building.
We are truly grateful to Governor Hochul and her staff for these grants, and looking forward to rolling up our sleeves and putting that $4.5M to work to continue to revitalize downtown Nyack.
My thanks to her and to everyone who was part of this process, including our Forward Committee, our Village staff, our consultants and state facilitators and advisors, all the project sponsors, and everyone in Nyack who came out to our meetings or submitted thoughts about the projects. Thank you!
Mayor Joe Rand's Video Announcement of Grant Awards
Following an extensive community based planning process, NYS has chosen projects to fund in Nyack for a total of $4.5M. The Strategic Investment Plan provides project details. For the Village's part, we will provide project updates on this page as they become available. At this time projects are pending funding contracts with the assigned NYS funding agency.
