POUGHKEEPSIE, NY—The Mid-Hudson Regional Economic Development Council reports it has endorsed 25 projects across its seven-county jurisdiction for funding under Gov. Andrew Cuomo's fourth round of regional council competition.

The 25 projects participating in the state's Consolidated Funding Application program have the potential to generate more than $600 million in economic activity, 3,700 construction jobs and more than 3,500 permanent positions. The Mid-Hudson Council's region includes: Sullivan, Ulster, Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland and Westchester counties.

Gov. Cuomo is expected to announce regional council funding awards sometime this fall.

Some of the 25 projects selected as regional priorities are already under construction while others have been on the drawing board for years. However, very little is known of what is likely the largest venture of this round's funding candidates—LEGOLAND New York. The council in its announcement says the $250-million overall project consists of the development and construction of a LEGOLAND NY theme park, which once constructed would be followed potentially by a LEGOLAND Water Park, LEGOLAND hotel, and the expansion of the theme park. The funding request is in connection with the project's phase one infrastructure work. LEGOLAND is to be built in Rockland County and is believed to be based in the Haverstraw area. LEGOLAND had been one of the bidders looking to redevelop Rye Playland in Westchester County.

“The 25 priority projects endorsed by the council today have the potential to transform cities and communities across the Mid-Hudson region by creating new jobs, generating significant investment, and expanding economic opportunities for New Yorkers,” says MHREDC Co-chairs Dennis Murray, PhD, president of Marist College and Leonard Schleifer, MD, PhD, president & CEO of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. “Over the last three years, the Mid-Hudson REDC has worked hard to successfully implement our Strategic Plan and it has paid off—to the tune of nearly $220 million of state investment in the region to support more than 230 projects that are creating jobs and spurring economic activity in the seven counties we represent.”

Some other notable projects among the 25 candidates selected by the council include: continued funding of the Saw Mill River Daylighting project in Yonkers, the Mensch Grasmere, LLC project that consists of a boutique hotel, spa, restaurant and farm, including approximately 110 guest rooms and cabins, event space and culinary center with a working farm operation believed to be in Dutchess County; and the $168-million SoYo Mixed-Use TOD project, a 550,000-square-foot mixed-use transit-oriented development in downtown Yonkers. The proposal includes construction of more than 400 rental units (approximately), nearly 110,000 square feet of parking and 34,000 square feet of ground floor retail and restaurants.

There are a number of sizable proposals in the food and beverage sector including Niagara Bottling, LLC, which the council states is currently evaluating communities in the Northeast United States to purchase land and construct a 358,000 square-foot manufacturing facility with an initial one high-speed bottling line. The expansion project to be built in Ulster County will initially create 41 jobs and carry a total investment in that will exceed $53 million. There is also a proposal by Brooklyn Brewery to build a state-of-the-art 400,000 expandable to 1-million barrel brewery in a 200,000-square-foot building on approximately 25 acres in Rockland County or at a location in New York City.

A $160-million project called the Williams Lake Resort Community being developed by Hudson River Valley Resorts LLC is seeking state funding for its plan to build a modern destination resort in Ulster County that includes a 130-room hotel, 17,000 square foot spa, wellness center, public rail trail, fitness center and other amenities.

Ginsburg Development Corp., which recently broke ground on its long-delayed $65-million Harbor Square mixed-use development in Ossining, is seeking funding for a 6,500-square-foot waterfront restaurant that is to be part of the waterfront rental apartment development.

A major redevelopment project in Orange County is also seeking state funding assistance. The Warwick Valley Office and Technology Corporate Park, the former state-owned Mid-Orange Correctional Facility, is looking to secure funds for construction of road and related infrastructure leading to 10 approved pad sites that could accommodate up to 850,000 square feet of commercial space on the site.

Speaking of jails, a project to help make one of the most famous or infamous prisons in the region a tourist attraction is also vying for state funding. The Sing Sing Historic Prison Museum is a planning project to help develop a completely unique tourism venue that will tell the story of Sing Sing Correctional Facility and the American penal system in a historical perspective.