Projects, Communities, + People in the News

LIA talks economic development, issues 2025 policy priorities with The Business Council of New York State, Inc.(BCNYS) and New York State Economic Development Council (NYSEDC). Tax reform, new housing development and emerging technologies. Those were just some of the topics touched on at a meeting held by the Long Island Association, the region’s largest business group. This was one of ten in person focus groups and over a dozen virtual industry roundtable meetings to help draft our Economic Blueprint joint policy agenda. | Read more at LIBN

Amazon wants to build a massive, multi-story distribution center in Montgomery County. The 3.2 million-square-foot distribution center for Amazon would rise nearly five stories near Exit 27 of the state Thruway if the plans are approved — far surpassing the size of the largest retail warehouse in rural Montgomery County. The proposal recently submitted to the planning board in the town of Florida calls for a 4.5-story, nearly 104-foot-high building on Route 5S with 652,060 square feet on each floor. | Read the story at the Albany Business Review.

Three New Locations Selected for $200 Million ON-RAMP Program. Capital Region, Finger Lakes and Mohawk Valley Eligible for Up to $40 Million to Establish Workforce Training Centers to Connect New Yorkers to Good Jobs in Advanced Manufacturing. The Center for Economic Growth (CEG) will lead the Capital Region's, Monroe Community College will lead the Finger Lakes in partnership with RochesterWorks, Mohawk Valley Community College will lead this regional ON-RAMP center by redeveloping the soon to be vacant Science and Technology building at MVCC’s Utica campus. | Click here for the story.

Governor Hochul announced that New York State will provide $150 million to Suffolk County for the infrastructure to connect the Long Island Rail Road Ronkonkoma station with a proposed north terminal at Long Island MacArthur Airport. The $150 million investment will redesign road networks, enhance critical infrastructure, and unlock new opportunities for businesses, tourism, and economic development. | Read more at LIBN

Governor Hochul announced a $26 million ConnectALL grant to Oswego County to construct a fiber-to-the-home network that will expand broadband access to about 10,792 homes, businesses and community institutions across 22 towns and villages. The project will construct 345 miles of fiber infrastructure, significantly expanding high-speed internet access throughout rural areas of the county. | Read the story here.

Spectrum News spotlighted economic projects from across Upstate New York in this video clip. The interviews discuss the future of the former College of Saint Rose campus in Albany and plans for a 170-acre section of the former Griffiss Air Force Base in Rome, known as the Triangle Parcel. Already home to Griffiss Business and Technology Park | See the story here.

Camoin Associates reported that the Food and Beverage Production sector is a significant contributor to the US economy, accounting for nearly 3.5 million jobs and over $534.3 billion of GDP in 2023. The majority of these jobs are in the ,midwest with Nebraska, South Dakota, and Iowa enjoying 3 to 4 times the share of employment in food and beverage production as the US as a whole. | Read the full story here.