The Orange County Partnership's Latest News for You

2023 39th Edition: February 27th - March 3rd

PREPARE Or Be Left Behind: Our Semiconductor Supply Chain Opportunity

Transformational investment in the semiconductor and microelectronics sector is happening in upstate New York, driven by two core variables: talent and site readiness. Recently, Conor Eckert, vice president of business attraction for the Orange County Partnership, and I, in conjunction with partners from the Capital Region, toured SUNY Polytechnical Institute in Albany, one of the premier microelectronics research institutions in the world. SUNY Poly is delivering key research and skilled workforce to support the rapidly growing semiconductor industry – partnering with companies like Global Foundries and Micron.

We engaged with industry experts at SUNY Poly, discussing the once in a generation opportunity to participate in this burgeoning industry. The depth and scale of the semiconductor sector is significant and will pave way for an opportunity for us in Orange County – particularly in the supply chain. Broadly, the semiconductor supply chain will consist of manufacturing facilities for component parts, tools for the manufacturing process, and other suppliers for the existing and future chip-fab plants in New York and the Northeast. These projects require less infrastructure than fabs (Micron, Global Foundries, IBM, etc.), yet still have a significant economic impact by way of capital investment and the creation of skilled production jobs.

Given Orange County’s proximity to I-90 and the Capital Region, as well as Onsemi (a chip manufacturing facility) in Duchess County, we predict a significant opportunity in the supply chain if we prepare our sites, communities, and infrastructure for the potential of tremendous economic development activity.

This sector-opportunity sees no county bounds. We will continue to build state-wide relationships with a focus on site-preparedness, industry attraction and workforce partnerships. Without prepared sites, we will be left behind.

My very best,

Maureen Halahan

President & CEO

From left to right: Josh Sommers, President & CEO - Focus Media; John Cappello, Partner - J&G Law, LLP; Carlos Vega, Partner & Creative Director - AJ Ross Creative Media and Sandy Mathes, President - Mathes Public Affairs

Orange County Partnership Vice President of Business Attraction, Conor Eckert facilitating the panel discussion.

ABG Tackles Important Issue: 'Overcoming Opposition Through Community Engagement'

The Alliance for Balanced Growth and the Orange County Partnership jointly staged a highly informative session geared at helping developers, pro-growth advocates and communities overcome project opposition that can easily jeopardize worthwhile economic development projects via misinformation spread in media outlets.

The program entitled “Overcoming Opposition Through Community Engagement” was held on Feb. 23 at The Country Club at Otterkill in Campbell Hall and featured public relations, advertising, public affairs and legal experts who have worked on some of the most highly successful project proposals in the region. The panel consisted of Josh Sommers, president and CEO of Focus Media in Goshen; Carlos Vega, partner and creative director of AJ Ross Creative Media of Chester; Sandy Mathes, president of Mathes Public Affairs in Coxackie and John Cappello, partner of J&G Law, LLP of Walden. The panel was moderated by Conor Eckert, vice president of business attraction for the Orange County Partnership of Goshen.

The panelists were in agreement that transparency and a willingness to provide all information to the public in the early stages of the approval process were critical factors in getting out in front of project opponents. All also noted that in any development project approval process, there are legitimate concerns raised by residents that must be addressed if the project is to be successful.

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$229-Million Amazon Warehouse in Slate Hill

Seeks Incentives from Orange County IDA

Scannell Properties of Indianapolis, IN and Seattle, WA-based Amazon have filed a joint application with the Orange County Industrial Development Agency for tax incentives in connection with their fully-approved, $229-million, 925,000-square-foot warehouse distribution project to be built on 100 acres of a former commercial sand gravel mine. The Orange County Partnership has worked with both Scannell Properties and Amazon for the last year on securing the entitlements for the project.

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The Amazon facility to be built in Slate Hill will total 925,000 square feet. SOURCE: NAI Platform, Scanell Properties

Photo credit: Shutterstock

New Industrial Project Proposed in Wawayanda: Project Liberty

Last month, Scannell Properties of Indianapolis, IN presented a new project to the Town of Wawayanda Planning Board coined by the Orange County Partnership as “Project Liberty.”

The proposed $150-million facility will be home to a nationwide, confidential beverage distributor. Project Liberty expects to create in excess of 100 jobs once in operation. No estimates were available on the amount of construction jobs to be created. The project hopes to secure regulatory approvals by July of this year and break ground in the fall of this year.

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Orange County Secures Nearly $45M in State Funds For Downtown Revitalization, Infrastructure Projects

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul traveled from Albany to the Pace University Elisabeth Haub School of Law in White Plains on Feb. 21 to announce a host of funding awards to communities in the Mid-Hudson Region, including $44.5 million for Orange County to finance downtown revitalization campaigns and infrastructure projects.

Gov. Hochul announced that the City of Port Jervis will receive $10 million in funding as the Mid-Hudson Region winner of the sixth round of the Downtown Revitalization Initiative. For DRI Round 6, each of the state's 10 economic development regions are being awarded $10 million, to make for a total state commitment of $100 million in funding and investments to help communities boost their economies by transforming downtowns into vibrant neighborhoods.

The governor also announced at the event held at Pace University’s White Plains campus that the Town of Cornwall/Village of Cornwall-on-Hudson and Village of Sleepy Hollow,, will each receive $4.5 million in funding as the two Mid-Hudson Region winners of the first round of NY Forward.

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The City of Port Jervis received $10 million in funding as the Mid-Hudson Region winner of the sixth round of the Downtown Revitalization Initiative.

The Town of Cornwall/Village of Cornwall-on-Hudson received $4.5 million in funding as Mid-Hudson Region winners of the first round of NY Forward.

Offshore Wind Developers Propose Steel Manufacturing Facility in Orange County, NY!

The Orange County Partnership is proud to announce RWE/Community Offshore Wind’s recent bid submission to NYSERDA to deliver clean energy to all New Yorkers. If selected, the project will localize a secondary steel manufacturing facility in Orange County as part of the offshore wind supply chain – creating good paying union jobs in the county.

From the earliest stages of this inquiry, the Partnership has taken the lead on local advocacy and strategy, facilitating key meetings with government leaders and stakeholders at the federal, state, and local levels. We recognize the importance of this opportunity to drive job creation and investment in this emerging sector of the economy.

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Greenlight Networks Announces $9-Million Expansion into Hudson Valley

Greenlight Networks (“Greenlight”), the leading fiber-to-the-home provider in New York State, announced in January that it is bringing its sought-after fiber optic Internet network into the Hudson Valley, with multi-gigabit Internet services becoming available in the Town of Wallkill beginning Summer 2023. Over the next year, the company will invest nearly $9 million in network and infrastructure build outs, providing jobs and business for local contractors. Over the next 5 years, Greenlight intends to invest a total of $57 million in the Hudson Valley region with its aggressive expansion plans.

Greenlight has scheduled underground construction to begin in the hamlets of Mechanicstown and Scotchtown in Spring 2023 with aerial construction to begin in Winter 2023.

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