About
Leadership
Economic Development
In addition to supporting state incentives for business, Assemblyman Magnarelli has stood firm in his support of Project Labor Agreements on public projects to ensure that working men and women in New York State are paid a fair wage. Currently, Assemblyman Magnarelli serves as Chairman of the NYS Assembly’s Local Governments Committee. This committee is one of the Assembly’s busiest, and has jurisdiction over a wide range of laws and issues that impact local governments throughout New York State. Specifically, this jurisdiction includes: the General Municipal, Municipal Home Rule, Local Finance, County, Town, Village, Volunteer Firefighters’ Benefit and Volunteer Ambulance Workers’ Benefit laws. Additionally, the committee handles several “home rule” requests from local governments every year.
It also has a significant impact on economic development, as it has oversight of the many Industrial Development Agencies (IDAs) across New York. As Chair, Assemblyman Magnarelli is working to advance legislation that will help our municipalities weather current economic conditions, provide them the tools they need to improve the delivery of services in the future, and improve the performance of IDAs. Finally, as Chair of Local Governments, Assemblyman Magnarelli was appointed to serve on the NYS Mandate Relief Council.
The 2014-15 state budget includes a $300,000 increase to the Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) Assistance Program. CDFIs provide loans to businesses that don’t qualify for traditional bank loans. They also provide credit guidance through counseling and business development assistance.
2014-15 NYS Budget Highlights
*The 2014-15 state budget also includes $1 million to support the Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) Development Lending Program, a $365,000 increase from the executive budget proposal. A new MWBE Investment Fund is also included within the lending program. The fund would provide critical financial support to foster the development of new and emerging ideas and promote the long-term financial performance and success of early-state MWBEs.
* Supporting innovation and a skilled workforce, the state budget restores $3.5 million for Centers of Excellence, which link universities with various technology industries. Specializing in nanoelectronics, bioinformatics, photonics, environmental systems, wireless applications and information technology, the Centers were established to
encourage rapid commercialization of scientific breakthroughs.
*The budget also expands the new York Youth Works Program, which encourages businesses to hire unemployed, disadvantaged youth, ages 16 to 24, by connecting it to
community colleges. Typing the occupational raining component of the New York Youth Works Program to the Job Linkage Program will help encourage more employers to hire
inner-city youth.
*To promote job growth while rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure, the budget dedicates over $3.4 billion or capital improvement of all transportation infrastructure.
*The budget includes $438.1 million for the Consolidated Highway Improvement Program (CHIPS) and $39.2 million for the Marchiselli program. It also dedicates an
additional $40 million in funding to help local governments repair local roads and bridgesimpacted by the harsh winter.
*The 2014-15 budget allocates $178.7 million for upstate transit systems, an increase of $5.1 million. Supplementary legislation is in place to dedicate additional general fund money indexed to the growth in upstate sales tax.
*Upstate airport and railroad improvements are also on their way with $10 million allocated for each.
ONGOING PROJECTS
Listed below are highlights of some of the 3rd Round projects in Onondaga County:
* Continue development of Syracuse Inner Harbor
*$2,800,000 convert long vacant NYNEX building downtown
* $1,052,000 Onondaga Creek and lakefront improvements
* $1,500,000 CNY Fabrication facility addition
*$ 150,000 create the Gustav Stickley House museum
*$ 97,919 Hanford Pharmacueticals training for new positions
*$1,100,000 Hanford Pharmacueticals facility expansion
*$ 12,480 Indian Springs worker trainings
* $3,500,000 Inficon facility construction
*$ 975,000 LJG Stickley manufacturing expansion
* $ 200,000 Village of Camillus Main Street Funds
*$ 250,000 B’ville-Seneca Knolls Wastewater improvements
* $ 250,000 AME Zion Church Historic Restoration
* $ 850,000 Syracuse Community Health Center renovations
*$ 250,000 Syracuse Fiber Recycling expansion
*$ 819,440 Syracuse Jet Real Estate new access for charters
* $ 247,500 Town of Dewitt outdoor multi-sports complex
* $ 750,000 Upstate COR new campus building
* $ 557,100 The Village of Fayetteville Gateway Project
* $ 985,000 YMCA facility in the Town of Lysander
Assemblyman Magnarelli was appointed as a voting member to the Governor’s Regional Economic Development Council representing Central New York, which is comprised of Cayuga, Cortland, Madison, Oswego and Onondaga Counties. Over the last three years, Central New York has been awarded some of the highest grant totals of any of the Councils. In the 1st Round, the award was $103.7 million (74 projects); the 2nd Round brought us $93.8 million (73 projects; and in the 3rd Round, CNY was awarded $66.9 million (79 projects).
Lakefront/Village Projects
Assemblyman Magnarelli, Governor Andrew Cuomo, County Executive Joanie Mahoney, Solvay Mayor Ron Benedetti
and Town of Geddes Supervisor Manny Falcone introduced $100 million for Solvay and Geddes. The projects
consist of:
* Lakehouse Concert Pavilion – Performing Arts Center: $50 million for the construction of a performing arts center
pavilion across from the New York State Fairgrounds in the Village of Solvay. Onondaga County would construct an
indoor amphitheater with 17,000 seats and a lawn seating area. The pavilion would overlook Onondaga Lake.
* Finishing Looping the Lake – Onondaga Creekwalk: $3 million for the completion of the Onondaga Creekwalk, an
existing loop along the lake connecting the communities of Liverpool, Solvay, Lakeland and the City of Syracuse. The
project is currently 75% completed.
* Docks in the new park, Inner Harbor and Honeywell site: $1 million or the creation of water taxi docks at Onondaga
Lake Park, Syracuse Inner Harbor and the Honeywell boat landing to allow boats and water taxis to travel to and from
the Performing Arts Center.
* Bridge Street Gateway Project – streetscape improvements: $7 million for Bridge Street streetscape improvements to create a pedestrian friendly gateway from the Lake to the Village.
* Revitalization of Village of Solvay: $10 million for housing projects within Solvay including: $5 million for the construction of a new senior housing facility, and $5 million for leveraging against public/private funding of new housing projects and rehabilitation of existing housing projects.
* $1.8 million for road reconstruction and enhancement including: $1.2 million to enhance the intersection of Milton Ave and Bridge Street in the heart of the Solvay business district, and $600,000 to make streetscape enhancements from Cogswell Ave to Bailey Street in Solvay.
* $2 million for the demolition of blighted properties in targeted areas of Solvay.
* $2 million in matching grants of up to $20,000 for residential homeowner improvements.
* $2 million in matching grants of up to $25,000 for business façade improvements on Milton Ave, Bridge Street, or Charles Ave.o $1 million for a competitive grant program for new businesses that open in the targeted economic development zone.
* Infrastructure Improvements – for future business sites: $20 million for infrastructure improvements including improvements to wastewater treatment facilities and brownfield clean-up to open manufacturing sites for future business development.
*Using Central New York’s unique resources – world-class universities and high-tech companies – to create good paying jobs and attracting new industries, Assemblyman Magnarelli promoted business and academic partnerships. He helped secure $37 million for the Syracuse Center of Excellence (CoE) that is a leader in indoor environmental quality systems and sustainability projects. He funded the initial $20 million for the Syracuse University Connective Corridor project, a large-scale transportation project, designed to connect Syracuse University to Downtown Syracuse.