Hochul: Upstate NY ‘Field of Dreams’ Gets Millions, Lays Ground Work for Jobs of the Future

Any empty field alongside a SUNY Campus in Upstate New York is being called the 'Field of Dreams' by Governor Kathy Hochul, who announced a $40 million investment that aims to bring more home-run hitters from the microchip-industry to the state's emerging lineup.

That economic development batting order, if you will, already includes Wolfspeed, Micron, and Global Foundries - among other key players.

Repeating the iconic line from the 1989 movie: ..."If you build it, they will come...", Hochul announced a $39.6 million grant funding package on Tuesday at the SUNY Poly Campus in Marcy, NY from the Focused Attraction of Shovel-Ready Tracts New York, or FAST NY program. It totals 7 projects across the state, aimed at getting the locations prepped and ready for industry, taking proactive action to eliminate development delays and offer turn-key properties to high-tech manufacturers, she said.

To the Marcy site specifically, Hochul says $14 million is earmarked for ground-level infrastructure that would make it shovel ready for the state's next high-tech manufacturing facility, she said. The investments lay a clear path for businesses and remove questions about plans working out in the future, referring to potential road-blocks from the multi-layered permitting and approval process for such development. 

The $14 million grant was awarded to Mohawk Valley EDGE, who is tasked with prepping the SUNY Poly campus that is already the home to industry leaders like Wolfspeed and Danfoss in effort to grow the centerpiece of NY's I-90 semi-conductor corridor, sandwiched between Global Foundries in the Capital District and the soon arriving Micron in Clay.

Grants awarded through FAST NY by Hochul on Tuesday:

• Oneida County Industrial Development Agency (Mohawk Valley EDGE) – $14 million: The Marcy Nanocenter provides a fully permitted, shovel-ready greenfield site on an already established campus. An area has been reserved to build a semiconductor supply-chain campus, which is in high demand due to the established Wolfspeed fab and the recently announced Micron facility, and will serve regional and on-site high-tech companies. FAST NY funding will continue to develop the site and support preparation, excavation and utility infrastructure work. Total project cost: $18 million

• County of Monroe IDA (COMIDA) – $20 million: The site at 1900 Tebor Road in Webster is being developed to attract agribusiness and industrial machinery manufacturing. Funding will be used to upgrade the existing electrical infrastructure. Total project cost: $27 million

• Buffalo and Erie County Industrial Land Development Corporation (ILDC) – $4.75 million: This project will expand the Renaissance Commerce Park by supporting construction activities to relocate and expand a 100-year-old freight rail yard, located at the former Bethlehem Steel site. This will help to drive economic growth from currently underutilized land through private investment and job creation. The unique assets this site offers makes it attractive for industrial expansion. Total project cost: $6.8 million

• Broome County IDA/LDC (The Agency) – $500,000: This project will create a new 300-acre sustainability-focused corporate park designed to attract advanced electronics and semiconductor manufacturers, test packaging and related supply chain companies, life sciences, and agricultural processing. There is the potential for an additional 300 acres to be acquired at this site, resulting in a new 600-acre corporate park. Market studies have already determined potential opportunities for the park, which include several industry clusters eligible for FAST NY grant funding. Total project cost - $1 million

• Onondaga County IDA – $325,000: This award is for the 104-acre Caughdenoy Industrial Park (White Pine South). With Micron’s selection of White Pine Commerce Park for a chip manufacturing site, this site provides a prime location to attract Tier I supply chain companies. The goal is to facilitate the creation of a supply chain campus – including warehouses, manufacturing plants and research and development centers – to support Micron. Total project cost: $650,000

• Town of Lockport IDA – $63,750: This award for IDA Park South expands the existing 120-acre Industrial Park by an additional 91 acres, meeting the regional demand for targeted industries that currently does not exist. Additionally, this site neighbors a proposed 60-acre industrial park, creating an attractive industrial corridor for the area. Total project cost: $127,500

• Village of Painted Post – $36,000: The West Water Street site provides regional significance with 45 acres of developable land and close proximity to major highways, allowing for easy integration into the regional advanced manufacturing cluster and the potential to be a key semiconductor industry supply chain location. The project will help to prepare the site for a future developer by allowing for predevelopment work to determine the site's best use. A site survey, traffic study, site plan and design, zoning revision and environmental concerns will be addressed, supporting streamlined approval process. Total Project Cost: $120,000

During the announcement, MV EDGE President Steve DiMeo said Wolfspeed just recently hired it's 400th employee, saying the company was pacing ahead of its hiring projections.

The governor added that state universities are prepared to provide the skills needed to work these high-tech jobs, saying "...the children of today and their children will be able to stay here because we have jobs."