Graham Avenue and the Grand Street BIDs win double the Round 9 revitalization initiative.
On June 3, NYS Governor Kathy Hochul presented the executive directors of Grand Street and Graham Avenue BIDs a $20M award from the NYS Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) Round 9 to be applied to East Williamsburg. The BID directors represent the East Williamsburg Collaborative (EWC), which they formed for the initiative. The total DRI allocation for 2026 is $100M divided amongst ten communities, however the governor chose to combine New York City NY Forward and DRI funding to double the grant to each winner. The East Williamsburg selection represents the New York City community.
“There’s a little bit of a qualifier here. Normally, when I go around and announce these grants, and I believe in them to my core because I’ve seen the effects of how this money all at once can transform a community, normally they’re $10 million. But, Brooklyn’s a little expensive. New York City’s not the cheapest place. How does $20 million sound instead? East Williamsburg is a neighborhood that embodies the ideals that make New York great — from family-owned restaurants to small businesses that light up the community,” Governor Hochul said. “For the more than 60,000 New Yorkers who call this neighborhood home, the $20 million that East Williamsburg is receiving will help to build more affordable housing in the neighborhood and bolster the community’s local economy for generations to come.”
The DRI’s webpage explains, “The DRI transforms downtown neighborhoods into vibrant centers that offer a high quality of life and are magnets for redevelopment, business, job creation, and economic and housing diversity. These compact, walkable downtowns are a key ingredient to helping New York State rebuild its economy from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The vision statement put forward in East Williamsburg’s Downtown Revitilization Initiative application, said, “Our vision for East Williamsburg is a dynamic and inclusive downtown that uniquely balances its proud manufacturing legacy with its vibrant, multi-generational commercial corridors. Anchored by robust transit and defined by its deep cultural heritage, this will be a neighborhood where local businesses flourish, families put down deep roots, and all residents, workers, and visitors experience a true sense of opportunity.”
The Graham Avenue and Grand Street BIDs partnered with Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso’s office to submit an application for this grant. The partnership broadens after receiving the award as the next step is to form a local planning committee made up of community leaders and local stakeholders to guide the investment of DRI grant funds. This committee will be supported by private sector experts and state planners. St. Nicks Alliance, El Puente, RiseBoro, Southside United HDFC–Los Sures, Evergreen Exchange, Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, Van Alen Institute, The Horticulture Society of New York, Big Reuse, Friends of Cooper Park, North Brooklyn Parks Alliance, North Brooklyn Angels, Brooklyn Public Library | Leonard Branch, Boricua College, NYC Health + Hospitals/Woodhull Hospital, NYC Department of Education District 14, Lyons Community School, Williamsburg High School of Art & Technology, Williamsburg Houses Residents’ Association are some of the stakeholders to participate in the committee. This committee will be supported by private sector experts and state planners.
Graham Avenue BID CEO Alberto Valentin said, “This DRI award is a huge win for Williamsburg, as well as a win for the power of NYS government’s sustained partnership with local communities, a win for the positive potential of collaboration and capacity building, and a win for the promise of community partners working together in support of our downtown commercial corridors.”
In his introduction letter on the DRI application, Reynoso stated, “Over the past twenty years, North Brooklyn has been redefined by economic momentum, but when you zero in on East Williamsburg, and you will find a dynamic working-class community that hasn’t seen the same investment and attention. The 2026 DRI is an opportunity to answer for this inequity, catalyze investment into the neighborhood, and build on the work done every day by the community’s extensive network of close-knit local organizations.”
As part of the proposal process the Grand Street and Graham Avenue BIDs formed the EWC and conducted public outreach, which included a community survey. The application included input from the 350 public survey responses and feedback from over 35 meetings with key community partners and elected officials in East Williamsburg.
The community survey showed that an “overwhelming majority of respondents called for more green amenities, particularly for children.” The application further stated “[opportunities]to create a network of accessible green spaces and to transform key underutilized sites—such as the sidewalk plaza at the intersection of Graham Avenue, Flushing Avenue, and Broadway, the vacant lot at Manhattan Avenue and Powers Street, and the large setback sidewalk area across from Memorial Gore—into much-needed green space and public plazas.”
Executive Director for Grand Street Business Improvement District Francesca Fernandez Bruce said, “Our neighbors in East Williamsburg have been showing up for decades, through the hard times and underinvestment, advocating at local meetings, caring for their blocks, and building community. Now it’s our turn to honor that commitment, and help our neighbors not just survive, but thrive. We can’t wait to see what we can all accomplish together.”
The Greenline 