DUNKIRK, N.Y. — The City of Dunkirk is gearing up for a major renovation across the entire city. Mayor Kate Wdowiasz tells 7 News that the Dunkirk you see now is in for some big changes.
“It’s going to be a destination, it will be a destination,” Mayor Wdowiasz said. “This is not going to happen overnight, but in five years the City of Dunkirk will look very different.”
In 2023, Dunkirk was awarded $10 million dollars through the state’s downtown revitalization initiative.
Now, Governor Kathy Hochul released the list of nine projects that make up that money:
Renovate the Dunkirk Macaroni Company Building to House Apartments and Medical Offices ($500,000)
Convert an existing four-story building into a mix of uses, including offices and loft-style apartments.
Establish the Downtown Dunkirk Small Project Fund ($473,000)
Set up a fund for projects that revitalize Downtown Dunkirk, through grants for building renovations, business assistance (commercial machinery and equipment), public art and soft costs (architecture and engineering).
Update the Clarion Hotel Building and Grounds ($1,000,000)
Renovate approximately 120 hotel rooms, conference area, dining room, lobby, building exterior, outdoor pavilion and grounds.
Redevelop the Lake Shore National Bank Building to House Retail and Market-Rate Apartments ($900,000)
Convert the former bank building into ground floor retail and four market-rate, loft-style apartments.
Refurbish the Graf Building to House a Workforce Development Training Center ($2,200,000)
Renovate the Graf Building to house a Workforce Development Training Center that would potentially include childcare, offices for program partners, a career counseling center, science labs, new classrooms and computer labs.
Expand the City of Dunkirk Marina through New Docks ($2,000,000)
Replace missing docks with new docks, upgrade marina utilities and install a security system.
Construct Affordable Apartments and a Daycare Facility on Two Sites ($500,000)
Construct new, affordable housing and a daycare facility on two sites, including an estimated 30 apartments and an approximately 6,700 sq. ft. daycare facility on E 4th Street and an estimated 48 apartments on Washington Avenue.
Enhance the Chadwick Bay Marina with Transient Boat Slips and Boater Amenities ($1,000,000)
Provide a new dock with transient slips, improvements to existing docks, boater amenities and public access including a connector to the shoreline trail.
Revive the Historic Adams Building to House Arts and Youth Programming ($1,127,000)
Renovate the historic building into a multiuse event space and lower-level youth center in partnership with Kids at Promise, and two luxury apartments to provide ongoing revenue for programming and building maintenance.
“I’m extremely happy with this list that was put together,” Mayor Wdowiasz said.
The Clarion Hotel is receiving one million dollars to upgrade their entire building. Manager Jasmeet Sandhu tells 7 News this is how they can bring more people to visit the area.
“We are going to be revamping all the rooms and just getting things to a new and exciting state, so people are excited to come to Dunkirk,” Sandhu said. “We want to show more people what Dunkirk has to offer.”
The city’s director of planning and development Vince Dejoy tells 7 News all that’s left now is to get to work.
“Now the hard part comes, putting that to reality. It’s going to be significant; it’s going to be transformational,” DeJoy said. “Come back here in less than five years and it will look totally different here in downtown Dunkirk.”
The implementation of these projects will start very soon, and he hopes this investment inspires even more people to add to what’s being built in their city.
