OBSERVER Photo by M.J. Stafford Part of the Dunkirk waterfront from the corner of Central Avenue and Lake Shore Drive.

Dunkirk’s latest Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) grant application includes a video that outlines ambitious plans for the waterfront, if the city wins the money.

The video, available on YouTube on the Dunkirk Access channel, describes several building projects for the area near the Dunkirk Pier.

If Dunkirk wins the DRI grant, it gets $10 million to spend on downtown projects. The DRI program was started by then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo in 2016 and splits $100 million among 10 municipalities, one in each region of the state, every year.

“These are the projects that we thought were feasible, meaning possible if we had the incentive funding from the state,” Dunkirk Mayor Wilfred Rosas said.

Rosas said it took two years to put the plans outlined in the video together. In that time, he and city officials met with potential partners.

“It took a lot of time because there are a lot of different partners in there,” he said.

The city Planning and Development Department was lead agency on the proposal, but got help from Chautauqua County planners and professional consultants. “We sat down, I told them what my vision was. We wanted to have a vibrant downtown project,” Rosas said.

The mayor said former Planning and Development Department director Rebecca Wurster started work on it and continued helping with it when she started working for the county. He said another ex-Planning Department head, Jill Meaux, deserves credit as well.

“That video was done in house with our resources. I’m very proud of that,” Rosas said. While it is a small portion of the city’s grant proposal presentation to the state, “I believe it was very well received,” he said.

The video describes these projects:

— A Hispanic Heritage Marketplace would “inject an energy and economic vitality into the heart of downtown and be a signature investment that greatly enhances a sense of place and community.”

The site would include a vendor market, a restaurant or cafe, art installations, murals, retailers and both indoor and outdoor event space. There might also be festivals, art exhibits and holiday events there.

— A waterfront recreation and events center “has the potential to be a major as well as transformative project for the city of Dunkirk and surrounding communities.”

This center is expected to be an economic growth driver. It’s hoped it would bring considerable traffic to downtown and give a boost to local retailers.

The facility would accommodate sports, fitness, events and family focused recreation. It would boast an indoor field and running track, basketball court, fitness center and event space.

— Renovation and upgrades at the Clarion Hotel.

— A mid-sized, multi-family, mixed use development on Lake Shore Drive East.

— A new Jamestown Community College campus on Central Avenue, on the former site of the Masonic Lodge building. It would have space for retail on the first floor and classrooms and workforce development operations on upper floors.