Gowanda is getting $4.5 million for five projects as part of a state economic development program.

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a total of 22 projects across Western New York Thursday as part of two economic development programs: the Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) and NY Forward.

Gowanda’s money is coming through NY Forward. The following projects are slated to get funding:

– A project to connect the former Community Bank with the Historic Hollywood Theater via a new ADA-accessible passage, update the bank’s infrastructure, and restore its interior for future use as a restaurant, while enhancing accessibility and safety for theater patrons. That’s supposed to get $1,400,000.

— Renovation of the 1904 Armes Block into a mixed-use development was awarded $1,300,000. The project is supposed to add five apartments and three commercial rental units, including a barber academy and cocktail lounge, with updated mechanical systems and historically appropriate storefronts.

— Beautification of the Gowanda business district’s “streetscape” is getting $989,000. That’s slated to transform the village’s main corridor by replacing deteriorated pavers with decorative concrete, installing a unified tree pit design, updating street lighting to decorative poles with banner arms and adding self-watering planters to enhance aesthetics, safety and environmental benefits.

— A Small Project Fund for additional downtown improvements has $655,000 from the grants announced by Hochul. This will provide grants for building improvements, business equipment and public art, with funding available to property owners within the downtown Gowanda area. The city of Dunkirk has a similar fund, which recently began to accept applications, under its own $10 million DRI award from 2023.

— Finally, implementation of a wayfinding, connectivity, and branding plan for Gowanda is set to get $156,000. The plan is to improve signage and connectivity to key sites, create a new “brand” for the village, and enhance accessibility to parks, historic sites and local businesses.

Ten projects were announced for Tonawanda, the Round 7 winner of a $10 million DRI award. Seven projects were announced for Aurora, like Gowanda the winner of a $4.5 million NY Forward award.

“Downtowns make up the heart of our communities, and investing in them means we are investing in New Yorkers,” Hochul said. “The transformational projects coming to Western New York — the part of the state where I grew up and called home — are going to create unique public spaces where residents can socialize together and explore their neighborhoods. We are building vibrant spaces while strengthening our regional economies — that’s why New York is the best place to be.”

First announced as part of the 2022 budget, the NY Forward program was created by Hochul to build on momentum from the DRI. According to the state, “The program works in concert with the DRI to accelerate and expand the revitalization of smaller and rural downtowns throughout the state so that all communities can benefit from the state’s revitalization efforts, regardless of size, character, needs and challenges.”