Watkins Glen, NY:
The Schuyler County Partnership (SCOPED), the Watkins Glen Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) Local Planning Committee, The Krog Group and Hart Hotels Inc. are pleased to announce the official opening of Village Lofts at Watkins Glen, 30 N. Franklin Street in Watkins Glen. A ribbon cutting has been scheduled for Tuesday, October 11th at 5:00 p.m. with a cocktail reception to follow at The Harbor House.
Tours of the new Village Lofts at Watkins Glen and Fitness Center, The Harbor House, and the newly opened Oak & Stone Sundry Shop featuring Staving Artists Woodwork in the Hotel lobby will be available to the community.
The Village Lofts at Watkins Glen features four recently completed market rate apartments, and a state-of-the-art fitness center, in the former VFW building. This project was made possible from funding obtained through the DRI grant that Watkins Glen was awarded in 2017 by the state of New York for a total of $10-million-dollars. This specific project was funded through private investment by First Second Development, and a grant from Empire State Development for a total of $1.8-million-dollars of investment into downtown Watkins Glen. Since The Harbor Hotel opened in 2008, Krog and Hart have invested and estimated $26.7 million in Watkins Glen and Schuyler County. Their annual payroll has grown to nearly $3 million creating a steady employment for the local community.
Laurie DeNardo, DRI Co-Chair and Trustee for the Village of Watkins Glen shared, “On behalf of the Village Board and as Co-Chair of the DRI Local Planning Committee, congratulations on these amazing projects. The Krog and Hart partnership has made incredible investments in our community and we are so excited to see these projects come to fruition. Through the DRI, we identified the need for additional housing, a local gym, and boutiques. The addition of these entities aligns with those goals and the community can’t be more excited.”
These new additions to the Watkins Glen Harbor Hotel ‘hospitality campus’ provides a much-needed asset to the Village of Watkins Glen and Schuyler County.
The lack of available housing is an issue that many counties across New York State are facing and is at the forefront of conversations surrounding workforce development. This project not only addresses the housing gap, but in the spirit of downtown revitalization, gives a building that has been vacant for nearly a decade a new purpose and will spark additional investment throughout the community.
“The Krog and Hart partnership have experienced a lengthy history of success at the Harbor Hotel since opening in 2008. We enjoy doing business in Schuyler County and the Finger Lakes region” said David Hart President & CEO of Hart Hotels Inc. “Once again we are leveraging assistance from New York State, Schuyler County and the Village of Watkins Glen to redevelop this building from vacancy to a multi-purpose community asset”.
Judy McKinney Cherry, Co-chair of the Southern Tier Regional Economic Development Council, added, “This project meets the goals of the DRI and provides much needed year-round housing, repurposes a beautiful building that formerly housed the VFW, and creates a welcoming gateway into the Village. We are thankful to the State of New York for their investment in our community.”
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