The Village of Philmont has received an $800,000 New York State grant award.
Trustee Debra Gitterman identified the Restore New York Community Initiative (“Restore NY”) in July of 2022 and volunteered her time, in partnership with Hopkins House property-owners Spring Sutter and Christopher Russel, and Urban Vantage, a Buffalo-based urban planning and development group, to apply for the grant on behalf of the Village to refurbish the Hopkins House. Philmont was 1 of only 64 selections in the state.
The $800,000 award will go toward renovating the 5,070 sq. ft. former historic inn into a mixed-use building that will feature retail space on the first floor and four apartments on the upper two levels.
The objective of Restore NY is to provide municipalities with financial assistance for the revitalization of commercial and residential properties. The program encourages community development and neighborhood growth through the elimination and redevelopment of blighted structures.
The Hopkins House, one of 15 strategic development sites identified in Summit Lake and its Watercourse, Philmont’s Step 2 Brownfield Opportunity Area Nomination, was selected by Mayor Brian Johnson as an ideal candidate for the grant on account of its advanced state of decay, highly visible location, village-wide revitalization potential, and project-readiness.
The goal of the Hopkins House project is to re-activate the space to create a community gathering space and apartments, remove a source of blight from our downtown, and restore the building to its former grandeur. In addition to increasing the number of apartment units available in Philmont, the project will create commercial jobs.
The village thanks property owners Spring Sutter and Christopher Russell for their investment in Philmont, their participation in the grant-writing process, and for hiring Urban Vantage to write the final application. The village also thanks our village clerks, Jessica Thomas and Chrissy Speed, whose essential work facilitates the administration of all grants brought into Philmont, and Sally Baker and Philmont Beautification, Inc. for bringing the team at Urban Vantage—Travis Gordon, Richard Rogers, and Evan Finegan—to the building-owners’ attention and whose BOA work laid the groundwork for this successful outcome.
The property owners will cover the significant additional costs of stabilizing and restoring the building, which will cover the 10% match required by the grant.
We will keep you updated on the progress of Hopkins House!
