Webster Forward
The Alliance was the driving force behind the Village of Webster securing $4,500,000 via the NY Forward Program to support a broad community revitalization strategy focused in the Village of Webster. The Alliance is joined in this collaborative community-building effort by the Village, Town, School District, and Business Improvement District. From May to October 2024, the Village and other community stakeholders collaborated with State-sponsored community planning consultants on the development of a Strategic Investment Plan that will guide the investment of $4.5 million in NYS assistance grants. The final list of projects to be awarded funds will be announced in Spring 2025. See the project weblink below for more information.
WEBSTER FORWARD PROJECT WEBSITE
Reimagine Webster Master Plan
The Village of Webster was awarded $203,000 in NYS funding for the creation of a master plan for a large portion of the Village and Town North of Route 104, to include Commercial Street, Donovan Street, North Avenue and portions of the Xerox Campus along Phillips Road. Referred to as the Reimagine Webster Initiative, the project is a joint effort of the Village of Webster and the Webster Economic Development Alliance in cooperation with the Town of Webster. This Master Planning effort was completed in 2024, and will result in the designation of the study area as a Brownfield Opportunity Area. This NYS designation will give all future investment projects within the boundary priority and preference for State funding assistance.
REIMAGINE WEBSTER PROJECT WEBSITE
Final Reimagine Webster Master Plan
fairlife Production Facility
In 2023, Fairlife® selected Webster, New York as its preferred location for a new production facility. The 745,000 square-foot facility is expected to create up to 250 new, high-paying jobs and as of December 2024 is under construction on 100 acres off Tebor Road in the eastern suburb of Rochester in Monroe County. The company, which is a subsidiary of The Coca-Cola Company, expects the facility to be operational by the end of 2025, with a total estimated project investment of $650 million.
The Alliance was instrumental in coordinating local site selection efforts, assisting the property owner and the Town of Webster in marketing both the property and the community as a viable location for consideration by fairlife®. In addition to Webster’s high quality of life and strategic location, a key factor in the site selection process was the Town’s available infrastructure and its highly skilled operations staff that worked closely with fairlife® engineers to provide a viable, cost-effective path forward.
FAIRLIFE PROJECT TOWN WEB-PAGE
Webster Economic Access Project
In 2019, the Alliance secured $1,838,500 on behalf of the the Village of Webster to support the rehabilitation and reactivation of an existing, disinvested industrial roadway network currently under private ownership by Xerox Corporation. This was further enhanced by $500,000 in Federal funding assistance secured by Senator Chuck Schumer and Congressman Morelle to bolster multi-modal transportation infrastructure. The area of interest was also the focal point for the Reimagine Webster Master Plan. To facilitate investment and private sector job creation on the Xerox Campus, the Village will take dedication of Orchard Street, Panama Road, and Mitcheldean Drive. The transfer to the public domain will maintain access for internal campus buildings, maintain mobility across the community, and will help facilitate redevelopment and reuse of underutilized campus assets. The Alliance continues to seek additional funding to support the rehabilitation of the roadways prior to the Village taking dedication. Construction is anticipated in late 2025 or mid 2026.
ECONOMIC ACCESS PROJECT WEBSITE
Sandbar Waterfront Revitalization
Since 2016, the Alliance has secured $4,536,589 on behalf of the Town of Webster for the design construction of the Sandbar Waterfront Revitalization Project, which includes shoreline resiliency, waterfront recreation, environmental restoration and interpretive/educational improvements along Lake Ontario and Irondequoit Bay. The Project will increase public access to the community's waterfront, and will include active and passive recreation spaces, a waterside restaurant building and boat dockage, environmental educational experiences, habitat improvements, boardwalks, a fishing pier, public restrooms and improved parking facilities interconnected via expanded waterside promenades. Phase 1 construction was completed in 2023. The Town is actively applying for additional funds to complete future phases.
West Webster Hamlet Revitalization
In 2021, the Alliance secured $90,000 on behalf of the Town of Webster to develop a Revitalization Plan for the West Webster Hamlet. The Study will address two primary geographic areas: the West Webster Hamlet and the adjacent Route 404 Corridor. The study seeks strategies and recommendations to improve pedestrian safety and bolster economic opportunity within the historic West Webster Hamlet. The planning project will begin in March 2022.
WEST WEBSTER HAMLET PROJECT WEBSITE
Community, Environment and Education Network (CEEd)
Community leaders are seeking to further enhance the quality of life for residents by creating distinctive and memorable destinations within the community for residents, visitors and commerce. This will be accomplished by leveraging existing assets, resources and organizational capacity for development of a network of outdoor recreational and educational sites located throughout the Town and Village. The project is the outgrowth of Webster’s 2015 Community Investment Strategy, created by the Webster Economic Development Alliance on behalf of the Town, Village, School District and local businesses. Related focus areas of the Investment Strategy include Downtown Revitalization, Waterfront Revitalization, Recreation, Athletics and Tourism, and Community Identity. CEEd is a cross-cutting initiative that physically and figuratively links these focus areas across the community.