Batavia begins planning for second Downtown Revitalization Initiative

Batavia and Genesee County have begun organizing a second Downtown Revitalization Initiative planning process, creating a new opportunity for local projects to compete for state revitalization funding. The effort, known as DRI 2.0, is still in its planning stage; Batavia has not yet been announced as the winner of a new DRI award.

Planning began in July 2026 with the formation of a Local Planning Committee and an open call for project ideas. The process could direct funding toward infrastructure, building renovation, housing, planning and transportation projects in Batavia.

Committee and project call

The committee includes representatives connected to downtown business, banking, real estate, higher education and city administration. Batavia and Genesee County are using the group to organize the local planning process and help develop the community’s project priorities.

The City of Batavia announced the open call for DRI 2.0 projects in a July 15 news notice. That call gives local applicants an avenue to put forward proposals, but the approved sources do not identify a final list of projects, funding awards or an application deadline.

Public information session

The city scheduled a public information session for July 29, 2026, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the City Council Board Room at One Batavia City Centre. As of Aug. 6, that meeting date had passed.

The session was intended to provide information about the local DRI 2.0 planning effort. The accessible notices do not identify another scheduled meeting or the next application deadline.

Prior investment, new funding undecided

Batavia’s prior DRI application context shows more than $10 million in grant funding secured since 2018 for infrastructure, building renovation, housing, planning and transportation projects. That figure reflects prior grant funding and should not be treated as new DRI 2.0 money.

The amount of any new DRI 2.0 funding available to Batavia was not stated in the accessible sources. Final project selections, award decisions and an implementation timeline also remain undetermined.

For downtown businesses, property owners, housing proponents and other local applicants, the immediate change is the opening of a new public planning phase—not a completed funding award. Further decisions will depend on the process that Batavia and Genesee County are now organizing.