Pictured is the former Joyce’s Keg Room, set to be restored in the Prendergast Landing project, which recently received funding from the state as a part of the Restore NY grant. P-J file photo

The ongoing city Prendergast Landing Project has secured funding from the state in Round Nine of the Restore New York Communities Initiative.

The total state funding for the project comes in at $721,704. The Prendergast Landing project, located at 106-108 Fairmount Avenue, is taking place in the old Joyce’s Keg Room building, which was purchased by Rahsann Graham, founder of Jade Empire LLC in 2020. The project will transform a long-vacant 12,000-square-foot building and two adjacent lots into a vibrant, mixed-use development featuring a cafe, locally focused retail, office and community space, and loft apartments. The project supports corridor revitalization, expands housing options, and strengthens the local economy.

“The vision for Prendergast Landing is to bring new energy to this part of Jamestown,” Graham said. “We are building a place where local entrepreneurs can launch and grow, where the community can gather and connect, and where flexible office space meets real everyday needs–all while creating a welcoming destination for both residents and visitors.”

Restore NY, administered by Empire State Development, is designed to help communities reduce blight, increase housing availability, and return underutilized properties to productive use. These highly competitive grants are awarded only to projects that demonstrate significant community benefit and alignment with state goals for economic development and renewal.

The project budget had been listed as between $2.4 and $2.6 million, but could be higher as inflation drives up construction costs. The project has received a state grant through the Jamestown Renaissance Corp. and tax breaks from the county Industrial Development Agency. The first floor of the Prendergast Landing will be shops while the second floor will be shared office space. The third and fourth floors will be short-term housing units and the bottom floor is projected to be a kayak rental business.

Incubator funding could be used for work on the first two floors. Graham said the storefront will be available for artisans or food vendors who have outgrown farmer’s markets but aren’t big enough yet for their own storefront. There will be a kitchen available for small sandwiches or salads and a coffee bar.

The second floor will be shared office space that could be used by those working from home who need a work space outside the home or for small companies that need office space but cannot absorb the cost for a long-term lease in a bigger office building.

Graham has ties with the Small Business Development Center and the city’s ELab program working on business incubation and also offers small business development training with a program called Fast Track. He also sits on the board of the state’s Small Business Advisory Board. Businesses who move into Prendergast Landing would receive help creating their business from some of those agencies.

During a November city council work session where the council discussed reapplying for this grant funding, Crystal Surdyk, Director of Development, said the city has submitted funding applications for this project in the past, including during the previous round of Restore NY, where they did not receive funding.

“The biggest reason was that it was extremely competitive in the last round,” Surdyk said. “But, the other reason was, they wanted to see more detail and the cost estimate, so they have done that and we are resubmitting, and were highly encouraged by the state to do so.”

The Restore NY Round Nine grant funding for the Prendergast Landing project comes following that resubmission.