The state has awarded Oneida County nearly $32.4 million through its Focused Attraction of Shovel-Ready Tracts New York, or FAST NY, program for improvements to the Triangle site in Rome where Chobani is building a $1.2 billion natural foods processing plant, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Aug. 19.
The money will pay for utility infrastructure work on the Triangle site at Griffiss International Airport in the Griffiss Business & Technology Park Steven J. DiMeo Campus as well as on the adjacent 160-acre Mohawk Glen parcel. The work will include the extension of utilities to the site perimeter, improvements to water, sewer and gas capacity, roadway improvements and general site work to support the Chobani plant as well as any further development on the site.
The state awarded Oneida County another FAST NY grant of $23.6 million in March, 2024 for infrastructure and transportation improvements on the Triangle site. At that time, officials said they expected the site to become a semiconductor supply chain campus.
The grant was one of five worth more than $51 million announced by Hochul.
“Through FAST NY, we’re able to promote manufacturing and bring in good-paying jobs to communities throughout New York State,” she said in a statement. “Companies like Micron, Edwards Vacuum, Chobani and fairlife want to come to New York because we have the hardest working individuals, and having shovel-ready sites makes New York State an international competitor for world-class companies to expand their operations here.”
Shovel ready pays dividends
Having a shovel-ready site, which was made possible thanks to FAST NY, was critical to Chobani’s decision to build in Rome, Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente Jr. said. And this grant will also help prepare the site for further development, he said.
“The Chobani project alone represents one of the largest private investments in our county’s history and will have a profound impact on our workforce and economy for generations to come,” Picente said in a statement. “Oneida County’s efforts over the last four years paved the way for non-aeronautical development at Griffiss’ Triangle site and we are proud to partner in making this transformative opportunity a reality.”
Before Chobani started building, the Triangle site was the largest tract of land left to be developed in the county and the largest shovel-ready site in the state.
Oneida County, the site’s owner, has been developing the site with partners Griffiss Local Development Corp., Mohawk Valley EDGE, C&S Companies and the City of Rome.
Hochul announced in April that Chobani will build the nation’s largest natural foods processing plant on 150 acres of the Triangle site, creating more than 1,000 jobs. The 1-to-1.5-milion square foot plant will be able to accommodate up to 28 production lines for the company’s products, which currently include yogurt, creamers, oat milk and LaColombe packaged coffee drinks.
Once the plant reaches full capacity, it will be capable of processing 12 million pounds of raw milk a day and of producing more than 1 billion pounds of dairy products a year, according to Chobani.
State economic development efforts have led to significant growth in the Mohawk Valley, MV EDGE President Shawna Papale said.
“(Hochul’s) leadership was pivotal in securing Chobani’s $1.2 billion facility in Rome, which began construction in April,” she said in a statement. “Strategic investments, including $51 million in FAST NY grants, have supported critical infrastructure and job creation. These efforts are positioning the region as a leading hub for advanced manufacturing and agribusiness.”
The state has also promised Chobani up to $73 million in performance-based Excelsior Jobs Program tax credits from Empire State Development based on the number of jobs the Rome plant creates.
Chobani founder and CEO Hamdi Ulukaya said when the plant was announced that he intends for the plant to serve as the catalyst for an ecosystem of food innovation.
“Chobani is New York made and with this investment in Rome, we’re building an ecosystem of farmers, partners and communities that will drive the natural food movement forward in the United States,” Chief Impact Officer Nishant Roy said in a statement. “This was an easy investment to make because of the leadership of Governor Hochul, Oneida County and the local community, and because of the region’s rich history of innovation and resilience.”
Chobani began in New York in a small former Breyers yogurt plant in West Edmeston that Chobani founder Hamdi Ulukaya bought in 2005. The company opened a second plant in Twin Falls, Idaho in 2012 and announced a $500 million expansion in Twin Falls in March.
Other FAST NY grants
The other FAST NY grants just announced went to the Webster Community Coalition for Economic Development, Inc. in Monroe County ($9.8 million); the Oswego County Industrial Development Agency ($8.1 million); the Broome County Industrial Development Agency ($500,000); and Greene County ($400,000).
FAST NY grants are awarded for pre-development activities and infrastructure investments to develop sites to attract certain industries: high-tech manufacturing, semiconductors, clean-tech renewable energy, life sciences, agribusiness, optics, transportation equipment, materials processing, industrial machinery manufacturing and other advanced manufacturing as well as uses for interstate distribution and logistics.
The grants began in February 2022 with an initial commitment of $200 million to diversify the state economy. Another $100 million was included in both the FY2025 and FY 2026 state budgets.
“New York State continues to build for the future by partnering with local agencies to create and grow the number of shovel-ready sites throughout upstate New York,” said Hope Knight, Empire State Development president, CEO and commissioner, in a statement. “By investing in the infrastructure that supports high-tech industries, we are building an ecosystem that promotes sustainable economic growth and helps to create good paying jobs for New Yorkers.”