The state budget that lawmakers are expected to pass today includes $300 million to help lay the groundwork for Micron Technology’s computer chip manufacturing plants in Central New York.
The funding represents a milestone for the planned $100 billion Micron campus in Syracuse’s northern suburbs, setting aside the first government incentives promised for the massive project.
Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office confirmed the budget includes $200 million to pay for roads and other infrastructure improvements for Micron’s 1,400-acre campus at White Pine Commerce Park in the town of Clay.
Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon told syracuse.com | The Post-Standard that the state money would likely be used to improve access to the Micron campus.
McMahon said he has talked with state officials about adding new exits and on-ramps to Interstates 81 and 481 to handle the increased traffic to the Micron site at Route 31 and Caughdenoy Road.
The budget also sets aside $100 million from the state toward a $500 million community investment fund aimed at making sure the Micron project provides economic benefits for all of Central New York, according to the governor’s office.
Micron has agreed to provide an additional $250 million for the community fund, with the remaining $150 million coming from other local, state and national partners.
State officials say money from the community investment fund will be used to make sure Micron’s project benefits underrepresented people, while supporting programs to expand child care, affordable housing, workforce development and diversity in the labor force.
Hochul met with Micron officials in a visit to Syracuse on Friday, after reaching a tentative agreement with legislative leaders on the state budget.
During that visit, the governor and Micron President and CEO Sanjay Mehrotra announced they have chosen 14 people to lead an advisory group that will help guide the company’s investments in the community.
The group will be co-chaired by Melanie Littlejohn, a vice president at National Grid, and Tim Penix, vice president of the Syracuse Educational Opportunity Center.
Micron, based in Boise, Idaho, conducted a nationwide search before choosing the Central New York site for the biggest investment in the company’s history.
The company said its four planned chip fabrication plants in the town of Clay would directly employ up to 9,000 people over 20 years and create up to 40,000 supply-chain jobs in the region.
The budget deal reached by Hochul and state legislative leaders also includes $45 million to establish the Governor’s Office of Semiconductor Expansion, Management, and Integration, or GO-SEMI.
The office will oversee Micron’s project and lead a broader effort to develop New York’s semiconductor industry. The office also will coordinate the state’s efforts with local and federal partners.
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