Orange County’s Push for Advanced Manufacturing Gets Major Boost
STEAM Site in the Village of Maybrook
Just before the holidays, New York State announced a major shovel-ready grant that will catapult Orange County into the high growth advanced manufacturing arena in short order.
In a major win for Orange County’s push to secure high-tech manufacturing investment, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced last month that the Village of Maybrook was awarded a $25.48-million FAST NY grant to upgrade the former Maybrook Rail Yard site for future high-tech manufacturing use. The Village of Maybrook secured the largest of the more than $43 million in Round 7 FAST NY grants awarded recently the state.
The Maybrook award will allow for the development of the Switchyard Terminal for Economic and Advanced Manufacturing (STEAM) Rail & Business Park at the long-vacant Maybrook Rail Yard. The grant will fund infrastructure installation, improvements and expansions set to benefit roads, water, sewer, and drainage infrastructure. The result will be six building-pad sites accessible via the existing Middletown, New Jersey rail line.
Conor Eckert, president and CEO of the Orange County Partnership in a viewpoint published in Real Estate In-Depth, highlighted the importance the FAST NY grant will have on economic development efforts in Orange County.
“Across the Hudson Valley, and particularly in Orange County, economic development efforts have moved decisively toward execution. Industrial and commercial development sites are being delivered with zoning in place, utilities secured, and entitlement pathways clearly defined—compressing timelines and reducing development risk. A core pillar of Orange County’s economic development strategy is the advancement of “unique sites”— locations with significant utility capacity, brownfield redevelopment potential, or strategic assets such as rail access.,” Eckert noted.
Referencing the FAST NY award for the STEAM Park project, Eckert related that the vision for the Maybrook project “is centered on speed, predictability, and direct rail service for companies in the food and beverage, packaging, materials, and processing sectors. When completed, Orange County will have a fully shovel-ready park with six rail-served pad sites, equipped with municipal infrastructure. Rather than treating infrastructure, incentives, workforce development, and approvals as sequential steps, the project integrates them from the outset. For real estate decision-makers, this model delivers certainty and speed to groundbreaking.”
The vision for Orange County to become a player in advanced manufacturing is no longer a dream, it is a reality. In his viewpoint, Eckert emphasized: “Today, the Hudson Valley and Orange County are emerging as one of the Northeast’s most execution-ready platforms for industrial development and advanced manufacturing investment. What distinguishes the market now is not location alone, but preparedness: shovel-ready sites and spec buildings, coordinated infrastructure, rail access, and a workforce strategy aligned with employer demand.”
He added, “With modern industrial inventory, rail connectivity, market access, and a more integrated development model, the market is positioned to capture investment that previously bypassed the Northeast. Orange County, working in coordination with regional partners, is helping translate that preparedness into execution. For companies planning expansion in 2026 and beyond, the Hudson Valley and Orange County offer a compelling alternative—one defined not just by proximity, but by readiness.”
