A recently released feasibility study outlines possible redevelopment of the former Clinton Community College campus at Bluff Point. It recommends reuse that includes housing, recreation and adaptive reuse of existing buildings.
After 56 years teaching students, fiscal challenges led Clinton Community College to relocate to the SUNY Plattsburgh campus last year.
Clinton County owns the 102 acres where the college had been sited. The main building, built in 1911, is a 50,000-square-foot, 5-story former upscale hotel offering sweeping views of Lake Champlain.
The recommendations of the recent feasibility study include workforce and market-rate housing, all-season recreation, hospitality and dining opportunities and preservation of the property’s historic character and views of Lake Champlain. The county legislature must approve any redevelopment proposals.
Legislature chair Republican Mark Henry emphasizes that the legislature has an open mind on potential reuse.
“I know there’s a lot in there to unpack. There are still things left to do. But we don’t have any preconceived notions. This is what might be, as they say, feasible. I think the legislature’s looking at this as an outline. One of the important things that’s in there, and we will try to act on as quickly as possible, is the housing part of that. But we still have an open mind.”
County Industrial Development Agency Executive Director Molly Ryan says the study offers a flexible and realistic starting point for redevelopment.
“The most realistic is what’s identified in phase one and that’s housing. First of all we know housing is critically needed in Clinton County. We have the Housing Needs Assessment that indicates we need 1,100 units over the next five years. This would take a small stab at that. You know, we need all types of housing across Clinton County. But the 10 acres of workforce housing really was the first target and likely the most attainable.”
Ryan says this final study deviates from initial ideas for the property.
“There were three concepts initially. One of them in particular focused very heavily on manufacturing which most of the general public and the legislature were not in favor of. So, you know, that was removed. It kind of became picking the best things of all those three things. And I think the bigger thing is how it’s being phased. The first phase was initially thought of as getting a big anchor tenant there, whereas now the focus is on drawing more people through housing and then looking at alternatives for development on the top of the hill.”
The feasibility study estimates the cost of the redevelopment, coined Voyage Champlain, to be $240 million. Henry points out that will be spread out over multiple phases and years.
“$240 million is a lot of money. But if you look around at large projects across the state and the country, that’s not an impossible sum and obviously, of course, there’s developers involved in that. There’s private money involved in that. So it would be not accurate to say that Clinton County taxpayers are going to pony up $240 million for this.”
Ryan also emphasizes that taxpayers will not bear the redevelopment costs.
“The $240 million price tag doesn’t come at the cost of the taxpayer. That is going to be the efforts of the economic development office combined with the industrial development agency of the county to secure grant funding, to work with public-private partnerships. And most of that cost will be borne by the developers who will undoubtedly see a return on their investment.”
Henry acknowledges there is some impatience in the community to move forward. But he expects that it will be a couple years before any project groundbreaking due to the time it will take for fundraising and permitting.
“I think it’s important to mention it’s a little unfair for folks to say well you’ve been talking about this for 2 years. Well, first off, the college was there for the first year so nothing’s going to happen then. And secondly, they just got moved and thirdly, we just got the feasibility study. So, while this has been a topic of conversation among the community for a while it was never in an okay we’ve got a plan, let’s start doing things.”
Ryan says the actual redevelopment will take into account public and stakeholder input.
“The biggest thing that we heard is that people want to see some sort of public access preserved up there. It’s been a landmark in this county for many, many years and so making sure that some of the integrity of that is maintained is important.”
The Clinton County Industrial Development Agency is currently applying for grants to advance site, infrastructure, subdivision and marketing plans.
