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Developers Present Proposal For Key Area Of Plattsburgh Downtown Redevelopment

Prime Companies Vice President Todd Curley describes Durkee Street redevelopment proposal
Pat Bradley/WAMC
Prime Companies Vice President Todd Curley describes Durkee Street redevelopment proposal

One of the key areas in Plattsburgh to be redeveloped with New York state Downtown Revitalization Initiative funding is a large parking lot between the city center and the Saranac River. The project’s developer recently laid out the plans during a public forum.
Plattsburgh’s Project Advisory Committee for the Durkee Street Redevelopment Project has referred a proposal for the 3.4-acre site to the City Council.  
During the public forum at City Hall, Plattsburgh Director of Community Development Matthew Miller explained why the focus is on redeveloping Durkee Street.  “The Downtown Revitalization Initiative from Governor Cuomo’s office this was a $10 million funding infusion for the city. There was a long process that the city went through to determine which projects would be chosen and how much of that $10 million would be allocated towards each one. At the end of that process the state determined that the Durkee Street project promised the greatest benefit for the city and therefore was awarded the lion’s share of the funding: 4.3 million.”

Objectives for Durkee Street include a mixed-use development with connections to downtown and riverfront access. Request for proposals were received in November.  The plan from Prime Companies of Cohoes was chosen.  Vice President Todd Curley described the plan using renderings and illustrations.  “One thing that really attracted us to this site is being right here on the Saranac River, very attractive to us. I’ll just go through briefly what we have proposed here on the site. It’s roughly 127 market rate apartments as well as 13,000 square feet of commercial space. Something else that’s on the site that’s very important to us is the farmers’ market so we incorporated a large 7,500 square foot area for a farmers’ market. We know very sensitive to the city and rightfully so is parking. We know right now it’s a parking lot used by a lot of different uses One thing that we did design on here is a self-sufficient parking plan really to cover all the parking needs for this site specific. We’re trying to incorporate some more public parking onto the site. We are very early on to the process.”

Many of the questions for the staff of Prime Companies focused on parking, the farmers’ market, affordable housing and green space.  “Do you have a rough concept of how disruption there’s going to be and how long it’ll take to finish the project?’
“Do you have an overall projected cost of the whole thing on your part?”
Curley:  “Yeah I mean we have a ballpark number. I hate talking numbers this early on because most likely I’m going to be 30 percent low. But it’s a lot. We’re over 20 million bucks on a site like this you know and..”
“It’s more than the 10 million.”

Twin State Technologies CEO Devi Momot owns property in the city. “Our concern as building owners in the city and people that are investing in the city are for our businesses that have their retail establishments within the properties that we own also for our tenants. The location of the Durkee Street parking is ideal. There’s going to be need for compromise, open conversation, communication and collaboration and I think the recipe here’s for all those things.”

Mayor Colin Read says the project could transform the city.  “I’m glad it’s accommodated not only all their parking but really making a big effort to add more parking for the public as well.  And what I’m particularly happy with and the value I asked to have incorporated was to preserve both the Farmer’s Market and give us access to the riverfront. Now it’s right along the Saranac River but you can’t actually get there from there. So to widen that out, create a green space all along the river, connect it to the Saranac River Trail in a way that hadn’t been perceived to be connected in earlier phases of the trail I think is just going to be an absolute boon for our community.”

Parking is a major concern as the redevelopment would eliminate hundreds of downtown spaces. The city has implemented a management plan and a parking advisory committee has begun meeting to address displacement and alternatives.    
 

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