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Potsdam village board tables motion in favor of plan to renovate, restructure buildings on Clarkson's old downtown campus

Posted 11/21/17

By CRAIG FREILICH POTSDAM – The Board of Trustees has tabled a motion that would signal preliminary approval of a project proposed by a Missouri developer for renovation and restructuring the space …

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Potsdam village board tables motion in favor of plan to renovate, restructure buildings on Clarkson's old downtown campus

Posted

By CRAIG FREILICH

POTSDAM – The Board of Trustees has tabled a motion that would signal preliminary approval of a project proposed by a Missouri developer for renovation and restructuring the space in several buildings on Clarkson University’s old downtown campus.

Questions about the plan’s effects on existing local housing prompted the trustees to delay a vote until Mayor Ron Tischler, who was absent from Monday night’s meeting, can publicly provide his input.

Clarkson, the Vecino Group of Springfield, Mo. and the village and have been working on a revised plan called “The Quarry” with emphasis on housing development along lines similar to previous unsuccessful plans.

While the resolution is not an actual approval or go-ahead for the project, it is an essential part of the process. It signals to potential providers of grants and credits that the village views plans in a posti9ve light and invites those providers of funds to begin their official reviews.

The quorum at Monday night’s village board meeting consisted of trustees Steve Warr, Nick Sheehan and Abby Lee. Mayor Ron Tischler could not attend, it was explained, as he is recovering from surgery.

The resolution states that “the Vecino Group has worked diligently with Clarkson University to develop a strategy to acquire and adaptively re-use Old Snell Hall and Congdon Hall for a mixed-use development containing both affordable and market-rate residential apartments, business and professional office space and arts and cultural amenities…”

The resolution goes on to say that the board “states its strong support for The Quarry Project” and supports “the Vecino Group’s proposal for an allocation of federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credits and state Historic Preservation Tax Credits,” and other grant applications.

Some concern about the effect of the project on the local housing market was expressed by Trustee Sheehan.

Trustee Warr said that although he “hasn’t seen the scope of the project,” he supports its concept and would approve of Vecino’s applications for grants and credits.

The resolution must be passed before a Dec. 6 deadline for Vecino to apply for low-income housing credits. The next regular meeting of the board will be Dec. 4, and members agreed that was too close to the deadline.

Trustee Sheehan suggested that the board might wait until Tischler’s return so he can weigh in before the board votes on the resolution.

The board agreed unanimously to table the resolution and fix a date for a special meeting on the matter before then, when Mayor Tischler can attend.

A few attempts have been made to find a way to breather new life into Old Snell Hall and Congden Hall between Elm and Main streets and across from the library, museum and village offices, but they have failed, in at least one case when a developer reportedly balked at financing complications.

Clarkson itself had begun independently working to provide a business startup incubator in a nearby building in line with the university’s entrepreneurship research and education goals, and hopes were that would be a spark for further develo0ment.

Omni Development Corporation had been working with Clarkson and the village on a plan to convert the buildings into apartments, a small business development center, exhibition and retail space for the St. Lawrence County Arts Council, and provisions for the North Country Children’s Museum, among other plans.

Work on the apartments was to begin in the fall of 2015 and on other aspects of the plans the following summer. Some grants had been obtained but others were denied.

Omni pulled out of what was being billed as a $26 million project in spring 2016, but Clarkson said it would continue to pursue redevelopment.