BY CRAIG FREILICH
North Country This Week

POTSDAM -- The board of trustees has voted to forward to the village Planning Board a rezoning request for the former Dealmaker Honda property on Maple Street.

Clarkson University bought the Maple Street building and property from P.J. Simao’s Prime LLC real estate company for $900,000. They plan to move their Facilities Department from downtown nearer to the main Hill Campus.

The university has asked that the lot be rezoned from B-1, business, to SCH, school. The Planning Board must review the request before making a recommendation to the trustees.

The county Planning Board has already performed their review and, expressing no concerns, returned the matter to the village for local action.

That could come as soon as Thursday, the tentative date of the next village Planning Board meeting, according to Chairman Jim Corbett. After their review and recommendation, the question would then go back to the Board of Trustees for final action.

The dealership building has sat empty since Simao’s Dealmaker Honda dealership closed in July 2010 after less than two years of operation.

Despite the loss of property tax revenue from the site that is now owned by a tax-exempt college, it will be a benefit to the community by converting an “eyesore” into an active property, according to the village.

Clarkson can use the building for any purpose that falls under its educational mission, but could be subject to taxation again if it is used for any commercial service or retail business, but that is not part of its stated plan.