BY PAUL MITCHELLNorth Country This Week

CANTON – The Village of Canton has extended the deadline for proposals from qualified persons or entities to purchase and develop the former Midtown Plaza and associated properties.

The deadline is now Tuesday, June 11, at noon. Responses should be submitted to the Canton Office of Economic Development at 60 Main Street, Canton, NY 13617.

“We had people interested who needed more time,” stated Mayor Michael Dalton. 

The original deadline was April 30.

The full request for proposals (RFP) can be viewed on the Canton Municipal Website at www.cantonny.gov - the homepage has a link for more information, or you can utilize the search function to search “request for proposal” to locate it. Interested parties are encouraged to review the RFP in depth to ensure submission of a complete proposal.

For questions or more information, please contact Leigh Rodriguez, Director of Economic Development at (315)386-2871 #5 or lrodriguez@cantonny.gov.

Information is available at

https://cantonny.gov/request-for-proposals-ownership-and-development-of-midtown-plaza/

The Village of Canton has been working with SUNY Canton and the Canton College Foundation for a number of years to re-envision this space. In May of 2023, the Village took ownership of the six parcels that make up the plaza for $1,280,000. The purpose of the project is to transform this blighted, dilapidated plaza at the center of Canton’s downtown into a mixed-use development offering new live/work housing options, premium commercial space, and at its core an Entrepreneurship Center to be operated by SUNY Canton under the conditions of a long-term lease, which will ignite innovation, spur the creation of new businesses, and be the catalyst for enduring economic and community growth, according to a village document.

To date, substantial grant funding has been secured. The Village has been awarded $2,000,000 from the Restore NY program that will be used toward demolition of the existing structures and abatement of anticipated hazardous materials. Abatement and demolition may begin before this contract is awarded.

SUNY Canton and its Foundation have been awarded funds to support the development of a 15,000 square foot Entrepreneurship Center which will be the anchor tenant. The funding includes $1,322,000 from Empire State Development, $2,641,000 via a congressional  earmark to be funneled through the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and $111,326 from the Northern Border Regional Commission.