BY JOSH DAVISNorth Country This Week

CANTON– The former Triple A lumber yard on Gouverneur Street in Canton has been demolished to make way for a new local business.

The demolition cleared away a total of 6,400 square feet of buildings, including four abandoned lumber sheds and a building that previously held office space and apartments. 

The buildings were demolished to make way for a new office building and event space on the banks of the Grasse River, directly west of Willow Island park.  A proposed new building for the site includes two floors at 3,800 square feet each, plus a basement, though a site plan has not yet been reviewed for the location. Discussions of potential new construction have indicated that the building will be used primarily for office space. 

In May 2025, the village of Canton was awarded $749,997 in Restore NY funding to redevelop the site. At that time, Canton Village Mayor Michael Dalton expressed excitement about redeveloping the former lumber yard site, saying “we are always thrilled when we are able to obtain these grant awards for the Canton community.” 

In September, the  village board determined that demolishing the former lumber yard buildings located at 15 Gouverneur Street will not have an adverse environmental impact by completing a State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR).

The board will complete a second environmental review once a site plan is presented for the new construction.