BY ADAM ATKINSONNorth Country This Week

POTSDAM – Plans for a major expansion into a brand new store for the Potsdam Food Co-op have passed a state regulatory hurdle and the project is moving forward.

“After many months of planning, collaboration, and patience, we have officially cleared one of the final major regulatory hurdles for our expansion project,” said  Jessie LaRose, General Manager & Expansion Project Lead, in a message to Co-op members. 

LaRose said that the New York State Historic Preservation Office completed a review of the work and the new facility planned at the current co-op property at 24 Elm Street and issued a finding of No Adverse Impact, allowing the project to move forward. 

“This milestone represents a tremendous amount of work behind the scenes. We know the process of expansion has taken longer than many of us anticipated, and we are deeply grateful for your patience and continued support throughout,” LaRose said in the message. 

In a separate email conversation with North Country This Week, the general manager said the review was part of the process for the project to access its allotment of state Downtown Revitalization Initiative grants that the village of Potsdam received in 2018. 

"Consultation with the New York State Historic Preservation Office (NYSHPO) was a required step in completing the environmental review process under our Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) grant agreement. Now that those requirements have been met, we're excited to move ahead with the planning and development of our new store,” told North Country This Week. 

The new 3,000-square-foot store will be constructed on the lot behind where the current building is located. Plans and architectural rendering show a modern, larger building with easier accessibility, larger grocery areas and other improvements. 

The Potsdam Food Co-op has been operating in the community since the 1970s, first as a buyer’s club established in 1972 and then evolving into a member’s owned, community grocery store focused on organic and sustainable goods and products. The membership has owned the current building on Elm Street since the early 1990s. 

However, as the Co-op has grown and expanded over the years, becoming something of a hub for locally grown and produced food products and sustainably produced goods, the current space has sometimes felt a bit cramped.

An expansion project was included in the village’s original DRI project list, and involved a relocation to Market Street, however after a purchase deal fell through, Co-op management opted to stay at the familiar Elm Street location and build a new store there. 

The project will be partially funded by a $1.659 million DRI grant award. 

In the message to the membership, LaRose said the project team will now focus on final design work, securing financing, and preparing for construction. 

The general manager said raising local capital to help fund the project along with the DRI grant and other financing will be a key piece moving forward. 

So far the co-op has raised almost $2 million in grants for the project. 

The total project cost expected is around $5 million. 

“Although the Co-op will rely on bank financing for a significant portion of this cost, reducing the amount of debt we take on will help strengthen our financial position and support the Co-op's long-term success,” she said. 

The C0-op board of directors is eyeing ways that members can invest in the project, including a preferred shares system and its ongoing capital campaign. 

"We know there's been a great deal of interest in the timeline for this project, and we truly appreciate everyone's patience and enthusiasm,” LaRose said. “Bringing a project of this scale to life involves many moving parts and requires significant planning, coordination, and investment from a wide range of professionals. While we understand it may seem like progress has been slow, we're committed to doing this the right way and ensuring the project is built to serve our community for years to come. We're proud of the progress we've made so far and confident the finished result will be well worth the wait."

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