The Village of Canton has set an April 30 deadline for developers interested in investing in the Midtown Plaza project in Canton.

Director of Economic Development Leigh Rodriguez is seeking Request for Proposals (RFPs) for the property which features six parcels.

“The Village of Canton is seeking proposals from qualified persons or entities to purchase and develop the former Midtown Plaza and associated properties,” a village website release states.

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.

Proposals should include, at a minimum, the following:

    1    Describe your development intentions – including, but not limited to:

    2    The vision for the proposed reuse of the property, including how it will achieve the specifications listed above;

•   a detailed description of the proposed use and the specific proposed improvements (may include number of units, building stories, commercial square footage, housing class, or commercial tenants);
•   feasibility of the project and characterization of the potential impact and benefits of the project on the downtown and surrounding region;
•   description of any challenges or obstacles to completion of the project;
•   description of proposed technologies for sustainable development, green construction standards, energy efficiency, and decarbonization:
•   a description of how the project will consider and/or incorporate resiliency measures;
•   how the proposer intends to address regulatory requirements, such as consistency with locally adopted plans, the zoning code, required state and local approvals, SEQRA status, permitting status, and/or potential regulatory hurdles;
•   description of any work or planning done previously on the proposed project. If the proposer has any preliminary designs, plans and/or site layout (no matter what point in the design process), those materials should be provided;
•   precedent imagery should be included along with an explanation of site planning considerations;
•   description of how the community will be engaged in the planning process.

Selection will be made on or after May 1, 2024 with contracts awarded after any applicable New York State agency review.