CANTON – The Village of Canton is now looking for potential players in the development of the former Midtown Plaza at 19 Miner Street.
At a special meeting on March 27, the village board …
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CANTON – The Village of Canton is now looking for potential players in the development of the former Midtown Plaza at 19 Miner Street.
At a special meeting on March 27, the village board approved the acceptance of Request for Proposals (RFPs) for the property.
“We are looking for developers although we have a developer who has shown interest,” stated Mayor Michael Dalton. “It just makes sense to seek RFPs.”
The deadline to submit RFPs is noon on April 30.
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.
These funds can only be used to construct an Entrepreneurship Center. Project proposals that do not include approximately 15,000 square feet designated for the Entrepreneurship Center will not have access to these funds. The developer must follow the rules/guidelines for each grant to access these funds. The expectation is that these funds for construction will be in lieu of substantial lease payments for the space housing the Entrepreneurship Center.
In addition, the Village of Canton has been awarded a NY Forward grant and anticipates that the project developer would submit an application under the program’s open call for projects. This is expected to be announced in May or June of 2024.
Proposals should include, at a minimum, the following:
Describe your development intentions – including, but not limited to:
specifications listed above;
our investment in the site;
Proposals should be clearly marked on the outside as follows and mailed or delivered to: RFP–Canton Midtown Project, Attn: Leigh Rodriguez, Village of Canton, 60 Main Street, Canton, NY 13617
Selection will be made on or after May 1, 2024 with contracts awarded after any applicable New York State agency review.
All questions about this RFP should be directed to Leigh Rodriguez, Director of Economic Development, at (315) 386-2871 #5 or lrodriguez@cantonny.gov.