BY PAUL MITCHELL
North Country This Week

CANTON – Monday can only be described as an eventful day in the Village of Canton.

Not only did the village close on the Midtown Plaza property, but also received word the village had been awarded $2 million through the Restore New York Communities Initiative.

That money will be used to demolish the dilapidated structure and help pay for asbestos abatement.

The purchase price for the six parcels at 19 Miner Street was $1,280,000. Garry Cohen, a New York City businessman, has owned five of the six parcels since 1980. Vern Green owned the sixth parcel.

The plaza has basically sat idle since 2000 when the plaza’s anchor business, the Jubilee grocery store closed its doors. Rite Aid vacated the plaza in 2018.

The village did not receive an additional $10 million in special project funding included in the grant application.

“I’m thrilled to death we got what we got,” said Mayor Michael Dalton. “This funding helps with the expense of the whole project.”

In terms of the closing, Dalton applauded Community Bank who arranged the financing.

“Community Bank is very supportive of our community and what we’re trying to accomplish,” he stated. “By closing on this property we’ve created the opportunity to progress. Hopefully this is a sign of good things to come.”

“This has been a long time coming. The board has been working very hard over the past few years to make this happen,” said the mayor at that time.

Canton Director of Economic Developer Leigh Rodriguez agreed.

“There is no secret that this property has been an area of concern for the Village for decades. This $2 million Restore NY grant will enable the Village to move forward with an opportunity to transform this critical space which will revitalize and bring new life to our downtown,” Rodriguez stated.

“Years of extensive collaboration and teamwork have gotten us to this point. Our partners have been invaluable in the process, and we look forward to continuing to work with them through the site’s redevelopment that will have a huge impact on our community,” she added. “It’s an exciting day for Canton!”

In March, the village board unanimously approved a resolution to purchase the Midtown Plaza.

The plan is to turn the plaza property into a mixed-use development offering diverse housing options including a SUNY Canton Entrepreneurship Center on the first floor. The upper levels would have 45 residential units. The estimated cost of the project is $21 million. SUNY Canton has secured around $4 million toward the project.