Potsdam village officials seek public comment about office building development on Lawrence Ave.

POTSDAM – Village officials are seeking public comments at meetings Oct. 15 and 18 about the proposed development of new office buildings on outer Lawrence Avenue.

Terra Development of Potsdam has petitioned the village Planning Board to re-zone roughly 14 acres at 59 Lawrence Ave. to allow for the development of new professional office buildings on the parcel, including a $1 million office for the New York State United Teachers Association (NYSUT).

Potsdam developer James E. Sheehan has asked the Planning Board to re-zone the property from residential (R-1) to B-2, which would allow for light business development, like the proposed office.

Sheehan is also seeking permission from the Planning Board to subdivide the parcel into five lots for more office buildings, although plans for future buildings beyond the NYSUT building are “conceptual at this point” according to Brooks Washburn, architect for Terra Development, Sheehan’s building company.

The village is inviting residents to express their opinions about the project at three upcoming public sessions. The Planning Board will meet at 10 a.m. on Oct. 15 to discuss the proposal, while the Potsdam Village Board is expected to take up the matter during two public hearings prior to its regular board meeting on Oct. 18. The first hearing at 7 p.m. will be to seek comments on the project’s State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR) Environmental Assessment, while general comments about the proposal will be heard at the second public hearing, which will begin at 7:15 p.m.

A copy of the SEQR assessment is available for viewing on the Village of Potsdam’s website: http://www.vi.potsdam.ny.us/Lawrence_Ave_B2_Rezoning_EAF.pdf

Residents are also encouraged to submit written comments about the proposal prior to the public hearings. Written public comments should be submitted to Village Clerk Lori Queor at: [email protected].

A previous request by Sheehan asking for a zoning designation of “planned unit development” for the site was not recommended by the county Planning Board and not approved by the village.