BY JIMMY LAWTONNorth Country This Week

CANTON  — The demolition of Midtown Plaza is underway, clearing the way for a mixed-use project that will bring new apartments and a SUNY Canton entrepreneurship center to downtown Canton.

Vecino Group, the Village of Canton and SUNY Canton will mark the demolition at 3 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15, at the southwest corner of the Midtown Plaza property along Miner Street.

Village Mayor Michael E. Dalton and SUNY Canton President Zvi Szafran will speak at the event.

The $27.75 million project calls for a three-story, approximately 71,500-square-foot building on six parcels that will be consolidated into a single property. The development is planned to include 60 apartments, a 10,000-square-foot Innovation Center on the ground floor operated by SUNY Canton, and 2,500 square feet of commercial or retail space.

Dalton said the project’s move into demolition marks a significant change for a property that has remained vacant for years.

“The Village is excited to see the Midtown Plaza project moving into the next phase,” Dalton said. “Projects like this often take time to come together, and this is no exception. Now that funding and approvals for demolition are in place, it is important from a public safety perspective and extremely rewarding to see this huge step forward.”

Szafran said SUNY Canton is looking forward to continuing its partnership with the village and Vecino Group.

“SUNY Canton is thrilled to see this project moving forward after years of hard work and productive partnerships,” Szafran said. “We are grateful to the Village of Canton and the Vecino Group for believing in this transformative vision for Canton, and we look forward to our continued work together to bring it to life.”

The apartments are expected to include 51 one-bedroom units and nine two-bedroom units.

“This is an important step toward bringing Midtown Plaza back into the daily life of downtown Canton,” said Rob Holzman, vice president of planning and acquisitions for Vecino Group. “We’re honored to help shape its next chapter and grateful to the Village, SUNY Canton and our funding partners for their collaboration and commitment to moving this project forward.”

The project has changed over time as plans and financing have developed, but the central elements, housing and an innovation center,  have remained.

The Midtown Plaza property had been largely vacant since 2000, when its anchor tenant, Jubilee supermarket, closed. Rite Aid later occupied space at the plaza before leaving in 2018.

The Village of Canton purchased the property in 2023 and issued a request for proposals for its redevelopment. Vecino Group was selected for the project and is expected to own and manage the new development.

The village later acquired six parcels at 19 Miner St. from Garry Cohen, a New York City businessman, for $1.28 million.

The redevelopment has received substantial public support, including a $2 million Restore New York award for demolition, remediation and reconstruction; $2 million in NY Forward funding; $1.5 million in New York Power Authority power proceeds; $300,000 from National Grid; $2.6 million earmarked through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for the SUNY Canton College Foundation; and $1.35 million from Empire State Development.

The village's Restore New York award will help cover demolition, remediation and reconstruction work. The program is administered by Empire State Development.

The project also is proposed to receive a 33-year payment in lieu of taxes agreement. Under the proposed arrangement, annual payments would begin at $20,000 for the first three years, increase to $49,200 in the fourth year and rise over the remainder of the agreement.

PILOT payments would be distributed among the Village of Canton, Town of Canton, St. Lawrence County and Canton Central School District based on each jurisdiction’s share of property taxes.

The property has an assessed value of about $746,000 but currently generates no property-tax revenue because it is owned by the village. Under the proposed PILOT agreement, payments to the taxing jurisdictions would total nearly $160,000 during the first five years and more than $2 million over the 33-year term.