Jamestown Director of Development Crystal Surdyk addresses City Council on Restore NY Grant application request (September 26, 2022)

A request to apply for a $500,000 Restore New York grant to redevelop the Furniture Mart Building has been approved by Jamestown City Council.

Director of Development Crystal Surdyk said Savarino Companies of Buffalo would be the developer of the building at 111 West Second Street. She said they have a negotiated offer to buy the 172,217 square foot building from owner Art Bailey along with at least two other nearby parcels. The property is currently assessed at $800,000.

Surdyk said other properties were looked at downtown for the Restore New York program, but only the Furniture Mart Building project was far enough long to meet criteria to apply to Empire State Development Corporation.

She said that criteria includes the building being vacant, or 50% not occupied, “The community must be qualified as a disadvantaged community, it must be in a Brownfield Opportunity Area, it also needs an Empire Zone qualification, feasibility and readiness need to be completed, committed financing, expected to start within 12 months, induce commercial investment, and improve local housing, and leverage other state and federal programs.”

Surdyk said the property will be mixed use with low-income and market rate apartments, “As far as the rest of the building program, they’re anticipating a mix of apartments, a boutique hotel, and then the rest will be commercial.”

Surdyk addressed a concern raised by citizen Pete Miraglia about parking in the area, “There are two other parcels that are part of the package. So, as Mr. Miraglia mentioned, in the past there had been discussions about doing a parking ramp. That is still part of this plan and would not fall on the city. That would be part of the development and the developer would be responsible for that parking ramp.”

The Furniture Mart Building project did receive $1,346,000 in Consolidated Funding Application monies in 2019 which Surdyk said is unexpended. She said Savarino will have access to use that funding addition to whatever grant funds received. She anticipates they also will be applying for Historic Tax Credits in addition to other funding for the project.

If the Restore New York grant is awarded, the City of Jamestown would be required to provide a 10%, or $50,000, match. Surdyk did not say where that funding would come from at this time.

1061 Allen Street

An Allen Street industrial property in danger of collapsing is also under investigation by the State Department of Environmental Conservation and Environmental Protection Agency for contamination.

The property is located at 1061 Allen Street is owned by Allen Street Development LLC whose principal owners are Richard Rusiniak and his wife of Cheektowaga. The building used to be part of the former Crawford Furniture’s complex.

Jamestown Director of Development Crystal Surdyk said the City has cited the property numerous times in Housing Court, with Friday, January 21 being the most recent appearance. Mr. Rusiniak, nor any associates, appeared at Friday’s hearing.

Surdyk said the City is trying to get Mr. Rusiniak to secure the property and make it safe, “We have been working with the EPA and now the DEC on really assessing the site and determining what and where the potential hazards are. There are known hazards. It’s really just a matter of getting that full assessment of where all that is located. The building itself, a large portion of it, is collapsing and so there is serious concern there.”

Surdyk said they have serious concerns that if the building collapsed, anyone inside could be injured, “We also have a very serious concern about fire. It is attractive because you can enter the premises and there’s a lot going on in there. There have been some known thefts. So it’s a potential fire hazard, so it’s just an attractive nuisance.”

Surdyk added the City would like to see a controlled demolition of the back portion of the structure. She said the brick structure closer to Allen Street is in good shape and could be redeveloped.

She said with the property being located in a Brownfield Opportunity Area and its history of being part of furniture manufacturing, she contacted the EPA for guidance, “That led them to decide that they needed to take a closer look at it. The ended up coming down and doing their own independent investigation. They actually are in town right now [Friday] doing some additional investigation. We met with them yesterday and the DEC on site. The DEC has a history with this property owner. There are a number of other properties they have been working with him on to get cleaned up.”

Surdyk added the EPA is also doing an assessment and testing with all agencies collaborating to ensure all hazards are mitigated. She said the DEC and EPA are each pursuing independent actions against the property owners.

In Housing Court, Judge George Panebianco adjourned the case until Friday, February 4 in hopes that the property owners would appear and also ordered that Mr. Rusiniak should continue clean-up of the junk and debris on the site.

The brownfield area in Jamestown that will be covered by a state grant awarded to the city in 2013. (Image from Jamestownny.net)

JAMESTOWN – Residents who want to provide input on how to redevelop an area of land near the Chautauqua Lake outlet in Jamestown will want to attend a public meeting next week at the Jackson Cetner.

At 6:30 p.m. Tuesday city officials and Brownfield project consultants from Joy Kuebler Landscape Architect will host a public informational meeting on how to possibly redevelop the Chadakoin River West Brownfield Opportunity Area.

The land covers the area from Washington Street to Jones and Gifford Avenue and from the border of the city around Clifton Avenue to McCrea Point Park.

Brownfields are dormant properties where the presence or potential presence of contamination has impeded site redevelopment, turning the properties into economic and environmental drains on localities. The BOA grants provide funding for municipalities to implement revitalization strategies that are necessary in order to redevelop impacted sites. Once redeveloped, brownfield sites become community assets that can attract businesses, jobs, and ultimately expand the local tax base.

The redevelopment study is being conducted to due to a $269,000 state grant awarded in 2013.

For more information, visit the website chadakoinrevitalization.com.

The study is a 24-month planning effort focused on opportunities for economic development and community recreation along the Jamestown riverfront.

The City of Jamestown recently completed draft documents during the implementation of three NY State planning grants targeted at the Chadakoin River and the properties near the River. These grants include two Brownfield Opportunity Area (BOA) studies and a Local Waterfront Revitalization Program (LWRP) study.

The purpose of the BOA studies are to advance the redevelopment of underutilized, abandoned, or contaminated commercial and industrial sites within two designated study areas, and the purpose of the LWRP is to provide a framework for the revitalization of Riverfront properties and to enhance connections between the River and other parts of the City.

To make the most effective and efficient use of the grant funds, the City elected to merge the separate studies into one project. As part of the planning project, the City has sought community input at various times during the project. Wednesday’s meeting will serve as the final meeting in this stage of the project. It will provide a brief overview of the project scope and results of various analyses, and discuss the proposed redevelopment plans that resulted from these efforts. The public will be given an opportunity to comment on the plans during the meeting.

The meeting will be conducted by LaBella Associates, P.C. in conjunction with the Jamestown Urban Renewal Agency and the City of Jamestown Waterfront Advisory Committee. The effort builds upon existing plans, including the City’s Urban Design Plan.

Completion of the additional planning efforts will help the City, as well as businesses and property owners in the area, with obtaining grants and financial incentives for riverfront redevelopment.

The brownfield area in Jamestown that will be covered by a state grant awarded this week to the city. (Image from Jamestownny.net)

ALBANY – The city of Jamestown will be getting nearly $270,000 in funding from New York State to help redevelop several brownfield sites on the west side of town.

On Thursday afternoon, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that the state will be giving out more than $10 Million in funding through the Brownfield Opportunity Areas (BOA) grants to a total of 26 different communities across new York, including Jamestown.

Specifically, Jamestown will get $269,100 for its Chautauqua Lake Revitalization Plan. [Download PDF]. With the funding, the development officials will complete a revitalization plan to redevelop former industrial properties for commercial use in a 710-acre area of the city that is  characterized with 15 brownfield sites located between Chautauqua Lake and downtown.

Brownfields are dormant properties where the presence or potential presence of contamination has impeded site redevelopment, turning the properties into economic and environmental drains on localities. The BOA grants provide funding for municipalities to implement revitalization strategies that are necessary in order to redevelop impacted sites. Once redeveloped, brownfield sites become community assets that can attract businesses, jobs, and ultimately expand the local tax base.