Senate Bill S4481B

                                 BILL NUMBER:  S4481

 TITLE OF BILL :

An act authorizing the commissioner of general services to convey real
property at the St. Lawrence psychiatric center to the city of
Ogdensburg

 PURPOSE :

To convey certain surplus land at the St. Lawrence Psychiatric Center
to the city of Ogdensburg.

 SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS :

Section 1 authorizes the Commissioner of General Services to convey
certain specified land and improvements situated thereon, at the St.
Lawrence Psychiatric Center, to the city of Ogdensburg.

Section 2 describes the parcels of land at the St. Lawrence
Psychiatric Center which are to be conveyed to the city of Ogdensburg.

Section 3 provides that this act shall take effect immediately.

 JUSTIFICATION :

              

The St. Lawrence Psychiatric Center campus covers more than 400 acres,
including extensive frontage along the beautiful St. Lawrence River,
and access to highways and a major international border crossing.
Over the course of several decades, core services at the facility have
been centralized in just a few of the more than 100 buildings at the
site, and much of the land remains vacant and unused, excluded from
development and removed from local tax rolls.

Community leaders have long recognized the development potential for
this unused land and buildings, and the City of Ogdensburg proposes to
begin a long-term revitalization program utilizing these neglected
assets. Development of these parcels would transform underutilized
eyesores into major community assets that can help revitalize the
North Country's economy and serve as a model for the rest of the
state. The City envisions redeveloping approximately 160 acres of
surplus properties and buildings, arranged in four distinct sites
across the campus, for mixed use residential, recreational, commercial
and industrial purposes. Because the success of such an ambitious
redevelopment plan will rely on full support and aggressive action by
local community stakeholders, the City seeks transfer of these parcels
from the state.

One needs only to look at other recent examples to understand why
local control is critical to the success of redevelopment efforts
involving underused government-owned assets. Two such examples involve
the former Griffiss Air Force Base, and Governor's Island near Lower
Manhattan, where local control is allowing redevelopment after years
of delay. Such a visionary redevelopment effort would benefit Northern
New York and St. Lawrence County by attracting significant private
investment, creation of hundreds of construction and permanent jobs,
and returning hundreds of acres of now-exempt property to local tax
rolls.

 LEGISLATIVE HISTORY :

2014: S.6661 - Referred to Local Government / A.8943 - Referred to
Governmental Operations

 FISCAL IMPLICATIONS :

None.

 EFFECTIVE DATE :
This act shall take effect immediately.

                                BILL NUMBER:S4481A

TITLE OF BILL:  An act authorizing the commissioner of general
services to convey real property at the St. Lawrence psychiatric
center to the city of Ogdensburg

PURPOSE:

To convey certain surplus land at the St. Lawrence Psychiatric Center
to the city of Ogdensburg.

SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 authorizes the Commissioner of General Services to convey
certain specified land and improvements situated thereon, at the St.
Lawrence Psychiatric Center, to the city of Ogdensburg.

Section 2 describes the parcels of land at the St. Lawrence
Psychiatric Center which are to be conveyed to the city of Ogdensburg.

Section 3 provides that the description in § two of this act is not
intended to be a legal description but is only intended to identify
the premises to be conveyed. It is a condition of purchase that the
City of Ogdensburg submit to the commissioner of general services an
accurate survey and description of the lands generally described here.

              

Section 4 provides that the commissioner of general services shall not
grant the land description in § two of this act unless application and
improvements is made by the city of Ogdensburg within one year after
the effective date of this act.

Section 5 is the effective date.

JUSTIFICATION:

The St. Lawrence Psychiatric Center campus covers more than 400 acres,
including extensive frontage along the beautiful St.  Lawrence River,
and access to highways and a major international border crossing. Over
the course of several decades, core services at the facility have been
centralized in just a few of the more than 100 buildings at the site,
and much of the land remains vacant and unused, excluded from
development and removed from local tax rolls.  Community leaders have
long recognized the development potential for this unused land and
buildings, and the City of Ogdensburg proposes to begin a long-term
revitalization program utilizing these neglected assets. Development
of these parcels would transform underutilized eyesores into major
community assets that can help revitalize the North Country's economy
and serve as a model for the rest of the state. The City envisions
redeveloping approximately 160 acres of surplus properties and
buildings, arranged in four distinct sites across the campus, for
mixed use residential, recreational, commercial and industrial
purposes. Because the success of such an ambitious redevelopment plan
will rely on full support and aggressive action by local community
stakeholders, the City seeks transfer of these parcels from the state.

One needs only to look at other recent examples to understand why
local control is critical to the success of redevelopment efforts


involving underused government-owned assets. Two such examples involve
the former Griffiss Air Force Base, and Governor's Island near Lower
Manhattan, where local control is allowing redevelopment after years
of delay. Such a visionary redevelopment effort would benefit Northern
New York and St. Lawrence County by attracting significant private
investment, creation of hundreds of construction and permanent jobs,
and returning hundreds of acres of now-exempt property to local tax
rolls.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2014: S.6661 - Referred to Local Government / A.8943 - Referred to
Governmental Operations

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None.

EFFECTIVE DATE:

This act shall take effect immediately.