Redevelopment efforts in Rotterdam Junction highlighted in the Brownfield Opportunity Area study might be achieved more swiftly since floodwaters ripped through the community.
The final Brownfield study was discussed during a presentation at the Rotterdam Town Board meeting on Wednesday, May 9, a landmark achieved after a six-year process. The town applied for funding in 2006 and was awarded a $150,000 grant from the state in March 2008. Town Planner Peter Comenzo said the town has worked to finalize the study during the last two-and-a-half years.
“Really, the reason why we were looking at the study is we were trying to come up with ways to revitalize Rotterdam Junction, come up with an identity for Rotterdam Junction and to try to look at ways we could come up with a future plan for the town,” Comenzo said.
The town had completed the study months ago, he said, but a wrench was thrown into those plans when Tropical Storms Irene and Lee caused significant damage to the community.
“We got to the very final product … and then we had the floods,” he said.
He said the town and Laberge Group reevaluated the study to see how things have changed within Rotterdam Junction after flooding. The town had done a “windshield survey” of houses and graded them, but after the flooding there were “major changes,” he said.
Comenzo said presenting the study without consideration of what happened during the floods and setting the study aside would have been “a slap in the face” for Rotterdam Junction residents.
Though the flooding brought destruction, it could also be a catalyst to spur funding for the project.
“By having such a tragic event here, we are going to try to keep the momentum going,” Comenzo said. “It is easy to just put your hands up and walk away because it can be very frustrating to deal with some of those larger state and federal agencies.”
Several Rotterdam Junction residents attending the Town Board meeting questioned the length of time the study has taken to be completed, but Comenzo said it is a long process.
“It has taken us six years to get to this,” he said. “As much as I can move things forward, we are trying to keep the momentum going. As you go up the chain things get more and more difficult to deal with.”
Comenzo said it can be a “very frustrating process, because it takes forever.”
He said having the study completed would position the town better to obtain grants and funding available through recovery efforts to repair flood-damaged areas.
“They are looking for a plan,” he said, “They are not looking to just hand out money to a community and say, ‘Go ahead and fix something,’ or, ‘Go ahead and build something.’”
Comenzo said the benefit of the area being spotlighted in the media is the town is receiving calls from state agencies asking how they can help.
“It was a very odd event that happened down here, where you had water that was essentially going uphill and there is a lot of issues with things that make it plugged up and we want to have it straightened out,” Comenzo said.
In February, Rotterdam was awarded a $50,000 grant from the New York Department of State’s Long-Term Community Recovery Strategy Grant program, which will be used study drainage in Rotterdam Junction.
Comenzo said the town is looking to secure an engineering firm this summer to look at the varying elevations and study what current conditions are in the area.
Supervisor Harry Buffardi said the town has been in “preliminary discussions” with National Grid to serve as a partner in drainage improvements. He said National Grid is already looking along the same area to do trenching, which could be a $300,000 to $400,000 project.
“If we partner with (National Grid) they would have to bear the expense of doing that, so this engineering grant might turn into a lot of free money for the town and benefit Rotterdam Junction,” Buffardi said. “We certainly can’t control Mother Nature, but the mitigation of the water going away is always going to be here.”
The Brownfield study broke down Rotterdam Junction into four subareas: the Mohawk Hudson Bike-Hike Trail, Upper Rotterdam Junction, Lower Rotterdam Junction and Waterfront/Cultural. The study area included 624 acres and 16 underutilized sites and eight strategic sites were identified.
“Looking at other land uses that would be compatible with the aquifer was the key component of this study area, which made this Brownfield Opportunity Area very unique compared to other ones across the state,” said Nicole Allen, planning services manager of Laberge.
There were two key areas for improvement identified in the study for the Mohawk Hudson Bike-Hike Trail subarea, which included connecting the trail where it is separated and creating an appealing overlook for the Old Erie Canal Lock 25 site. Expanding the recreational park, creating an RV park or continuing light industrial uses were recommended for the area.
The Upper Rotterdam Junction subarea was targeted for façade improvements and general appearance enhancements. Rezoning Main Street to encourage small-scale mixed use, rezoning Woestina Elementary School for future reuse and adopting design guidelines were also recommended.
The Waterfront/Cultural subarea was targeted for a multi-purpose trail along the Mohawk River that would connect to Main Street. Constructing boat tie-ups along the Mohawk River was recommended to encourage recreational usage. Also, adopting rural streetscape standards was recommended for the area.
Redevelopment of the Canal Corporation’s surplus property was targeted for the Lower Rotterdam Junction subarea, along with providing additional recreation connections to the Bike-Hike Trail and adopting rural streetscape standards.
Allen said the Department of State is still in the process of reviewing its comments on the study, but it has accepted the plan and approved applying for implementation funds.
“It is a mix of opportunities that are coming from this planning process,” she said.
There are several grant opportunities available for the town, which include the Main Street grant program, Environmental Protection Fund and Local Waterfront Revitalization Program. Also, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s HOME Investment Partnerships Program will be available soon.
“In terms of putting together the players that we can go after … that is where we are ahead of the game in having this plan to go,” Comenzo said.
The Main Street grant would require the town to apply for it, but having business owners expressing support for the funding would strengthen the likelihood of receiving funding. Business owners would be required to match 25 percent of funds awarded with a maximum award of $50,000. The town is required to match any funding for the grant.
“Any improvements done to the streetscape would be a free grant to the town,” Allen said.
Buffardi urged business owners to send a letter to the town expressing support for the Main Street grant with the specific intent of how businesses would plan to use funds.
“The more letters we get and the more intent we have and the easier it is going to be for us to support the grant application,” Buffardi said.
The EPF grant is a 50-50 matching grant available for the town, with a maximum awarded amount of $150,000. The Local Waterfront Revitalization Program would only require the town to match 10 percent of funding awarded, which is “much larger project scope,” said Allen. The trail gap, state Canal Corporation properties and anything would be eligible for Waterfront grant.
