Grant

Plattsburgh’s Common Council will be holding a public discussion on Thursday night on whether to move forward on potentially revitalizing some vacant properties in the city.Councilors will vote on one of those spaces at the meeting, with the initiative part of the Restore New York Grant Program.The City of Plattsburgh wants to send an application to New York State requesting $2.5 million to establish a downtown boutique hotel and restaurant. Common Council will vote on the proposal, with residents getting an opportunity to express their thoughts on the project.The building on 2 Brinkerhoff Street in Downtown Plattsburgh was built in 1921 and most recently served as a bank.However, for the last several years, the property has been totally vacant. Now, officials believe this is their chance to revitalize the property thanks to the Restore New York grant program. City officials think a hotel and restaurant will best serve the space and the city.”With this proposal, it’s to take what’s been a vacant building that’s sitting right in the four corners of our historic downtown and turn it into a viable economic opportunity for not just residents, but obviously for tourists, for downtown businesses and for the community as a whole,” said Plattsburgh Community Engagement Coordinator Courtney Meisenheimer.Earlier this year, New York State launched a program for municipalities to receive financial assistance with the intent to redevelop vacant properties into housing or commercial space.The City of Plattsburgh is looking to do just that with 2 Brinkerhoff. But some downtown business owners, like Joshua Forster, who owns The Hidden Gem, have concerns about how a hotel could impact his livelihood. With his store located right across the street from the former bank, Forster said he thinks a hotel and restaurant will be great for foot traffic, but worries about the short-term impact of another downtown construction project.”It would be like a snowball effect is what would happen,” he said. “And like last year, we’ve already seen with the road construction, a lot of small businesses did close that we had open and there was a few of us have been struggling through it, pushing through it.”The city started the application process in late February and originally had the vacated property of 206 US Oval as part of the application. But after consulting with a developer, officials decided not to include the former military building and possibly reapply for next year’s application.”We decided to pull back because we didn’t want to submit what we felt like wasn’t a super strong application,” Meisenheimer said. “We feel like we should slow down a little bit. We should take some more time to get a couple of pieces in place.”Despite the concerns from business owners, city leaders feel optimistic that this program can help bring in new opportunities for the area.”This is to set this city up for success,” said Elisha Bartlett, the senior planner for the City of Plattsburgh. “It’s to help the city become more viable, vibrant, equitable, and resilient so it can thrive.”Common Councilors will allow public discussion for both properties, with the meeting scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall.NBC5 will continue to monitor the meeting and provide updates online and on television when we know more.