Council hears plans for Tuckerman Hall transfer to college; Kleiner Building design funding sought

Mayor (name not specified) updated the council on redevelopment work at the former Middletown Psychiatric Center campus on April 15, including a proposed transfer of Tuckerman Hall to a private college (identified in remarks as Fayetteian College, which the mayor said will soon be known as Northern College) and a separate Kleiner Building concept for which the mayor said the City is seeking state capital funding.

The mayor said Tuckerman Hall is about 279,000 square feet, “obviously, no municipal use” under current zoning, and that the city is restricting future uses to arts, education and light industrial types to avoid negative impacts on neighbors. He said the preferred developer — the college — would be required to meet development goals within a 4- to 5-year period; if the college failed to meet those goals the mayor said it would owe the city “$150,000 1 hundred and 50 thousand and 1 dollar.” If development goals are met, the mayor said the property could be transferred for a nominal $1; he estimated the college would need to invest “probably, upwards of $20,000,000” into the building.

The mayor described a plan for the college to grow to approximately 2,000 students within five years and said the campus’s reuse would target degrees and programs such as biomedical science and big data in addition to arts education. He referenced recent work on Woodman Hall as an example of private investment converting large campus buildings without city capital outlay, and he said the city secured a grant-planning grant (BOA) and is conducting public outreach via an independent consultant (Pattern for Progress).

For the Kleiner Building, the mayor said he and staff have submitted concepts and are advocating with Senator Skoufis and Assemblywoman Paula Kaye for up to $10 million in state funding in the Senate budget. He said the Kleiner Building is in poor condition and would be a city-owned facility if funded; the city would then work with the public to develop programming for the space.

Why this matters: both actions would repurpose large state-owned buildings into education and community uses, potentially drawing private investment, student population growth, and job creation to the campus area. The mayor emphasized continued community input through a public survey and a BOA planning committee that includes city staff and local partners.

Details from the meeting: - Tuckerman Hall: roughly 279,000 sq. ft.; transfer to college contingent on meeting development goals; estimated private investment ~ $20 million. - Penalty/alternate payment: mayor said $150,001 would be payable to the city if development goals are not met. - Zoning: the city has zoning in place prohibiting residential use on campus and favoring arts/education/light industrial uses. - Kleiner Building: mayor said renovation would likely cost more than $10 million; the city is seeking state support and would keep ownership if funded. - Public process: the mayor said Pattern for Progress is conducting an independent survey for community input and a BOA (Brownfield Opportunity Area) planning committee is meeting monthly.

No council vote on transfers or Kleiner funding occurred at the meeting. The mayor asked the council to support continued outreach and to consider the transfer resolution when it is presented.