Glens Falls IDA schedules public hearing for 76 Lawrence Street redevelopment

The Glens Falls Industrial Development Agency voted to set a public hearing for Nov. 13 to consider a pilot application for 76 Lawrence Street, an updated mixed‑use redevelopment filing by Cooper Properties (Morris Friedman).

Staff member Jeff Greenlee described the application as an updated proposal for a property that has been partly used in recent years but remains underutilized. The applicant seeks IDA assistance to make the numbers work after encountering higher financing costs and a combination of a long-term mortgage and a short-term loan on the site. The current proposal would largely reuse the building envelope, add a modest retail space (the applicant cited a coffee shop) and create about 18 residential units, a mix of one‑ and two‑bedrooms.

Because the site is larger than the portion the developers plan to redevelop, staff and the assessor are exploring whether a separate billing parcel can be created so any pilot benefit would apply only to the IDA‑eligible portion (staff estimated roughly 2.3 acres of the larger parcel). Staff also noted that some tax bills included in the applicant’s packet reflected unpaid school tax and other charges; final valuations will be subject to assessor review.

The board approved a resolution to schedule the public hearing for Nov. 13 at 8 a.m. and directed staff to send required mailings and post the materials; the hearing will be canceled if the applicant cannot proceed in time. The board did not approve a PILOT at this meeting; any approvals would follow public notice and a subsequent hearing.

Why this matters: The hearing advances consideration of a downtown redevelopment that could reuse underutilized commercial property for housing and retail. Board discussion highlighted tax-mapping and valuation issues that could limit any future PILOT to the specific area being redeveloped rather than the applicant’s entire holdings.