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Ogdensburg council agrees to budget study on multiple parcels as redevelopment option
Summary
After a presentation on the Local Redevelopment and Housing Law, the Ogdensburg Borough Council endorsed commissioning a Planning Board study (estimated $12,000–$15,000) to evaluate Willis Avenue, the area behind Borough Hall, Orchard Street and Main Street for potential redevelopment.
Mike Vreeland, the borough engineer, outlined the Local Redevelopment and Housing Law and walked the Mayor and Council through the two-stage redevelopment process: a Planning Board study and public hearing to designate an area in need of redevelopment, followed by preparation of a redevelopment plan that can change zoning and authorize a developer agreement.
"This process is all dictated by the Local Redevelopment and Housing Law," Vreeland told the council, noting that the initial study is performed by the Planning Board and that designation triggers Department of Community Affairs (DCA) review. Robert McBriar, the borough attorney, added the Governing Body must identify block-and-lot boundaries and follow statutory notice and evidentiary checklists, including whether condemnation or eminent domain authority will be implicated.
Council members questioned trade-offs between auctioning Borough assets and pursuing formal redevelopment. Vreeland said redevelopment gives the Borough the most control over the final product but requires time and upfront cost. On the Willis Avenue parcel, currently zoned R15, he estimated two-to-four single-family lots under existing zoning but said higher-density options would be constrained by septic capacity and would be considered during the redevelopment planning phase.
Councilman DeMeo and others supported commissioning a study. For budget planning, Vreeland recommended $12,000 for a single-area study and suggested $15,000 if the Borough combines several parcels into one effort. Council members asked staff to prepare a resolution authorizing a Planning Board study for the next meeting and to identify funding sources in the 2026 budget.
The council also discussed an older 2011 Planning Board report for the area behind Borough Hall and Main Street that was never sent to the DCA; Vreeland said changes in law and elapsed time mean the Borough should restart the process rather than rely on the prior study. He recommended the Governing Body may designate multiple areas but phase redevelopment plans by block or area.
Next steps: the council agreed to place a resolution on the March 23 agenda to authorize the Planning Board study and to identify budget cuts to cover initial study costs.
