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County authorizes lease at 310–322 East 3rd Street; developers pledge a 'Chautauqua County campus' while legislators press nonprofit protections
Summary
The committee authorized a lease for 310–322 East 3rd Street after developers Jeff Wareski and Joe Russo outlined an 85,000 sq ft plan and parking; Legislator Larson pressed for assurances protecting nonprofit tenants Striders and Infinity, which developers said they would honor but gave no long-term rent guarantees.
The Chautauqua County Public Safety Committee authorized a lease agreement with 310–322 East 3rd Ventures LLC, following a presentation by private developers who described plans to convert a roughly 85,000-square-foot downtown building into a county "campus."
Jeff Wareski and Joe Russo outlined building features, including three floors of space and approximately 80–130 parking spaces across site lots and nearby city lots. Wareski said the landlord would be responsible for mechanical systems and exterior improvements and described flexibility to reconfigure interior space for county needs. "We're gonna take care of it like I would if I was with Benderson Development," Wareski said, summarizing the developers' commitment to rehabilitation and ongoing property management.
Legislator Larson raised repeated concerns about two longstanding nonprofit tenants in the building — Striders and Infinity — that currently pay very low rents. Larson asked what protections the county or landlord could guarantee so market-rate increases would not displace those community programs when existing leases expire. "If the county of Chautauqua signs a 20, 30 year lease on this property, it will nail down exactly what we're going to pay per square foot or gross payment each and every year of that lease," Larson said, and he suggested the developers could offer renewal assurances or a five-year extension for the nonprofits to provide certainty.
Developers responded that they will honor existing leases and would seek community-oriented solutions, pointing to potential alternate properties and foundation partners if tenants need to move; they did not provide a binding long-term rent guarantee during the presentation. Wareski noted some nonprofit leases are on favorable terms now (he cited an example of $2.37 per square foot), and Russo described their intent to work with tenants and the county as space needs evolve. The committee voted to authorize the lease agreement; the transcript records a voice vote of "Aye" and the chair declared the motion carried.
Next steps: county staff and the developer will complete lease documentation and related contract steps; the county will need to decide what contractual tenant protections, if any, to include in the final lease to address nonprofit stability.
