Guest Viewpoint: Plattsburgh Citizens Coalition on recent court decision

The New York State Supreme Court handed down a decision on Prime Development Corporation's proposed construction of 109 apartments and 13,400 square feet of commercial space on Durkee Street public parking lot. The decision annuls the Planning Board and Zoning Board approvals previously granted for Prime's proposed development. The court ruled that the city and Prime failed to take the required "hard look" at the public health risk associated with the project given that the Durkee Street parking lot is a NYSDEC Hazardous Waste Disposal Site which contains contaminated soils that, if excavated, could pose a serious health risk to the community. The Court also found that the city wrongly withheld documents from the public in violation of Freedom of Information Law. The Court ordered the city to provide over 60 documents that it fought hard to conceal and to reimburse PCC for legal expenses related to the improper withholding of public documents. As a result of the decision, it is now up to the City of Plattsburgh to determine if it should continue to fund Prime Corporation's project or turn their attention toward an alternative smart-growth development that the community can embrace and support. PCC remains pro-development and pro-DRI. Riverfront Development is hugely popular in cities everywhere. Prime's proposed project fails to incorporate current riverfront development standards that have been developed to maximize creating an environment that attracts locals and visitors by creating a "Special Place" that only waterfront can do. This project is not oriented to the river, which is a major mistake. Modern urban planning for small and large city downtowns makes the "Riverfront the Front Door". They create a network of well-connected, multi-use public and private spaces that fit with the community's shared goals with river walks, historical trails, restaurants along the river, performance space, waterfront playgrounds, etc. National riverfront standards emphasize that "waterfronts everywhere are too valuable to simply allow developers to dictate what happens there." We are hopeful that Mayor Rosenquest will live up to his campaign promises of supporting community-led economic development initiatives, and hope that he will return to the community adopted DRI plans developed under Mayor Calnon with broad community support, but which were abandoned by Mayor Read who chose instead to prioritize Prime over the people. As a grass-roots organization, PCC enjoys tremendous support from so many of those who actually live and work here in Plattsburgh. Our goal has always been to work collaboratively and to build consensus on responsible development that will truly benefit Plattsburgh. We look forward to collaborating with Mayor Rosenquest and the city to unite the community in a positive spirit moving forward. We remain cautiously optimistic that the city will seize this opportunity for a fresh start but are also ardently committed to representing the interests of the community at the same time. PCC would like to thank our incredible legal team which includes attorneys from DuCharme Clark, LLP, the Towne Law Firm, PC and Meyer, Fuller & Stockwell, PLLC, without whose expertise this fight would not be possible. PCC would especially like to thank the countless citizens that have supported this important community movement. While we have won this battle, the fight is not over. Once we have met our goal of stopping the city's giveaway to Prime, we look forward to working to build consensus toward smart growth development that is genuinely good for Plattsburgh and its citizens.

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Guest Viewpoint: Plattsburgh Citizens Coalition on recent court decision

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