Madison County, in partnership with the state Canal Corporation and the New York Power Authority, has released a request for qualifications to developers and development teams to partner on the redevelopment of 160 Center St., Canastota, into a “Canalside Pocket Neighborhood” as part of the state’s Re-imagine the Canals initiative.
The developer selected to partner with the county on this project has the opportunity to be at the forefront of a state-wide Erie Canal bicentennial initiative and reinvestment campaign called Re-imagine the Canals.
Madison County was the winner of the highly publicized NYS Re-imagine the Canals competition and received $1.5 million to directly support the development of this canalside pocket neighborhood. This project is intended to showcase canalside living and be a pilot project for the NYS Canal system.
Madison County owns the site, which is the location for the canalside pocket neighborhood project.
“It is a two-and-a-half-acre site with 250 feet of Erie Canal frontage and is in walking distance of Canastota’s downtown,” said Jamie Kowalczk with the Madison County Planning Department. “By linking new, desirable housing choices to the Erie Canal’s one-of-a-kind trail and waterway system, we are hoping to retain and attract residents to our community’s downtown.”
The preferred redevelopment of the site will include a mix of housing, creative layout, site design and reactivation of the canal waterfront. “The vision for the project is to leverage the build-in brand and amenities of the Erie Canal and combine it with quality design to create a unique canalside living experience,” Kowalczk said. “Now we are looking forward to bringing in a partner developer to build the project.”
Respondents to the RFQ should demonstrate their experience and capacity to construct and complete the project. Responses are due July 21, 2020. To view bid details, visit madisoncounty.ny.gov/bids.aspx. For more information on the project, visit CanalsideCanastota.com.