Development Updates
Purchase of 2017 fire site may be delayed another year
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The developer working to purchase village-owned property at 29-35 W. Main St., Falconer, is asking the village to extend the purchase agreement for another year.
Peak Development recently requested the village give the developer another year to complete the purchase. Board members said during their July meeting they had concerns about extending the contract another year when there has been no progress on the project. Board members also said they are open to downsizing the project so the village doesn't lose all of the municipal parking lot to the project.
The proposal was to be further discussed during the August Village Board meeting.
The lot has been vacant for nearly a decade since the March 22, 2017, fire that destroyed 29-39 W. Main St. Efforts to redevelop the site have hit stumbling blocks for years, though the receipt of a NY Forward grant in June creates the possibility of additional funding for a redevelopment project. The NY Forward grant application lists Peak Development Partners’ 21-37 W. Main St. project as the village’s top priority project. The $20,956,000 project requested $1.75 million in NY Forward funding to go with $19,206,000 in private funding, Empire State Development capital and Pro-Housing Capital. The mixed-use project will feature two four-story buildings with commercial space on the ground floor and 54 apartments above them.
Inclusion in the NY Forward grant application doesn't mean the project will receive funding since that decision will be made by the NY Forward Local Planning Committee. But it shows how important the project has been to village officials as they were compiling the grant application.
Village Board members also approved a 2026 state Consolidated Funding Application under the New York Main Street Target Area Building Renovation Program. The application proposes funding to assist property owners to complete building renovations to buildings on East Main Street between North and South Work Street and Merriam Street.
Jonathan Dubinski gave a brief overview of his renovation project currently underway at 23-29 East Main Street. Plans include 19 one-bedroom and 8 two-bedroom apartments with tenant amenities on the ground floor which tentatively will include a fitness center, tenant storage, laundry, secure package room and lobby area.
In other business
– Nina Gustafson said the Falconer Santa Parade will continue to be held on the Saturday prior to Thanksgiving as it has always been in the past. Other Christmas events sponsored by the Falconer Christmas Association may be consolidated into one day, but the annual parade will not be affected.
– The Falconer Public Library's Summer Reading program is underway with more than 130 readers signed up for the reading challenge. Grants have been awarded to the library from the United Arts Appeal, Chautauqua Region Community Foundation, Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Library System Summer Reading Program Mini Grant, and the Anderson Rosch Trust.
– The Fire Department Truck Committee met recently to review the first set of drawings of a new ladder truck for the Falconer Volunteer Fire Department.
– The Farmers Market will be held again August 23 and continue every other Sunday until the FALLconerFest on Sunday, September 20th.
– Correspondence was also received from a resident on East Pearl concerning the eye sore conditions on the lot at 221 E. Pearl Street that have been on-going for the past two years. The code officer will be issuing an appearance ticket to the lot owner for action in rectifying the conditions.