Falconer grants Peak Development project extension
From left, Trustee Alan Gustafson Jr., Timothy Dunn, Mayor James Jaroszynski, and Village Attorney Greg Peterson discuss a one-year extension to a proposed housing project on the vacant village lots at 21-37 W. Main St. Trustees Anthony “Skip” Cavallaro and Nikki Pierce are not pictured. The board approved the measure unanimously. P-J photo by Christopher Blakeslee.
An artist's depiction of the proposed Peak Development building project in downtown Falconer, along Main Street, where a 2017 fire destroyed the buildings at 29-39 W. Main St., creating vacant lots. Submitted photo.
From left, Trustee Alan Gustafson Jr., Timothy Dunn, Mayor James Jaroszynski, and Village Attorney Greg Peterson discuss a one-year extension to a proposed housing project on the vacant village lots at 21-37 W. Main St. Trustees Anthony “Skip” Cavallaro and Nikki Pierce are not pictured. The board approved the measure unanimously. P-J photo by Christopher Blakeslee.
An artist's depiction of the proposed Peak Development building project in downtown Falconer, along Main Street, where a 2017 fire destroyed the buildings at 29-39 W. Main St., creating vacant lots. Submitted photo.
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FALCONER – The Falconer Village Board of Trustees is giving Peak Development a one-year extension of its contract with the village.
In an official correspondence dated September 21, Peak Development President Lee Crewson expressed the company’s commitment to the village of Falconer to develop several empty lots along Main Street in the village’s storefront corridor.
The letter reads in part, "Peak Development remains fully committed to advancing the mixed-use development project reaffirmed in my Aug. 20, 2026 letter. We believe this project represents a meaningful opportunity to strengthen the village's core, support needed services, and make productive use of a highly visible Maine Street site."
As previously reported in an Aug. 17 edition of The Post-Journal, Peak Development told the village earlier this year that it would need another year’s extension to purchase and develop the village-owned property at 29-35 W. Main St. The vacant lots, unused since a fire on March 22, 2017, destroyed the buildings, have encountered various redevelopment challenges over the years. However, the recent award of a NY Forward grant opens the door to additional funding opportunities and a promising path forward for both the village and Peak Development.
Crewson clarified that the need for another extension on the agreement with the village is due to the NY Forward funding timeline, not any actions or inaction by his company.
"This timing is driven primarily by the New York state funding process, not by inaction. Falconer pursued two application rounds to secure NY Forward funding, and that funding remains central to the project's feasibility," he said. "The requested extension is therefore not an open-ended delay; it is a necessary bridge to preserve the funding opportunity and allow the project to proceed through the required state review."
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, paired 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.
At the second meeting of the Falconer Local Planning Commission for the NY Forward grant held on Aug. 28, Joshua Greene, a planner from LaBella Associates, which is engaged to support the village’s NY Forward grant process, highlighted that dual-use development is seen as a highly favorable option for funding opportunities.
“Buildings where the bottom level is used for commercial purposes, and the upper level is residential, are one area that should be looked at for investment,” he said.
Ultimately, according to Falconer Mayor James Jaroszynski, the extension passed unanimously, granting another one-year extension and breathing more life into the project.
"We passed the extension with a unanimous vote of five to zero," he said. "This project benefits the village, Peak Development, and creates a win-win situation for everyone involved."
Jaroszynski believes that the partnership between the village, Peak Development, and funding from the NY Forward grant will form a concoction which will ultimately lead to a beneficial mutual arrangement between all parties.
"Peak Development has stayed with this project and has reaffirmed many times its commitment to the village," he said. "We ultimately want to see economic growth, more affordable housing in the village, a more robust downtown, and this project will assist with achieving those goals."
Jaroszynski also stated that a daycare and childcare center is being developed, with funding specifically allocated for the Peak Development project – funding which is separate from the NY Forward grant.
"I believe there is funding from New York state, around $500,000, tied to this project and Peak Development for a new childcare center," he said. "This funding is different from the NY Forward grant and is contingent on the project."