What's happening
This bill authorizes the transfer of state-owned land at the St. Lawrence Psychiatric Center to the city of Ogdensburg for development.
Why it matters
Unlocks significant development potential. By transferring 50 acres of valuable riverfront land, the bill gives Ogdensburg a rare opportunity to shape local housing and economic development on previously state-controlled property.
Protects ongoing state operations. The bill includes strict oversight by multiple agencies (Mental Health, Corrections, and Budget), ensuring that any development does not interfere with existing mental health or correctional facilities, and that staff housing is either retained or replaced.
Requires city initiative and planning. Ogdensburg must act within a year and submit a precise survey to secure the transfer, incentivizing proactive city planning and potentially speeding up the redevelopment process.
Revenue for the state and fiscal oversight. The land must be sold at fair market value, ensuring the state receives compensation, while also giving state officials final say on the terms, which could impact both city and state budgets.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Transfer State Land to Ogdensburg
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Recommit, enacting clause stricken
- Referred to local government
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
861
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 5, 2017
Introduced by Sen. RITCHIE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Local Government
AN ACT authorizing the commissioner of general services to convey real property at the St. Lawrence psychiatric center to the city of Ogdensburg
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The commissioner of the office of general services is authorized and empowered to transfer and convey certain state property, as further described in section two of this act, to the city of Ogdensburg for fair market value, upon such terms and conditions as such commissioner may fix and determine. Due to the proximity of the land and improvements to be transferred and conveyed to existing mental health and correctional facilities, said terms and conditions of any transfer and conveyance, including the proposed use of said land and improvements and the retention, or replacement in kind, of existing staff housing serving the St. Lawrence Psychiatric Center and located on the lands to be conveyed, shall be subject to the approval of the commissioner of the state office of mental health, the commissioner of the department of corrections and community supervision, and the director of the division of budget.
§ 2. The lands authorized by this act to be conveyed consists of one parcel of land at the St. Lawrence Psychiatric Center, in the city of Ogdensburg, St. Lawrence county, and is generally described as follows:
Parcel B: 50 acres for residential development bounded by the Saint Lawrence River to the northwest, on the south by River Drive, northeast of Bridgeview to include all of the surplus land abutting the Saint Lawrence River between Bridgeview and Trinity buildings NOT to include building numbers 10, 13, 17, 31, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 88, 89, or 217.
§ 3. The description in section two of this act of the lands to be conveyed is not intended to be a legal description, but is intended only
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD02435-02-7
S. 861 2
to identify the premises to be conveyed. As a condition of purchase the City of Ogdensburg shall submit to the commissioner of the office of general services for said commissioner's approval an accurate survey and description of the lands generally described in section two of this act, which may be used in the conveyance thereof.
§ 4. The commissioner of the office of general services shall not grant the land description in section two of this act unless application and improvements is made therefor by the city of Ogdensburg within one year after the effective date of this act.
§ 5. This act shall take effect immediately.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act authorizing the commissioner of general services to convey real property at the St. Lawrence psychiatric center to the city of Ogdensburg
Purpose
To convey certain surplus land at the St. Lawrence Psychiatric Center to the city of Ogdensburg.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 authorizes the Commissioner of General Services to convey certain specified land and improvements situated thereon, at the St. Lawrence Psychiatric Center, to the city of Ogdensburg.
Section 2 describes the parcels of land at the St. Lawrence Psychiatric Center which are to be conveyed to the city of Ogdensburg.
Section 3 provides that the description in § 2 of this act is not intended to be a legal description but is only intended to identify the premises to be conveyed. It is a condition of purchase that the City of Ogdensburg submit to the commissioner of general services an accurate survey and description of the lands generally described here.
Section 4 provides that the commissioner of general services shall not grant the land description in § two of this act unless application and improvements is made by the city of Ogdensburg within one year after the effective date of this act.
Section 5 is the effective date.
Justification
The St. Lawrence Psychiatric Center campus covers more than 400 acres, including extensive frontage along the beautiful St. Lawrence River, and access to highways and a major international border crossing. Over the course of several decades, core services at the facility have been centralized in just a few of the more than 100 build- ings at the site, and much of the land remains vacant and unused, excluded from development and removed from local tax rolls.
Community leaders have long recognized the development potential for this unused land and buildings, and the City of Ogdensburg proposes to begin a long-term revitalization program utilizing these neglected assets. Development of these parcels would transform underutilized eyesores into major community assets that can help revitalize the North Country's economy and serve as a model for the rest of the state. The City envisions redeveloping approximately 160 acres of surplus properties and buildings, arranged in four distinct sites across the campus, for mixed use residential, recreational, commercial and industrial purposes. Because the success of such an ambitious redevelopment plan will rely on full support and aggressive action by local community stakeholders, the City seeks transfer of these parcels from the state.
One needs only to look at other recent examples to understand why local control is critical to the success of redevelopment efforts involving underused government-owned assets. Two such examples involve the former Griffiss Air Force Base, and Governor's Island near Lower Manhattan, where local control is allowing redevelopment after years of delay. Such a visionary redevelopment effort would benefit Northern New York and St. Lawrence County by attracting significant private investment, creation of hundreds of construction and permanent jobs, and returning hundreds of acres of now-exempt property to local tax rolls
Legislative history
2014: S.6661 - Referred to Local Government / A.8943 - Referred to Governmental Operations
Fiscal implications
None.
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately.
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