TOWN OF CLAY THREE RIVERS POINT THREE RIVERS POINT BROWNFIELD OPPORTUNITY AREA STEP 2 NOMINATION APRIL, 2015 Prepared by Plumley Engineering With Behan Planning and Design, and E.M. Pemrick and Company This report was prepared for the Town of Clay and the New York State Department of State with state funds provided through the Brownfield Opportunity Areas Program. Town of Clay CLAY BOA – STEP 2 NOMINATION ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Steering Committee Members Town Reps Damian M. Ulatowski, Town Supervisor Naomi Bray, Councilor Mark Territo, Planning Development Commissioner Robert Germain, Town Attorney Judy Rios, Administrative Assistant Amy Carter, Neighbor John Carter, Neighbor NYS and Regional Reps Julie Sweet, Project Manager, NYS Dept. of State Ambrose Barbuto, Division Canal Engineer NYS CANAL CORP. David Bottar, Executive Director, CNY Regional Planning James D'Agostino, Director, Syracuse Metropolitan Transportation Council Janet DeOrdio, Civil Engineer, NYS Canal Corp. Jim Fayle, Regional Director, Empire State Development Ken Lynch, Regional Director, NYS Dept. Of Environmental Conservation Mary Jane Peachey, Regional Engineer, NYS Dept. Of Environmental Conservation Dan Petrella, Regional Rail Coordinator, NYS Dept. Of Transportation PREPARED BY Plumley Engineering, P.C. 8232 Loop Road Baldwinsville, NY 13027 www.plumleyeng.com 315-638-8587 Behan Planning & Design 112 Spring Street Suite 305 Saratoga Springs, NY 12866 www.behanplanning.com 518-583-4335 E.M. Pemrick & Company P.O. Box 1010 Ballston Lake, NY 12019 www.empemrick.com 518-882-9535 Town of Clay CLAY BOA – STEP 2 NOMINATION TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 4 SECTION ONE - PROJECT INTRODUCTION A. Lead Project Sponsors 9 B. Project Overview and Description 9 C. Community Vision, Goals and Objectives 12 D. Project Boundary Description and Justification 12 E. Project Goals and Objectives 13 F. Project Outcomes 13 SECTION TWO - COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION AND TECHNIQUES TO ENLIST PARTNERS A. Community Participation Process 15 B. Techniques to Enlist Partners 17 SECTION THREE - ANALYSIS OF THE BOA A. Introduction 20 B. Community and Regional Setting 20 C. Land Use Setting 22 D. Zoning 25 E. Land Ownership 26 F. Building Inventory 26 G. Transportation 27 H. Infrastructure 32 I. Brownfield, Vacant and Underused Sites 33 J. Parks, Open Space and Waterfront Access 40 K. Historic or Archeologically Significant Areas 41 L. Natural Resources and Environmental Features 42 M. Environmental Impact Review 46 N. Economic and Market Trends Analysis 47 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 Town of Clay CLAY BOA – STEP 2 NOMINATION TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued) SECTION FOUR - SUMMARY ANALYSIS, FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE BOA AND STRATEGIC SITES A. Key Findings and Recommendations 52 B. Three Rivers Point: Summary Analysis and Recommendations 58 C. Action Outline Items for Step 3 60 FIGURES Figure 1 - Regional Setting Figure 2 - Study Area Context Map Figure 3 - BOA Boundary Map Figure 4 - Existing Land Use Map Figure 5 - Existing Zoning Map Figure 6 - Land Ownership Map Figure 7 - Transportation Systems Map Figure 8 - Water Service Map Figure 9 - Soils Map Figure 10 - Sewer Service Map Figure 11 - Parks and Open Space Map Figure 12 - Historic and Archeologically Significant Map Figure 13 - Oswego River Drainage Basin Figure 14 - Natural Resources and Environmental Features Map Figure 15 - Flood Plain Map Figure 16 - Projected BOA Land Uses Figure 17 - Long-Term Concept Plan Figure 18 - Intermediate Concept Plan 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Town of Clay CLAY BOA – STEP 2 NOMINATION TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued) TABLES Table 1 - Tax Parcels Table 2 - Steering Committee Table 3 - Stakeholders Table 4 - Individual Species Table 5 - Individual Species Table 6 - Individual Species Table 7 - Individual Species Table 8 - Individual Species Table 9 - Individual Species APPENDICES Appendix A - Community Outreach Supporting Materials Steering Committee Members Steering Committee Meeting Minutes Public Meeting 1 Summary Public Meeting 2 Summary Appendix B - Profiles of Brownfield and Underutilized Properties Appendix C - Environmental Data Resources Radius Report Appendix D - Inventory and Analysis Supporting Materials Appendix E - History Appendix F - Economic and Market Trends Analysis Appendix G - State Environmental Quality Review Full Environmental Assessment Form TABLE OF CONTENTS 3 Town of Clay CLAY BOA – STEP 2 NOMINATION Executive Summary The town of Clay, New York has an area of land at the confluence of the Oneida, Oswego, and Seneca Rivers that is rich in natural resources, history, and opportunity. This area, known as Three Rivers Point, is a collection of several different brownfield properties, meaning that the land once served industrial or commercial uses which are now defunct and available for redevelopment. This area is the Clay Brownfield Opportunity Area (Clay BOA), as originally defined by this Step 2 nomination process in the New York State Brownfield Opportunity Areas Program. It is made up of four main brownfield properties located adjacent to each other, which collectively provide great opportunity for redevelopment. The land, because of its unique geographic location and environmental qualities, has held cultural significance dating back thousands of years, when Native Americans began using it as a seasonal food camp. The site was especially significant for the Iroquois Nation as a meeting ground in the heart of the Onondaga territory. During the colonial era, the site was used as a British military base. By the end of the century, a popular resort called the Barnam Hotel was developed at Three Rivers Point. In the early 1900’s the waterway became a part of the Erie Canal system. After World War 2, the renamed ‘Three Rivers Inn’ drew visitors to see entertainment acts from around the country such as Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin at Three Rivers Point. Easy access by water (and later, by rail) made this area a good prospect for industrial development. However, as rail and water transport lost ground to trucking as the preferred mode of shipping, these industrial sites began to decline, as did the Three Rivers Inn. Today, the Clay BOA land is nearly all vacant and underutilized, except for a few residential properties, despite the fact that the area holds great potential for community and recreational development. This land holds such great potential for several reasons. Perhaps most notably, it is one of the most historically significant sites in the region, although there is currently little to no recognition of this fact on site. Additionally, it has approximately 3,000 linear feet of prime waterfront real-estate with beautiful views and access to the three rivers. It is easily accessible by land (via County Route 57) and by sea (as a destination along the Erie Canal). This nomination study has also found there to be few significant roadblocks to redevelopment. The majority of the land is owned by the town, so there will be fewer property acquisition hurdles than if the parcels were all privately owned. Some of the land at the water’s edge is 4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Town of Clay CLAY BOA – STEP 2 NOMINATION owned by the New York State Thruway and Canal Corps, but a cooperative partnership between the town and the Canal Corps is already underway, with plans to repair the seawall at Three Rivers Point as one of the first steps towards redevelopment. One of the most important factors in revitalization is, as always, the public’s approval of plans. The planning process for this area goes back at least several decades; specific initiatives were suggested for the Three Rivers area in numerous planning reports. The public participation component of this study has shown that the community of Clay is very much in support of redevelopment efforts and the current land use plans proposed for the BOA. Almost no negative comments were received from the public throughout this process. It seems that the town and the public are equally eager to make use of this historically significant and underutilized land, which has been largely neglected since its industrial decline. While the parcels are mostly brownfield sites, preliminary research has shown that environmental contamination is not severe. Based on the current assessments, there are no environmental constraints on future uses of the brownfield sites, and redevelopment can likely proceed with clean-up efforts. The main environmental concerns include soil contamination with asphalt, and localized contamination with fuel oil and gasoline. Redevelopment of the brownfield sites would involve cleanup of these contaminants. Progress toward cleanup is occurring as the Town of Clay proceeds under the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Environmental Restoration Program. Aside from environmental cleanup measures, other limitations to redevelopment of the Clay BOA mainly involve limited wastewater treatment infrastructure in the area, and a low level of current residential population. However, the vision is that redevelopment at Three Rivers Point will attract users from around the Town of Clay and the larger region, as well as recreational travelers along the Erie Canal. This initial investment would likely spur more interest in the redevelopment of the rest of the BOA, possibly attracting new residential populations that would further reinforce the Three Rivers Points recreational area. As an interim measure, community septic systems should be evaluated for their use at Three Rivers Point. Then, should more development follow, the