$800k initiative aims to revitalize vacant properties in Lewis County

Apr. 16—LOWVILLE — Finding new uses for old properties is an economic development priority for Lewis County and the Vacant Property Revitalization Program is one of the latest tools to address the problem.

According to Cheyenne Steria, director of finance and incentives for the county's economic development administration organization, Naturally Lewis, 10 property owners filed applications for the matching grant by the Friday deadline last week for property improvement projects totalling $790,000.

The applications came from Castorland, Croghan, the town and village of Lowville, Port Leyden, West Leyden, Lyonsdale and Turin.

Each of the projects must reduce blight in village or town population centers by improving vacant commercial buildings or floors of commercial buildings, so they can be used by new businesses or for residential housing.

The grants cover 50% of the total project cost up to $100,000 through reimbursement to the property owners.

The Vacant Property Revitalization Program is among the grant programs created to empower owners motivated to bring their properties back into a usable state.

"When we talk about property owners who are motivated to develop or redevelop their property, often it comes down to financial resources or project management of resources ... Often it (involves) project planning and guidance — kind of holding their hand a little bit — because it's stuff we do every day that the property owners do not," Mrs. Steria explained to county legislators during a presentation to the Finance and Rules Committee last month.

The assistance has also included organizing and in some cases paying for reuse studies and connecting property owners tersted in selling with developers.

Naturally Lewis is also working with code enforcement offices and local zoning boards to be more assertive with property owners who are not maintaining their properties before those properties become dangerous, beyond repair or abandoned.

"If we can do things to motivate the owners, that's ideal, but if it's just a matter of acting on something that needs to be acted on... that's a situation we're willing to work with, too," she said.

The Lewis County Development Corporation, for which Naturally Lewis is the staff, is the main resource for combating abandoned properties often referred to as "zombie" properties, commercial properties in foreclosure and those needing significant environmental cleanup for things like asbestos and lead before they can be made usable again.

Naturally Lewis Executive Director Brittany Davis read the law statute that allows local development corporations "to construct, acquire, rehabilitate and improve industrial sites and manufacturing plants" during the committee meeting presentation.

"Essentially, local development corporations were created in New York state to 'lessen the burden on governments' and be a mechanism and solution for property redevelopment," she added.

Naturally Lewis has been working to streamline the partnership between the development corporation and the county government in which the county will take possession of foreclosed-upon properties and either transfer the properties to the development corporation for environmental cleanup, site preparation, marketing and sale to developers or, if the property is beyond redemption, demolish the building before transferring the property to the development corporation.

Not all commercial properties that go into foreclosure or have been abandoned will be considered for redevelopment.

"It can't be whoever is yelling the loudest," Mrs. Steria said. "It's not considered a priority if it's off the beaten track and it's not really hurting anybody."

The level of engagement for the local municipality will also be an important factor in the prioritization process.

Naturally Lewis' vision for the effort is to have a financial contribution by the county but also to set up a revolving fund so that proceeds from the development corporation's sale of buildings and properties that have been revitalized can be reinvested in other grant programs and projects.

"Our ultimate goal is to motivate building owners. It's all about creating relationships, providing the programming, the servicing, the funding, the incentives to help them with that because in all reality, we don't want to take on hundreds of properties to redevelop," said Mrs. Davis. "We want the building owners to be motivated. That's the priority."

The full list of projects approved for the Vacant Property Revitalization Program will be released after all projects are vetted.