The Town of Plattsburgh has a grand forward-looking vision to establish a true mixed-use Town Center. The Town Center Smart Growth Plan (completed in 2019) targets a 2000-acre area adjacent to I-87 and NYS Route 3; the primary entrance to the Town and City of Plattsburgh.
The Town rezoned this area in 2021, laying out future street grids, and a zoning plan that utilizes new urbanism practices and placemaking tools. Town Center is a collection of public and private land that allows and encourages upwards of 5 million square feet of mixed-use development, including the potential for thousands of dwelling units in a variety of forms and styles.
This vision was borne out of a desire to create a dense, centralized community and provide diverse housing opportunities for Plattsburgh’s growing workforce. Town Center is home to over 5,000 jobs and counting, and there is a strong desire to co-locate housing within walking distance of these employment centers and amenities.
Additionally, in 2021, we began our Smart Growth partnership with Adirondack Champlain Valley REALTORs, who facilitated NAR Smart Growth Grants that allowed us to make incremental progress on our Smart Growth Initiative.
Starting with the Former County Airport Smart Growth Plan, which was co-funded by the Town, ACVR, CCCRC, and NAR. This plan provided the framework for new modern Smart Growth zoning of a 500+ acre mostly vacant former airport and brownfield. This plan allowed us to expand the industrial corner of Town Center while building opportunities for ancillary services, housing, retail, and food service in order to mitigate traffic and allow for a walkable employment center.
In 2023, we published our Developer’s Guide which was our way of letting the Development Community know that Plattsburgh is open for business. As part of that process, we also conducted a community development survey, asking our community what types of development and what specific businesses they are looking for in Plattsburgh. With an overwhelming 3400+ responses, we knew we were on the right track.
Indoor recreation was the number one request, followed by additional opportunities in retail and restaurant experiences. As a four-season community, where winters are long and cold, we know that indoor opportunities for activity are in high demand. So it’s not just us who want to see this vision come true, our community is also anxiously awaiting new and exciting opportunities.
We have created this platform to build upon our story of growth and provide opportunities for you to partner with us to achieve the vision. We hope that our forward-thinking approach inspires you to reach out and work with us.
