Potsdam village enjoys ‘above average’ economic development in 2011

POTSDAM — The village evidently has been spared from the north country’s bleak economic development outlook, thanks in large part to a pair of growing institutions.

Potsdam had roughly $14.5 million worth of new developments and building projects in 2011, nearly two-thirds of which came from development at Clarkson University and Canton-Potsdam Hospital, village officials say.

“Having over $14 million in new development in the village is terrific news, and something I’ll bet few other small communities have enjoyed recently,” Mayor Steven W. Yurgartis wrote in an e-mail message. “Clearly, things are happening in Potsdam.”

The village issued 215 building permits last year, according to Timothy J. O’Brien, code enforcement officer. Nearly half of those were for projects valued at less than $5,000, the types of permits a village the size of Potsdam would expect, he said.

But unlike many other north country communities, the village’s development is thriving because of projects at a pair of economic engines.

Early last spring, Clarkson began renovations at the Moore House dormitories that included the addition of a fourth floor on two wings with residence hall suites for upperclassmen.

The project, which accounted for more than $6 million of the village’s development, will continue throughout the winter and is expected to be completed this summer, university officials have said.

And in October, Canton-Potsdam unveiled its multimillion-dollar, state-of-the-art cancer treatment center next to the hospital’s Leroy Street campus.

The New York State United Teachers’ 8,000-square-foot building on Lawrence Avenue was another large project undertaken last year in the village.

The impact Clarkson and the hospital have had on the village stretches back years, officials said.

“The colleges and hospital are our big economic engines, and when they do well our entire community does well,” Mr. Yurgartis wrote. “We are extremely fortunate to have these growing, vibrant organizations in Potsdam.”

As for 2012, Mr. O’Brien said, there is reason to be optimistic. The village has entertained developers from Affinity Chason, which is interested in constructing a student housing complex on Main Street this spring.

There are additional projects in the works, he said. While there are no guarantees and no building permits have been filed, the village is “looking at another relatively large number of projects that will amount to several millions of dollars over and above routine permits,” Mr. O’Brien said.

Mr. Yurgartis wrote, “In my conversations around the village there is a lot of optimism about the future.”