City waterfront redevelopment process progresses

As Ogdensburg’s waterfront steering committee returns to the long work of planning the future development of the city, its members don’t want residents to be discouraged by the absence of busy cranes and excavators.

“The major concern is going to be why nothing is being done right now,” said committee member Scott M. Wright. “This is just part of an ongoing process, but we have to remember that this land has sat vacant for 20 to 30 years.”

Jane E. Rice, a project manager with edr Companies, a Syracuse consulting firm hired to help the city with its Local Waterfront Revitalization Plan, told the steering committee that much of the plan won’t necessarily lead to construction.

“The purpose of the LWRP is to look at your land and water uses,” she said. “It does not always mean brick and mortar development. Frequently it looks at ecological and environmental protection and preservation, and focuses on access.”

A Local Waterfront Revitalization Plan is locally prepared but administered by the New York State Division of Coastal Resources. It has been more than 25 years since Ogdensburg last updated its plan, said interim City Planner Andrea L. Smith.

“We need this approved because it establishes local policy,” she said. “The policy we have to abide by right now was drafted in 1986. A lot has changed since then.”

The committee met Thursday evening for the first time since October to update its community participation plan and meet their new consultants.

“It is important to come in with my listening ears on,” said Ms. Rice. “I’ve already received a phone call from a community member.”

Last year city planners held five public workshops to gauge the public’s feelings on how specific former waterfront industrial sites should be developed.

“The planners put together a community participation plan that I have used as a template,” said Ms. Rice. “It was nice to come in with someone already engaged.”

This year, input will be solicited on the redevelopment plan itself, which expands the area of focus city-wide.

“We have an opportunity out front,” said Ms. Rice. “There is a portion that hasn’t really received any attention yet. It may be that the community wants more attention off the waterfront. We will have three public events. They will be interactive, and all will focus on design concepts.”

Eventually, using information gleaned from the steering committee and the community at large, the consultants’ work will culminate in four sets of site concept schematics, two site-specific design concepts and a final draft of the city’s Local Waterfront Revitalization Plan. Ms. Rice said these materials would be helpful to developers interested in building in Ogdensburg.

The first public workshop will be March 1 at 6 p.m. in the Dobisky Visitors Center, 100 Riverside Ave.