POTSDAM — A Buffalo development firm apparently still is pursuing a housing project on the village’s outskirts despite failing to receive a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes agreement.

Chason Affinity sought a PILOT as part of its plan to build 100 student apartments on vacant property near 206 Main St. The tax deal needed approval from both the town and village of Potsdam, as well as Potsdam Central School District and St. Lawrence County.

Under the agreement, Affinity would have paid taxes on 65 percent of its assessment for the first five years; thereafter the assessment would go up by 5 percentage points a year until the developer started paying full taxes in the 12th year.

The PILOT gained the village Board of Trustees’ approval but failed with the Town Council, which rejected it, and the school board, which opted not to vote, following the town’s rejection.

Affinity had said it will not build in the area without the PILOT, Thomas A. Plastino, deputy director of the St. Lawrence County Industrial Development Agency, previously said.

But at Thursday night’s Planning Board meeting, Affinity-retained engineer Aaron Jarvis submitted blueprints for a 14-acre subdivision within the 100-acre property the development firm apparently owns. The 14 acres is the portion of the property Affinity was planning to develop. Planning and Development Director Frederick J. Hanss said subdividing makes a mortgage on the development more affordable.

Affinity executives were absent from Thursday’s meeting. Mr. Jarvis declined to comment on how the subdivision relates to the future of the project, because he was retained only for engineering.

“I was just asked to do a subdivision,” he said. “You’d have to ask them. I really don’t have an answer.”

But others in attendance figured the project was still alive if Chason was applying for a subdivision application.

“If they’re subdividing it, they’re obviously pursuing it at some level,” board member Theodore Prahl said afterward. “Why else would they bother subdividing it?”

Mr. Hanss echoed a similar sentiment. A developer who is canceling a project would not still be submitting plans at village meetings, he said.

“Why would you go through the trouble of doing it, otherwise?” he asked.

Thursday’s meeting was a preliminary hearing; the board will vote on the subdivision application at a later date. Affinity still needs to show the village it owns the property, Mr. Hanss said. “As of yet, they have yet to do that,” he said.

But Mr. Jarvis said he understood Affinity owned the property as of July 26. “It’s my understanding the property transfer has taken effect,” he said.

Thousands of readers like you have made Northern New York Newspapers the number one ranked website* for local news and sports coverage in the north country.

You can continue on to this article in a few seconds, or you can visit one of our websites:

• Watertown Daily Times
• The Ogdensburg Journal
• Daily Courier-Observer