Oval Wood Dish redevelopment closer to reality
By James M. Odato
The state is granting another $3 million to the group planning to develop affordable housing and business space in the long-vacant Oval Wood Dish factory in Tupper Lake.
The plan has been to create dozens of housing units of one- and two-bedroom rentals for people at 30% to 90% of the area median income. The plan has changed over time – at one time 70-80 units were envisioned and with commercial space for a brewery.
The Adirondack Explorer thanks its advertising partners. Become one of them.
The factory building, dating to the early 20th century, was the workplace for hundreds of villagers. The Oval Wood grounds exceeded 100,000 acres of timber harvested for the factory to make wooden dishes, spoons, tongue depressors and bowling pins, according to Housing Visions.
The plant closed in 2008 and much of the acreage was sold to the proposed developers of the Adirondack Club and Resort, a giant upscale housing and recreation project that didn’t get built near the former downhill center, Big Tupper. A form of the project is still under consideration by an investor if he can secure rights to the property.
The Pro-Housing Communities Initiative award is expected to launch the delayed development in the village’s downtown. It is supposed to help plug a gap between the private and public funds already gathered by the Lahinch Group of Syracuse and the increased cost since the redevelopment project was announced in 2021.
The funds, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced, are part of $123 million the state is spending to stimulate housing statewide.
The Adirondack Explorer thanks its advertising partners. Become one of them.
Lahinch leader Joseph Gehm said the money was critical to complete the financing needed. “This puts us one step closer to getting a shovel in the ground this spring,” Gehm said.
His group and Housing Visions Consultants Inc. intend to redevelop a blighted former manufacturing facility into a mixed-use building. It is part of Tupper Lake’s downtown revitalization initiative, Empire State Development said in its description.
The project will include affordable housing, commercial space and other square-footage for business. The apartments are much needed for workforce and growth, said Mayor Mary Fontana.
“They were really hoping they would receive the award so they could lift the project off the ground,” she said. “There’s no way this won’t be a heavy-hitting impact on the community.”
The Adirondack Explorer thanks its advertising partners. Become one of them.
Check out these related articles
She called the project transformative and with the expectation it will stimulate more investment in the region. “It’s the opposite of the broken window theory when you improve such a landmark in the community.”
The developers had already received substantial public support, including tax credits for low-income housing. The $1.2 million in federal tax credits will stimulate more than $10 million in equity and $500,000 in state tax credits will generate $3.5 million in equity, state officials said.
Also, $10.2 million in tax credits were awarded through the New York State Historic Preservation Office.
The Adirondack Explorer thanks its advertising partners. Become one of them.
Other support, according to state officials, includes $5.2 million in Housing Trust Fund subsidies; $2.1 million in HOME Investment Partnerships program funds; $1.9 million through the Downtown Revitalization Initiative program; and $1.4 million from the New Construction Program.
Gehm said his group has sought construction bids for the project, which is more than $20 million in investment, and found they were shy of about $5 million in financing needs because borrowing and construction costs rose.
Related reading: Public auction for Big Tupper ski center moving forward
Brutal.