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HOTEL PROJECT SEEKS IDA INCENTIVES
Mike McCagg
ccSCOOP News
09-30-09 – 8:15 p.m. - The Greenport Planning Board will seek lead agency status in the review of the hotel and entertainment complex proposed for the old V&O Press building on Route 66. In the meantime, developer Harbalwant Singh has filed a request for support with the county Industrial Development Agency—a move that, if approved, would provide tax incentives and other kinds of financial incentives for the project, according to Kenneth Flood, Commissioner for Planning and Economic Development.
Singh deposited $10,000 in escrow with the Greenport Planning Board, clearing the way for the review of the project to begin. Singh plans to construct a 100-room hotel, with a 52,000-square-foot entertainment center and a separate retail facility on the site of the former V&O Press manufacturing plant on Route 66.
The complex would include the hotel with a restaurant and conference rooms and an attached two-story entertainment center which would consist of a bowling alley with 18 to 24 lanes, a sports bar, arcade, and other attractions. Separate from the complex but on the same ten-acre site would be a 6,500-square-foot retail complex that would include a convenience store, a gas station, and two other retail units. |
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Town planning officials, who have expressed concern over the environmental cleanup of the former factory site which is believed to be polluted with metal shavings and oil, will seek lead agency status in the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) review. Singh said previously he has completed a Phase I Environmental Review but was waiting for Planning Board action before starting Phase II. During Phase II, engineers identify the amount of contaminants, notify the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) of their findings, and develop a strategy for cleanup. Once it is has been declared lead agent, the Planning Board can seek a NYS Department of Transportation review of the traffic impacts of the proposal.
On the county level, IDA action on the request for incentives is not imminent. Flood that the IDA accepted Singh’s application but has taken no action. “I don’t anticipate taking any formal action for some time,” said Flood.
If approved, the IDA could provide Singh with property tax incentives, reductions in financing, sales and mortgage tax abatements, and other financial advantages. By accepting the application now without taking formal action, Flood said, the IDA can have a say and be involved in, the Planning Board review.
Singh has not determined the cost of the project, largely because it is dependent upon the amount of mitigation needed at the former industrial site. He has also said that he has an environmental engineering team in place to carry out the work, once the amount of pollutants is determined and a cleanup plan, if needed, is developed.
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