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Empire State Development Announces RFP for 39 Acres at Former Beacon Correctional Facility Site

Proposals Due on December 20, 2018

Empire State Development (ESD) today announced a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the purchase and redevelopment of the former Beacon Correctional Facility in Beacon, NY. Located one mile from vibrant downtown Beacon and sixty miles from New York City, the nearly 40-acre site presents a unique opportunity for development in the Hudson Valley region.

“Redeveloping Beacon Correctional Facility is a tremendous opportunity for economic growth and smart development in the Hudson Valley,” said ESD President, CEO, and Commissioner Howard Zemsky. “The prime location offers easy access to rich cultural, transportation and tourism resources, and we encourage respondents to submit creative proposals that maximize the potential of the site for the surrounding community.”

The site currently contains 22 vacant buildings, at least two of which may be ideal candidates for adaptive reuse. The Beacon Correctional Facility was closed in 2013 as part of the State’s ongoing initiative to decommission and consolidate a number of underutilized correctional facilities across New York State. The site presents an exciting development opportunity in light of its prime location, proximate resources, and available funding from New York State. The area surrounding the site is a popular artistic and cultural hub and major tourist destination, offering strong transit infrastructure (rail, ferry, air and vehicular) and an economic environment friendly to a wide variety of industries. It is also located in a federal Opportunity Zone, providing tax incentives for long-term investment in the area.

The primary development objectives for this RFP are to maximize economic benefit to the City of Beacon, the Town of Fishkill and the State through reuse and redevelopment of the Site in ways that advance the creation of new jobs, provide job training opportunities, stimulate the local economy, and integrate the site into the local community. 

Proposals should strive to address the following development objectives:

  • Enhance the site as an economic engine for the surrounding municipalities, the Hudson Valley region and New York State
  • Provide new job opportunities for local residents
  • Provide youth and/or adult job training and workforce development opportunities
  • Present a financially feasible project that demonstrates realistic financing and revenue sources to support operations and scheduled payments
  • Exhibit well-considered planning and design principles
  • Incorporate sustainable and green building practices
  • Ensure meaningful participation of Minority Owned Business Enterprises (“MBE”), Women Owned Business Enterprises (“WBE”) and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned-Businesses (“SDVOB”)

ESD invites respondents to submit proposals for a high-quality commercial or mixed-use development that will generate jobs and stimulate economic activity in the region.  ESD will consider proposals that include a residential component as part of a mixed-use development, but preference will be given to proposals in which residential development is not the majority use of the site. 

In addition, the State has allocated $6 million in grant funding through the State and Municipal Facilities Program (“SAM”) to support the redevelopment of the site.  While SAM requires a separate application process, respondents may include in their proposals ideas for using up to $6 million of this funding for eligible capital purposes on the site.  Eligible capital purposes include:

  • Capital costs of construction, improvement, rehabilitation or reconstruction of facilities
  • Acquisition of capital facilities and assets
  • Acquisition of capital assets with at least a 10-year useful life for the sole purpose of preserving and protecting infrastructure
  • Economic development projects sponsored by the State or municipal corporations that create or retain jobs (this will require certification by the Department of Economic Development)
  • Environmental projects sponsored by the State or municipal corporations

Responses are due by Thursday, December 20, 2018 at 12:00 PM EST. An optional site visit is scheduled for Thursday, October 11, 2018. Respondents are not required to attend; however, if they wish to participate, they must RSVP to [email protected]

The RFP and additional information is available on the Empire State Development website here. A video showing the site and surrounding area is available here.

 

 

Contact:

Amy Varghese | [email protected] | 212-803-3740

ESD Press Office | [email protected] | (800) 260-7313