RFP Places Strong Emphasis on Housing, With a Range of Unit Sizes and Affordability Levels
Also Announces Progress Toward Redeveloping Livingston Correctional Facility as Livingston County Industrial Development Agency Secures Necessary Approvals for Land Transfer
Aligns With Governor’s Ongoing Effort to Identify State-Owned Sites for Potential Residential Uses
Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that Empire State Development, in partnership with the Office of General Services and Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, has issued a Request for Proposals for the former Downstate Correctional Facility located in Fishkill, Dutchess County. This Request for Proposals advances recommendations made by the Prison Redevelopment Commission and builds on first-in-the-nation strategic efforts to reimagine former prison sites from an economic development focus as prison populations shrink and prisons close. The Request for Proposals is also a part of the Governor’s ongoing effort to identify state-owned sites for potential residential uses to increase the State’s housing supply in light of the housing crisis.
“The formation of the Prison Redevelopment Commission, announced nearly one year ago, was the first comprehensive analysis in the United States for the reuse and redevelopment of New York’s closed facilities,” Governor Hochul said. “The Commission compiled thoughtful, realistic information and recommendations that considered input from both experts and community stakeholders, and we are hitting the ground running and taking major steps to move these recommendations forward in ways that will give impacted communities a voice on the future of these closed sites.”
Governor Hochul also announced that Empire State Development has secured necessary approvals for the transfer of Livingston Correctional Facility to the Livingston County Industrial Development Agency, advancing another key recommendation from the Prison Redevelopment Commission’s 2022 Unlocking Opportunity report.
Request for Proposals to Redevelop Downstate Correctional Facility
The primary development objective for the redevelopment of the Downstate Correctional Facility is to maximize benefits to the surrounding community and region while prioritizing housing. Following the Governor’s directive and in accordance with recommendations from the Unlocking Opportunity report, the Request for Proposals (RFP) places a strong emphasis on housing in a mix of unit sizes and affordability ranges and makes up to $8 million in incentives available to eligible respondents to address remediation and demolition costs. View RFP here.