Source: New York State Office of General Services
State economic development officials are seeking proposals for the private redevelopment of a minimum-security state prison in Dutchess County that was closed last year.
Empire State Development Corp. set a Jan. 15 deadline for developers”™ proposals for the purchase or long-term lease and redevelopment of the approximately 39-acre Beacon Correctional Facility site in the city of Beacon. The women’s prison was closed one year ago in a cost-saving initiative by Gov. Andrew Cuomo to consolidate the state”™s underpopulated correctional facilities.
Detailed descriptions of the site are available online at esd.ny.gov/CorporateInformation/RFPs.html. Tours of the Beacon facility will be given Dec. 17.
The site includes 21 modern structures totaling approximately 100,000 square feet of floor area and related infrastructure. A campus-like site without security walls or fences on its perimeter, the property and location are ideal for businesses and institutions needing multiple uses on a single site, state officials said. The facility is 1 mile from Beacon”™s downtown area and Main Street and near Dia: Beacon, a well-known center for contemporary art.
The state has said it will make up to $6 million in grants available to assist with eligible capital costs in the site redevelopment. They 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; and economic development projects or environmental projects sponsored by the state or municipal corporations that create or retain jobs.
The Beacon site also could host one of New York”™s tax-free areas for new or expanding businesses through the Start-Up NY program if a developer chooses to partner with a sponsoring academic institution, state officials said. Companies looking to locate to the site may also qualify for state tax credits and incentives for job creation and private investment.
