State economic development officials will restart efforts to find a developer for a 39-acre former minimum-security prison site in Dutchess County.
Empire State Development issued a request for expressions of interest July 9 for the former Beacon Correctional Facility at 50 Camp Beacon Road, which was used as a women’s prison until 2013.
The site, about a mile from Beacon’s downtown, has 22 buildings with a total indoor floor area of about 108,000 square feet. The prison was vacated four years ago as part of a statewide effort to consolidate prisons.
A year later, the state issued its first request for proposals at the site. That request received only one response, a proposal from a New York City-based nonprofit that provides work, training, education and other transitional services for people with a history of homelessness, substance abuse or incarceration. That proposal was withdrawn in May, however, amid concern from local elected officials, the Poughkeepsie Journal reported.
The new request from the state is meant to “solicit ideas that will advance public policy goals and maximize economic benefits to the Hudson Valley region and the state of New York,” according to the state press release.
The request comes with a list of objectives for what the state wants out of the site. Objectives include creating direct construction and permanent on-site jobs and payroll; maximizing economic benefits while minimizing environmental risk and featuring “meaningful participation of Minority Owned Business Enterprises, Women Owned Business Enterprises and Service-Disable Veteran-Owned-Businesses.”
“With a central location, strong transit access and abundant cultural resources, this site presents a unique opportunity for development in the Hudson Valley region,” said Howard Zemsky, president, CEO and commissioner of Empire State Development.
Responses are due by midnight on Sept. 15. An optional site visit is scheduled for Aug. 1.
