Ogdensburg council won't weigh late Diamond National waterfront proposal
A developer's consultant is asking Ogdensburg City Council to consider a roughly $4.3 million waterfront project at the former Diamond National property, but the city says the proposal missed the RFP deadline and will not be evaluated.
By the ClickNNY North Country Desk
John Ciccotti of JGK Associates, a consultant working for developer and financier Jeffrey Cohen, has appeared at the last two Ogdensburg City Council meetings asking members to consider a proposed project at the former Diamond National property. The plan describes an outdoor amphitheater, a marina and other amenities at a cost of about $4.3 million, and calls for the city to receive $275,000 for the property plus between $500,000 and $1 million a year as a host community package, according to Ciccotti. He told council on July 27 that the financing, drawings, business plan and a letter of intent are in place.
City Manager Fonda Chronis said the proposal arrived four months after the RFP deadline and has not been vetted by city staff, and that claims about financial benefits to the city should not be assumed accurate until that review happens. Five developers submitted proposals by the deadline, Chronis said, and those have not been made public. Mayor Michael Tooley read a statement saying council determined the JGK Associates proposal would not be considered as part of the current Diamond redevelopment solicitation because it did not meet the city's submission requirements, and that council must treat every prospective developer equally. Tooley said the city expects to run an RFP process for the nearby former Shade Roller property once the DEC deems it clean, and that JGK Associates and others could submit proposals then. ClickNNY has not independently confirmed this account.
This story was written from a community submission and reviewed by a ClickNNY editor before publication.
More from ClickNNY
Guides and features from across the North Country.
ClickNNY Guide · Fort Drum
Your first North Country winter: a survival guide for Fort Drum soldiers from the South
Never driven on snow, owned a snow blower or felt a February morning at Fort Drum? Here's what to wear, what to keep in your car and how to get through your first lake-effect winter.
ClickNNY Guide · Winter
Are we ready for another North Country winter?
From heating bills and snow tires to lake-effect storms and the first big snowfall, Northern New York is getting ready for another winter. But how prepared are we really?
ClickNNY Guide
Driving on wet leaves in the North Country: what to know this fall
Wet leaves, farm equipment, school buses, low sunlight, frost and deer can create seasonal driving hazards in Northern New York, according to safety guidance from AAA Northeast, AARP, New York agencies and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.