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Former Psychiatric Center is on Path to Transformation
02.11.2007
Michael Woyton
Poughkeepsie Journal
Click to view online article
WINGDALE — Many years ago, when Evelyn Chiarito’s daughters were teenagers, a friend of their’s was a patient at the Harlem Valley Psychiatric Center.
“They went to see her,” the Dover Plains resident said. “My daughter came out crying.”
The prospect of turning the 800-acre site that was once a state hospital for the insane and, more recently, a jail, wouldn’t deter Chiarito from living there.
“It was what it was,” she said.
The site was purchased by the state in 1912 and was originally intended as a prison annex.
It ultimately became part of a statewide system of mental health treatment centers.
At its peak, during the 1950s, 1,800 people were employed there, overseeing 5,800 patients.
The land contains more than 80 buildings, a reservoir, water treatment and sewage facilities and a power plant.
The psychiatric center closed in 1994 and was put on the market in 1997. Potential buyers appeared, then disappeared.
In October 2003, the Benjamin Companies, a Long Island development firm, purchased the site from the state for $3.95 million.
An adjacent property — the 83-acre Dykeman farm — was purchased, bringing the total to $9 million.
“If it was raw land, it would be significantly more,” said Michael Zarin, attorney for the developer.
He said the price doesn’t re-flect the cost that is going to be required to bring the property up to a buildable condition, including demolition and remediation.
“A more relevant number would be $25 million,” Zarin said. “That is bringing it to the point where now you can start to build an infrastructure.”
1,380 units planned
If built as currently proposed, the site — now called Dover Knolls — would have 1,380 units of housing, ranging from townhouses to single-family homes.
The original application called for 1,400 housing units spread throughout the property.
Negotiations with the town board have yielded a recent plan that features a majority of housing clustered around the Metro-North Railroad station.
“One of the things we are trying to avoid is an overly urban setting,” Zarin said. He said a number of the existing buildings would require radical redesign and modifications to adapt them to habitable use.
Russell Mohr, vice president for real estate development and sales for the Benjamin Companies, said whether existing buildings are reused depends in large part on economics and state agencies.
Most buildings would have to be gutted before they could be rehabilitated.
“Is it cost-effective to redevelop these properties using the existing shells and to have a marketable piece of real estate at the end of the day?” Mohr asked.
The buildings on the ground of the center were surveyed in 1993 by the New York state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation for eligibility for inclusion in the state and national registers.
Seventy buildings were judged to be eligible.
They were described in a document dated Aug. 6, 1993, as “architecturally significant as intact examples of Georgian and classically inspired institutional architecture.”
Buildings deteriorate
A reevaluation in 1996 found alterations and deterioration had lessened the integrity of numerous buildings throughout the complex.
The number of buildings still eligible dropped to 32.
Included on the list at that time were several staff residences, the administration building, the power plant and Smith Hall, where movies were once shown.
Since the 1996 study, the jail closed and the buildings were left unheated and, in many cases, open to the elements.
A leaky roof in a staff residence caused massive damage to the wood structure.
“Once water gets inside, that’s it,” project coordinator Kathleen Schibanoff said.
“It’s a shame,” she said, adding the ornate building would probably have to be demolished.
A walk through one of the dormitories that fronts Route 22 — called the H buildings for the shape in which they were built — found relatively pristine conditions compared with other buildings.
Patients were housed in rooms without doors and walls that didn’t go all the way to the ceiling.
Communal bathrooms on each floor had showers without knobs so no one could get scalded.
Then there was the padded cell on each floor of every wing.
Attorney Joseph Lafferty of the Benjamin Companies said the big question is whether people will buy townhouses knowing they come with a history.
“Yes, it is a factor,” he said, “but I don’t know if it will ever be overcome.”
At the same time, Lafferty said, the company respects and acknowledges the part the center played in Dover’s history.
“Most certainly, everything that’s done up here will recognize that history,” he said.
Supervisor Jill Way said she would like to see as many of the buildings saved as is practical.
“It really is dependent on the particular structure,” she said. “Some are worthy of merit.”
One building Way said she wouldn’t mind seeing torn down is the pyramid-shaped hospital.
Site manager Ron Zelinski of Dover said the hospital was, in the past, a prime target for trespassers.
The goal, he said, was to get to the morgue. Along the way, trespassers turned into vandals, destroying plumbing fixtures, metal doors and walls.
Hospital’s fate undecided
Schibanoff said the hospital’s fate is yet to be determined. It has been considered for a hotel or spa.
“It has beautiful views of the valley,” she said.
Wingdale resident Barbara Clay is passionate about the Dover Knolls project.
“I look at the center as a unique opportunity,” she said. “It’s going to make or break this town.”
She admits all the buildings can’t be saved, but feels most can.
“They look creepy right now, but these buildings are solid,” Clay said.
“I’ve already picked out the building where I want my office,” she said.
Which buildings are saved will be determined in the course of an environmental review and study.
The original application for the development was accepted by the town in December 2005.
At the request of the town, a new urbanism specialist created an alternative plan that would concentrate the housing around the train station.
The first plan was aimed at people 55 and older, Zarin said, adding it conformed with the zoning at the time.
“The new proposal looks to second-home buyers,” he said, “or local people who want to find affordable housing starting units.”
Retail plans scaled back
Mohr said the retail plans have been scaled back a bit, but could grow along with the community.
“The community creates the demand,” he said.
Zarin is looking to put the first shovel in the ground in 2008. He anticipates the environmental impact statement will be completed by summer, with the state environmental review process finished by early fall.
Way said the project is huge and complicated.
“The bottom line is in order to do a thorough job for the community, it is going to take time,” she said. “I don’t think anyone would suggest we hurry.”
Sam Shufelt, the Dover school district board president, said he thinks the community would like to see the project proceed a little quicker.
“I know the town board is being cautious,” he said, “but the townspeople want to see it move.”
Shufelt said the development could bring a lot of new jobs to the town and affect many areas of life.
“It could mean a bright future for the Town of Dover,” he said.
Michael Woyton can be reached by mwoyton@poughkeepsiejournal.com
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