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Harlem Site Can't be Tale of 2 Developments
06.14.2004
Editorial
Poughkeepsie Journal
Sound plans need strong follow through
Twelve years ago, community leaders converged on Dover to persuade state officials not to sell off part of the 850-acre Harlem Valley Psychiatric Center. They were relentless and smart, wanting the land to be redeveloped some day as a whole once the entire facility closed.
Now all that land is in the hands of one private developer. But the same challenge remains.
The owner, Dover Knolls Development, has grand ideas for the property -- and the more than 80 buildings sitting on it. Those ideas include creating a ''golf-course community'' by doubling a nine-hole course on the property and building homes nearby. That would occur on some of the 250 acres of the property west of Route 22, including some of the land the state was willing to sell separately all those years ago.
But the ultimate test of the developer's success rests on the nearly 600 acres found east of Route 22. That's where most of the buildings are. Here, Dover Knolls envisions a ''walkable village'' -- an ambitious mix of senior housing, retail, light industry, health-care facilities and an outlet mall.
The town must be firm during its negotiations with Dover Knolls about how this project will proceed. It must hold to its long-held belief that job-producing businesses for the old buildings are more important to the community than the construction of new homes. It must ensure some of the commercial development takes place during the first phrase.
Dover Knolls Development is an affiliate of Benjamin Development Inc., which has converted two other former state hospital properties, both on Long Island, into private business and housing ventures. It has a solid reputation and has shown a willingness to work with the town. It also faces considerable hurdles in bringing the Dover buildings back to life.
Once focus of the community
The psychiatric center employed well more than 1,000 people and housed about 5,000 patients during its peak between the 1950s and early 1970s. Like other states, New York has largely replaced its huge psychiatric and development centers with community-based programs. But Harlem Valley is the only one in Dutchess County that has been completely vacated by the state. Two others -- the Hudson River Psychiatric Center in the Town of Poughkeepsie and the Wassaic Developmental Center in Amenia -- have been greatly downsized.
The former Harlem Valley center looks like an old college campus. Yet the red-brick, Georgian-style buildings are unique in ways -- many are connected through a maze of underground tunnels and by a series of semi-circular, above-ground wings. This allowed patients living in the buildings to walk into common areas, such as dining and recreational facilities, without going outside.
In this regard, a mall-like layout that could anchor a small commercial village already exists. But, inside, the buildings are a mess. The state shut off the heat more than 10 years ago when the center closed. As a result, the floors are buckling, water is leaking through the roofs and ceilings, and tiles are coming apart from the stress and temperature fluctuations. Most of the structures have asbestos and lead paint in them, so any reuse will require major renovations just to comply with today's environmental regulations.
The so-called Sullivan Tower, a magnificent 10-story building used as a hospital and for research and laboratory work, is a prime example of how wasteful government spending can be. The building was in service a scant 30 years before it was mothballed. For years, state taxpayers were still paying off the construction bonds for some of these buildings, even though they were no longer in service.
The developer hopes to turn the Sullivan Tower into a hotel and spa. But, overall, there are 2 million square feet of building space on the property -- nearly twice as much as the Poughkeepsie Galleria. That's far too much for most realistic business ventures in sparsely populated eastern Dutchess. Consequently, some of the buildings will have to be demolished to make way for more parking and roads.
Site has many assets
These challenges are a big reason why the developers had to pay only $3.95 million for the property, which has the benefit of a Metro-North Railroad line running through its middle, and a train station at its heart. In addition, the site has its own power, water and sewer plants, all of which makes it an ideal place for redevelopment. Dover Knolls says it could spend hundreds of millions of dollars on the renovations and expansion, creating hundreds of construction jobs and permanent work opportunities along the way.
But the developers concede the first phase of the project -- primarily the golf course addition and construction of adjoining homes -- will be easier than restoring the buildings to the east of Route 22. The project's merits hinge on that point. If the first phase occurs but the buildings to the east remain vacant, the local community's fight with the state 12 years ago would have served little purpose. This project, which holds so much promise, would be a failure.
Ironically, one of those speaking at that 1992 hearing was a state assemblyman from the Hudson Valley named George Pataki, two years before he made a successful run against Gov. Mario Cuomo. Pataki told the state, ''To have separated this parcel is simply wrong. ... Go back and look at the entire site with the future of the Harlem Valley in mind, not just the vacant land.''
The state gave the Town of Dover the chance to do just that -- and the town has successfully offered a vision for how the land should be developed. It has put together a sound yet flexible zoning plan for the site -- and Dutchess County subsequently has designated that some of the building are eligible for Empire Zone tax breaks. The pieces are in place. Working closely with the town, Dover Knolls must now see that vision through.
About this series
Development proposals are in the works for at least some of the lands at three big state centers in Dutchess County -- the Hudson River Psychiatric Center in the Town of Poughkeepsie, the Harlem Valley Psychiatric Center in Dover and the Wassaic Developmental Center in Amenia. They range from building homes to creating village centers and expanding farming opportunities. Today, the Journal continues its three-part editorial series about these ideas, with a look at how developers would transform the Harlem Valley Psychiatric Center.
On the Web
The first part of this series was published Sunday and can be found online. Visit the web site www.poughkeepsiejournal.com, then click on "Sunday" under "past" and look under "Opinion." The series will conclude Tuesday.
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