ONEONTA _ The selection of
a developer to transform the former
Bresee’s Department Store
could be less than a month away.
Michael A. Treanor & Associates,
Homes-4-U Development
of Miami and Ohio-based
Bloomfield Schon responded to
a request for proposals from the
complex’s owner, Otsego County
Development Corporation, and
the city of Oneonta, which leases
the building from OCDC.
Under the request for request
for proposal, or RFP,
guidelines, proposals were due
March 7.
A developer will be selected
April 25, according to the timetable
included in the RFP.
But before that, a development
team consisting of OCDC and
county Industrial Development
Agency board members and city
officials would review the proposals,
OCDC Executive Manager
Carolyn Lewis said Tuesday.
“Once the development team
has determined that each developer
is a viable candidate,
the Common Council will have
the opportunity to meet and interview
the candidates,” Lewis
said.
The OCDC Board of Directors
would make the final selection,
Mayor John Nader said earlier
this year.
Neither Nader nor Lewis
would release the actual proposals
to The Daily
Star.
Nader on Monday
cited the
need for confidentiality
in order
to provide a
fair review process
for each proposal.
All of the firms
have performed work in upstate
New York, he said Tuesday.
The city is leasing the former
Bresee’s complex at 155-161 Main
St. from OCDC for a $1 a year after
city and OCDC officials engineered
a transfer-of-title agreement
from a third party, the
National Emergency Medicine
Association.
The complex’s former owner,
Maurice Ramos, donated it to
NEMA, a nonprofit medical education
organization, in exchange
for a tax break.
OCDC is composed of city and
county officials, as well as members
of the private sector and the
county Industrial Development
Agency.
City officials have said that the
site will likely end up as a mixeduse
location of commercial, retail, residential or office
space, but the RFP leaves
open the possibility of
other re-use plans and concepts.
Developers may seek
to demolish parts of the
building, officials previously
said.
OCDC is the county’s oldest
nonprofit, an economic
development corporation
and during most of its history
has handled smallbusiness
loans.
The OCDC Board of
Directors includes President
Doug Gulotty, Vice
President Rob Robinson,
Treasurer/Secretary Steve
Gruver, Bob Harlem, Mike
Pentaris, Jim Jordon and
Joseph Bernier, who is a
city employee and head of
the community development
and engineering departments.
The development team
includes Nader, Bernier,
Gulotty, Robinson, Downtown
Developer Jeff House,
First Ward Alderman Maureen
Hennessy, Jim Jordon,
Lewis, Rachel Jessup
and Jeff Lord.
Kevin McLaughlin of
Empire State Development
Corporation is providing
consultation to the team,
Lewis said.
“We understand the interest
and excitement that
surrounds the Bresee’s
project, and it has been
great to work with so many
people who have pulled
together to make sure the
community’s needs will be
met,” Lewis said.
The city has received
a $1 million City to City
grant for the project from
the Empire State Development
Corporation, which is
a state agency.
The 75,000-square-foot
downtown landmark, which
has sat largely vacant for
more than 10 years, has significant
roof damage and
other problems.
