The City of Plattsburgh was awarded 10 Million Dollars as the winners of a New York State Downtown Revitalization Initiative. Within that grant, came a prime opportunity for the improvement of streetscapes and the revitalization of Plattsburgh’s waterfront. Saratoga Associates was awarded the opportunity to begin designing these ideas. Combined, the projects have $2.9 million in funding, with $100,000 towards grant administration, and the remaining $2.8 million for design and construction improvements.

Behan Planning and Design assisted Saratoga Associates in conducting the first of several City of Plattsburgh public workshops dedicated to discussing the downtown streetscape improvements and riverfront access. The workshop was designed to communicate previous public input while discussing preliminary concepts, answering questions and inviting suggestions from the attendees. The public provided suggestions for the preliminary design ideas, including elements such as a pedestrian plaza, splash park, and ice rink. 

Both a paper survey and online survey with over 960 responses revealed that a multi-use walking path along the river from Broad Street to Bridge Street was a popular choice among residents. Keeping budget in mind, residents also revealed they would rather concentrate the funds on focused areas and fewer projects for a larger impact, rather than widespread coverage. Many people have made it clear they are envisioning a pedestrian plaza, so Saratoga Associates and Behan are continuing work on the project, taking the residents needs and wants into consideration to design the best possible solution.

As the project continues, Saratoga Associates will continue to keep the public updated on what’s to come in the city of Plattsburgh.