The City of Middletown on July 8 bought 13 more derelict buildings from New York state for a nominal amount to further redevelop the former state psychiatric center property.
Abandoned mainly because of the statewide downsizing of mental health institutions, the 200-plus-acre campus has slowly come back to life over the past 10 years with the arrival of Northern Academy, Fei Tian College, Northern Medical Center, and SY Aesthetics.
It also bears a new name: Middletown Community Campus.
Most of the redevelopments thus far have followed a similar strategy, which the city intends to repeat in the most recent purchase: Buy land from the state and transfer it for a nominal amount to a developer with a binding commitment to a timely buildout.
However, that strategy entails the task of meandering through layers of state bureaucracy, which can take years before a final land purchase agreement is inked.
New York state Sen. James Skoufis and state Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther, who both represent Middletown in Albany, helped to cut through the red tape and seal the recent deal, according to Middletown Mayor Joseph DeStefano.
“I really need to thank them on behalf of our residents,” Mr. DeStefano said at a contract signing ceremony on July 8. “The amount of money that will be generated on this property, the amount of jobs, and the amount of services that will be provided to our community and the surrounding community is just tremendous.”
“We are talking today about 33 acres and 13 buildings that are going to be revitalized and put into incredible use right here in the City of Middletown and bring further energy back to this campus,” Mr. Skoufis said at the ceremony, held in front of the former Kleiner building.
Named after Middletown Alderman Gerald Kleiner’s father, Solomon Kleiner, who was the clinical director at the psychiatric hospital, the building will be one of the first to be transferred by the city to Fei Tian College for redevelopment, according to Mr. DeStefano.
Established in 2018, the budding private college has grown its academic offerings to eight undergraduate and four graduate programs, including in-demand data science degrees.
The city also plans to repurpose a few structures near the abandoned power plant into a permanent headquarters for the fire police and evidence storage spaces for the police.
“They will have a police presence on campus, which I think is also important, especially given the fact that we have a college,” Mr. DeStefano said.
Ms. Gunther, a former nurse who did her first clinical rotation at the old psychiatric hospital, remarked on the transformation of the abandoned campus. Two years ago, she helped to transform part of it by securing a $1.2 million state grant for Fei Tian’s new student center.
“I look forward to seeing this campus become an educational hub for people of all ages, and I look forward to seeing a lasting impact that will serve generations,” Ms. Gunther said.
The recent purchase came on the heels of Middletown’s winning $300,000 in state grants with co-applicant Pattern for Progress, a think tank, for a comprehensive urban redevelopment study of the entire Community Campus.
Once completed, the study will likely open the doors to more state funding—another redevelopment tool that the city has been leveraging in addition to private investments.
“We will assess underutilized spaces through this [study], establish a clear vision between the community and the government, and work with all stakeholders to implement the redevelopment and reuse of this property,” Mr. DeStefano said.
