WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) – Developer Jake Johnson says an infrastructure grant intended for a Watertown-specific project has been pulled at the last minute and he blames 4 county legislators for applying political pressure to move the money to another project outside city limits.<\/p>\n
City officials confirm Monday morning for 7NEWS that they were told Friday the grant offer had been pulled.<\/p>\n
(Editor\u2019s Note: It was the topic of our discussion with Watertown Mayor Sarah Pierce at the 7News Digital News Desk on Monday. You can watch that interview above.)<\/p>\n
Johnson wanted to develop several vacant acres he owns on Butterfield Avenue into new housing within city limits. The grant, through the Empire State Development\u2019s County Infrastructure Grant program, is worth $500,000, but if Jefferson County ties it to a housing project, it bumps it up to $1 million.<\/p>\n
Johnson says the grant was structured as a non-competitive award and designed to directly benefit Watertown to help with the city\u2019s aging infrastructure and promote housing projects.<\/p>\n
Johnson\u2019s plans started out as 138 apartments, but residents in the area rejected it and wanted the city to deny Johnson a zoning change. Johnson came back with an offer to let the residents buy the land from him for $300,000 or he would draw back the intensity of the project to several single-family homes and duplexes.<\/p>\n
The smaller project didn\u2019t require any zoning changes and being assured the Butterfield area was selected for the grant money, Johnson started last week clearing his property.<\/p>\n
Instead Johnson learned Friday the grant was pulled and will be awarded to another project near Clayton, and was told the city needed to \u201cget its act together.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cThe decision was not about performance, merit or readiness. The city did exactly what it was supposed to do. The application was strong, complete, and on time. The outcome was the result of political intervention, not a failure by the city,\u201d said Johnson in a prepared news release.<\/p>\n
Johnson isn\u2019t alone in thinking the grant money was earmarked for the Butterfield Avenue neighborhood. City and county workers have also been moving firmly in that direction.<\/p>\n
Johnson blames 4 Jefferson County lawmakers who represent city residents. He claims Anthony Doldo, Frances Calarco, Corey Grant and Steel Potter intervened and \u201ctransferred funding and economic development was from the city residents they represent on the county board.\u201d<\/p>\n
Monday afternoon, county officials told 7NEWS it pulled the grant funding because the county wasn\u2019t sure if the $1 million investment would alleviate the ongoing stormwater issues in \u201ca meaningful way.\u201d<\/p>\n
The statement from the County Administrator\u2019s office continued by saying the water and sewer pipes in that neighborhood \u201cis likely the most extensive and complicated infrastructure issue in Jefferson County. Development decisions and investments in this system require thoughtful, inclusive discussions that the April 1st grant deadline would not allow for. Community support, which is a key aspect of the grant\u2019s review criteria, was unable to be confidently secured in time for submission.\u201d<\/p>\n
Johnson, in his news release, says, \u201cThis outcome raises serious concerns about how economic development decisions are being made within Jefferson County. A fully complaint, well-prepared application was set aside, not because it failed, but because of last-minute political interference. The result is clear: investment, growth and tax base that should have stayed in Watertown have been moved out of the city.\u201d<\/p>\n
Without the infrastructure upgrades, Johnson\u2019s project would be on hold since it\u2019s an area of the city where sewer permits aren\u2019t being issued because the system currently can\u2019t handle what it has now especially when there\u2019s snowmelt or heavy rain.<\/p>\n
The County says it\u2019s committed to working with the city to solve common problems.<\/p>\n
Full press releases from Johnson and Jefferson County can be found below.<\/p>\n
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