The State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is recommending a clean up plan for the former Penn Yan Marine Manufacturing site that will cost someone $450,000.
When the clean up is done, the property will be suitable for restricted residential use, meaning anything but single family housing can be built on the site.
About 30 people — mostly county legislators and other local government officials — attended a meeting March 9 when DEC and Department of Health officials explained the extent of contamination and the proposed clean up strategy.
Yates County Administrator Sarah Purdy said the county’s next step will be to look for developers who have experience working with brownfield sites. The county would like the developer to carry out the clean up along with whatever construction is planned.
“The developer will need to be very well-versed in doing these things,” she said, adding that the county has heard from some developers who have expressed an interest in the site.
But Purdy doesn’t expect to see shovels turning over dirt for about two years.
She said the next step the county will take is to come up with a site management plan and easement for the clean up, then the county will begin searching for a developer in earnest, a process she expects to take about a year.
The county, Village of Penn Yan, and Town of Milo worked collaboratively to establish a waterfront redevelopment plan to come up with ideas for acceptable reuse of the property.
A plan that came out of the project proposed a mix of residential, hotel/motel and retail use. Purdy said three developers who have shared initial proposals so far, were also interested in the potential for expanding a portion of Kimball Creek to make room for a marina.
The county and village also need to address the need for increased water and sewer services that will come with a development, says Purdy.
Pulteney Supervisor Bill Weber, who is also the chairman of the Keuka Lake Outlet Compact (KLOC), said KLOC sometimes uses the property to access the outlet to remove excessive silt.
The land is zoned as waterfront conservation, which prohibits industrial or manufacturing use.
