Purchase & Redevelopment of Watertown Correctional Facility, RFP

Background
As part of the 2024 State of the State and the FY2025 Enacted Budget, Governor Hochul outlined a vision for addressing New York State’s housing crisis to make the State more affordable and livable for all New Yorkers. This groundbreaking and multifaceted plan to build new housing across the State included a $500 million capital fund to develop up to 15,000 new homes on state land through the Redevelopment of Underutilized Sites for Housing initiative (RUSH) after signing an executive order last year requiring all state agencies to examine properties within their control to determine their housing potential.
New York State Urban Development Corporation, d/b/a Empire State Development (“ESD”), is seeking proposals for the purchase and redevelopment (the “Project”) of an approximately 108-acre site located at 23147 Swan Road, Watertown, NY (the “Site”). The Site was formerly the Watertown Correctional Facility (“Watertown CF”). The facility was vacated in March 2021 as part of New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s initiative for the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (“DOCCS”) to decommission a number of correctional facilities in order to reduce costs in response to a shrinking prison population.

Work Details
The Site is a former medium-security prison campus located at 23147 Swan Road, Watertown, NY, 13601. Watertown CF was opened in 1982 on a former United State Air Force Base, which was closed in 1980. Watertown CF housed individuals over the age of 16 before closing in 2021. The site has been cold since its closure. The medium-security site covers approximately 108 acres of land, 40 of which are within the perimeter security and 68 of which are outside. The perimeter security includes a double fence with multiple razor coils.
There are 85 buildings on the property, totaling around 341,000 square feet. The Site has 11 housing units, including six newer barrack-style dormitories, with a total capacity for around 600 incarcerated individuals. In addition, there are 28 housing units for correctional officers and other staff that are positioned around a quad, directly outside the perimeter security. The Site also has various commons, maintenance, storage, and grounds structures, as well as a 3,000 square foot greenhouse.

Place of Performance
The Site is located in the Town of Watertown in Jefferson County, which borders the City of Watertown on its eastern, southern, and western boundaries.