Expansion of White Pine Commerce Park to Engulf Burnet Road
OCIDA forces sales, threatens entire rural neighborhood in Clay, NY, with eminent domain
This website gathers public information regarding the Onondaga County Industrial Development Agency's stated goal of replacing an old farming community with a semiconductor manufacturing facility at the
- Last updated: 7-Oct-2021
What's new:
White Pine Commerce Park
in Clay, New York.- Last updated: 7-Oct-2021
What's new:
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The Institute for Justice has agreed to represent the Burnet Rd homeowners who do not wish to sell to OCIDA.
See the new website. 01 Dec 2021: Opinion piece about eminent domain in NYS -
24-Aug-2021 syracuse.com Onondaga County IDA votes to use eminent domain to acquire land for the project. Petrovich claims, "Our expectation is we’re not going to use eminent domain on any of this..”Here's the link to the video of the meeting.
NOTE:--But even threatening eminent domain to force a sale, is using the power of eminent domain. - 3-Aug-2021 spectrumlocalnews.com
Legislature approves $20 million economic development loan to IDA - 16-July-2021 OCIDA approved their own Final Supplemental Generic EIS. Here is the Summary of responses of the Public Comments about the EIS. OCIDA's lawyers have been repeatedly phoning Burnet Rd residents' lawyers, insisting the residents sign the option purchase agreements or negotiate, threatening eminent domain.
- 29-Jun-2021 video of OCIDA meeting discussing the White Pine project, specifically the funding of the demolition of the homes purchased, and acquisition of other properties from those unwilling to sell.
- 24-June-2021, Thursday evening, Community meeting with Ryan McMahon, Onondaga County Executive at the Clay Town hall, regarding the proposal of a semiconductor facility at the White Pine Commerce Park in Clay, NY.
County Executive Ryan McMahon was very careful in his words and said several times that the "project" now means the expansion of the park in size (ie., as opposed to a tenant agreement.) OCIDA does not have a tenant for the Park at this time. Syracuse.com press release is here, and Channel 9 here, and the fact-sheet handed out is here.
It is apparent that much of the town of Clay is still unaware of this mega project, and the County has done little to work with Clay residents, or the Town of Clay board. This meeting was requested by a group of the residents of Burnet Road, and McMahon finally agreed, but only gave 2 days notice. When pushed for a later date, he refused. - 24-May-2021 6:00 PM ET: Public Hearing re Supplementary Generic EIS via Zoom
Find the documents here. Video recording here - 10-May-2021: Letter: Response from EPA
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6-May-2021: OCIDA, as Lead Agency, approves their own Supplemental EIS for review. Find the documents here.
(no public comments, video) - 29-Apr-2021: OCIDA special meeting 29-Apr-2021 about White Pine Commerce Park and their Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement. "The prime developable area is about 730 acres" - JWDavis
- Response of FOIL Request to Town of Clay for their Master Plan (under Planning and Reports tab)
- 8-Mar-2021: A letter from DEC to OCIDA outlining environmental concerns on the project expansion. (under the Environmental Impact tab)
Sign the community petition:
Say "NO to a massive INDUSTRIALFACILITY in Clay, New York!"
So far over 1600 people have signed!
[Note: the optional donation goes to change.org.
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June-2021: Our video!
What You Can Do
- Let the Town of Clay and Onondaga County know your opinion!
- Sign the Petition!
- Put up a sign if you live anywhere near the proposed site!
- Write to the County IDA and County Executive or others (See Entities and Contacts tab below)!
- Post your opinion on Twitter @CEJRyanMcMahon!
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Join the Clay Homes Preservation Coalition Facebook group!
Summary
Onondaga County Industrial Development Agency (OCIDA) began buying vacant land at the northeast corner of Route 31 and Caughdenoy Road in Clay in the late 1990s to create the "Clay Business Park." It was considered for several diverse projects including a car manufacturing plant, a biopharma plant, and an 100-acre indoor farm (see Timeline below), but it remained (and still remains) a vacant undeveloped natural area for many years, marked only with a sign. Recently, OCIDA added to the acreage by buying up neighboring residential properties, and by March 2019, the area comprised 450 acres, and was renamed "White Pine Commerce Park." In 2020, Onondaga County made a renewed push to vastly expand the size of the park to encompass all of the privately-owned homes of Burnet Rd and reach east to the Town of Cicero border, to 1200+ acres, more than THREE times the size of the state fairground. This area is all currently residential/agricultural zoned, while to the west of the Commerce Park there is an extensive amount of sparsely populated industrial zoned land (see Map). Burnet Road is an old close-knit neighborhood that has about 40 homes, as well as farmland. Many families have farmed the same land for multiple generations, some since the 1850s. OCIDA has bought a few properties along Burnet Rd and is pressuring others to sign purchase options. OCIDA does NOT own nor control all the properties that are currently marketed as White Pine Commerce Park in their online brochures. Most of the residents wish to remain in their homes and oppose the expansion of White Pine Commerce Park. Many have been intimidated by phone calls from OCIDA's director, the confidentiality clauses on the option term sheet, and the threat of eminent domain. Now, during a global pandemic, the County Legislative Executive and OCIDA are pressuring Burnet Road residents to sell their homes to OCIDA, despite any prospective client for the Commerce Park.Timeline
Marketing
OCIDA
- White Pine Commerce Park webpage 2021
- OCIDA Description of White Pine Commerce Park and March 2019 Sell Sheet
ShovelReady.com (Nat Grid)
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Shovel ready Fact sheet on White Pine Commerce Park
Total Acreage 339
Acreage Available 186
Adjacent Land Available
Present Zoning Industrial
Joseph Russo, @NGridEconDev
NYLovesNanoTech
Central New York Regional Planning & Development Board
- Site Profile: White Pines Commerce Park -2014, last updated 2016
339 acres, located within an I-2 Industrial zoned area
Industry and Trade Journals, Advertising, Presentations
- Ad in Site Selection: Nov 2013, p65
- Ad in Trade and Industry: Jan-Feb 2014, Page 1 / 84, Cover 2
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Empire State Development: Presentation 1-AUG-2017
New York State - A Compelling Place to do Business, including presentation by Nate Stevens, Treasurer, Onondaga Co. IDA – White Pine - Business Xpansion Journal: White Pine Commerce Park 2013
Entities and Contacts
News Articles
Planning and Reports
- Mar-2021 Response of FOIL Request to Town of Clay for the Master Plan:
"We don't have a master plan for the Town.
There was a Northern Land Use study done about 10 years ago.." (Summer 2013)Note Page 22 and 23:
The Clay Industrial Park was zoned I-2 Industrial due to its proximity to major transportation opportunities, and the availability of major utilities.
In 2005, the Onondaga County Industrial Development Agency (OCIDA) completed the purchase of a 250-acre site in the southeast corner of the Park, on the north side of Route 31, east of Caughdenoy Road.
Page 23: Maintain the Rural Character of Northern Clay- It has long been the Town’s vision to keep the northern part of Clay as low-density, with non-intensive land uses. (Town of Clay Zoning Code, Clay-Cicero Route 31 Transportation Study, Routes 31 & 57 Land Use and Circulation Study.)
- This is in keeping with the County’s Long Range Plan for the area in terms of urban sprawl, which was documented in an article from the Syracuse Post Standard Holding the Line on Urban Sprawl (September 8, 2009).
- Most of the land in northern Clay has poor soils and dense development would require the extension of public sewers, which in the long term would be costly for the Town. Pump stations would be required, which would become the Town’s responsibility to maintain.
- The newly adopted stormwater management/green infrastructure regulations will ensure that new communities will be designed in a manner that is respectful of the land.
- 09-Dec-2020 SEQRA
(by FOIL request Jan-2021) NOTICE, State Environmental Quality Review Act Lead Agency Designation
Onondaga County Industrial Development Agency, December 9, 2020 - 16-JUL-2020 Onondaga County Legislature, Environmental Protection Committee Agenda
A legislative public hearing is required following the Commissioner's Hearing before authorization of the design of the sanitary sewer system at White Pine Industrial Park and surrounding areas can be approved.
1. WATER ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION:- A Resolution Calling a Public Hearing in Connection with Proposed Improvements for the Onondaga County Sanitary District
- Authorizing the Acceptance of Grant Funds from the New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation, Authorizing the Execution of Grant Agreements, and Issuing a Type II SEQR Determination
- Sep-2015 TRAFFIC: SYRACUSE METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION COUNCIL 2050 LONG RANGE TRANSPORTATION PLAN
- 21-SEP-2012 Legislature Planning Minutes (search for Clay Business Park)
With the support of Onondaga County, New York State, and our many economic development partners, my office is transforming White Pine into the region’s premier shovel ready certified business park. In late 2011 the CNY Regional Economic Development Council designated White Pine a “Priority Project” and the State awarded OCIDA a $1.5 million grant. In the past six months, in order to satisfy shovel ready requirements and fulfill the obligations of the State grant, my office has secured National Grid matching grants to build and market the site and has worked with Town of Clay officials to coordinate the local planning approval process. And just yesterday, the OCIDA Board of Directors approved a 700 page Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement.
By late 2013, we expect to have development of the park well underway and to be engaged in a dynamic marketing and sales campaign to showcase White Pine Commerce Park to investors throughout the country. I am confident our investments will soon pay tremendous dividends.- Sep 2012 -Draft EIS by CHA Consulting, Syracuse NY (scribd document, requires membership)
- Jun- 2011- an earlier version of the 2013 document: Town of Clay Northern Land Use Study 2011 with an Appendix C: article: Syracuse Post-Standard 9-9-2009: Holding the Line on Sprawl
- Mar-2010 Clay-Cicero Route 31 Transportation Study
Prepared by The Syracuse Metropolitan Transportation CouncilEnvironmental impact
Eminent Domain
Similar Projects
The White Pine Commerce Park sign at corner of Caughdenoy Road and Route 31, in Clay, NY.