{"id":36844,"date":"2023-11-22T14:30:35","date_gmt":"2023-11-22T19:30:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/?p=36844"},"modified":"2023-11-22T14:30:35","modified_gmt":"2023-11-22T19:30:35","slug":"reviving-dreams-construction-underway-at-south-street-market-center-project","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2023\/11\/reviving-dreams-construction-underway-at-south-street-market-center-project\/","title":{"rendered":"Reviving Dreams: Construction Underway At South Street Market Center Project"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
State and city officials took part in an October 20 ceremonial groundbreaking for the $4.5 million new Market Center on South Street Glens Falls.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By Paul Post<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Gregg Singer and Larissa Ovitt are bridging a gap in Glens Falls\u2019 downtown revitalization, which took a giant leap forward with the long-anticipated groundbreaking for a $4.5 million Market Center on South Street.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

State and city officials tossed shovels full of dirt to mark the momentous occasion, the latest in a series of projects contributing to Hometown USA\u2019s rebirth.<\/p>\n

While dust was still settling, Singer and Ovitt welcomed guests to their new cozy business, Golden Monkey Lounge, directly across the street. They\u2019ve spent more than a half-million dollars refurbishing the building near the west end of South Street, which is also home to a new Taco Kings Jalisco eatery.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe city wants to turn this into an event block,\u201d Ovitt said. \u201cWe\u2019re working on this building to make something that works in collaboration with everything that continues, not just across the street, but coming up South Street and downtown as a whole. It\u2019s certainly very encouraging now that they\u2019re running full speed ahead with the Market Center.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>South Street\u2019s revitalization will link small businesses around the corner, on Broad Street, with the city\u2019s core on Glen Street, Singer said.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>The 6,000-square-foot Market Center will become a year-round home for Glens Falls Farmer\u2019s Market and is designed to host a wide variety of community events. Eventually, it could be the focal point of large outdoor festival-type gatherings when South Street is temporarily closed off.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>South Street long ago earned the nickname \u201cstreet of dreams\u201d because it was a place where people with hope, hard work and a little money could earn a slice of the American pie. More recently, the term was used derisively because the street had fallen into a state of decline evidenced by closed, boarded-up storefronts in several buildings.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe hope this Market Center will catalyze the entire block,\u201d Mayor Bill Collins said. \u201cWe dream of a day when events are so large, requiring us to close down both ends of South Street. When that happens we will have a new name, the \u2018street of dreams come true\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

Funding for the project comes from a $10 million state Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant the city obtained in 2017. A separate $500,000 grant is expected to pay for a new pocket park on the site, adjacent to the former Hot Shots tavern building.<\/p>\n

Work on the Market Center, by Latham-based Bunkoff General Contractors, is expected to start soon and be completed next fall.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am hoping for September 30 (2024), but so much seems to be at the mercy of outside forces these days,\u201d said Jeff Flagg, city director of economic development.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Singer and Ovitt are among the many entrepreneurs investing large sums in downtown Glens Falls in recent years. They purchased their building (58-66 South Street) last February for $325,000 followed by extensive renovations.<\/p>\n

Plans call for opening a third first-floor business, an eco-friendly market offering everything from \u201cgreen\u201d household cleaning products to spices, teas and cut flowers in the near future. The building\u2019s second floor is also being remodeled to house boutique-type apartments where out-of-town tourists and visitors can make short-term stays.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re happy that we\u2019re helping advance the street,\u201d Singer said. \u201cWe just wanted to be part of it; kind of get the rush going as it expands.\u201d<\/p>\n

Golden Monkey Lounge has a modern craft cocktail bar on one side, and a relaxing space with carpeting, couches and ottomans on the other, separated by a wall adorned with books and hanging plants. A new garage-type overhead door has been installed, creating an open-air atmosphere for summer nights. Out back, there\u2019s a small stage for live entertainment.<\/p>\n

But this building and the new Market Center are only small parts of a major South Street overhaul expected to unfold during the next few years.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Spring City Development, a subsidiary of Saratoga Springs-based Bonacio Construction, has plans for a large commercial-residential structure (69 apartments) where Glens Falls Farmer\u2019s Market is currently located. The building will wrap around the former Sandy\u2019s Clam Bar, which the firm plans to rejuvenate in addition to the former Hot Shots tavern.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Also, a business incubator will be located behind Hot Shots at 36 Elm Street.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Flagg said the city will soon turn its attention to the future of a large, vacant building directly across from Hot Shots at the corner of South and Elm streets. The structure has several boarded up storefronts and broken windows overhead.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u201cI believe there are approved plans from the owner, Chad Nims, to rehab this building into a mixed-use structure, but I have neither seen nor heard of any activity of late,\u201d Flagg said.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>The city\u2019s $10 million state Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant is one of many awarded across New York, designed to provide multi-pronged financial support for communities to re-imagine their downtown areas, restore or replace downtrodden buildings, create walk-able spaces, foster economic growth and leverage increased private investment, Collins said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn short, to revitalize the tired parts of our cities,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Lesley Zlatev, New York State Department of State revitalization specialist, said the new Market Center will create \u201cnew exciting opportunities for local retailers, entrepreneurs and farmers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the Market Center\u2019s completion, the economic and business development of South Street will experience more gains with the creation of more business and job growth,\u201d she said. \u201cThe Market Center is bringing new life to this corridor of Glens Falls.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>It will be a transformative project for downtown, which has become a magnet for redevelopment.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Some of the $10 million grant funded SUNY Adirondack\u2019s culinary center move to 14 Hudson Street, creating jobs and expanding the local area\u2019s culinary talent. Money has also paid for a public arts trail with six murals completed to date and more in the planning stages.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>And a portion of the grant established a fund to help small business owners pay for improvements in the wake of the extremely challenging COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n

Collins cited former mayors Jack Diamond and Dan Hall and the city\u2019s late economic development director, Ed Bartholomew, for obtaining and overseeing sound use of the $10 million state grant.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u201cToday developers, business owners and entrepreneurs are moving into the downtown area restoring buildings, setting up businesses, directly and indirectly supported by the shot in the arm the DRI (Downtown Revitalization Initiative) has provided,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Paul Post \u00a0Gregg Singer and Larissa Ovitt are bridging a gap in Glens Falls\u2019 downtown revitalization, which took a giant leap forward with the long-anticipated groundbreaking for a $4.5 million Market Center on South Street.\u00a0 State and city officials tossed shovels full of dirt to mark the momentous occasion, the latest in a series […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":89,"featured_media":36845,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\r\nReviving Dreams: Construction Underway At South Street Market Center Project - Glens Falls Business Journal<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2023\/11\/reviving-dreams-construction-underway-at-south-street-market-center-project\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Reviving Dreams: Construction Underway At South Street Market Center Project - Glens Falls Business Journal\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Paul Post \u00a0Gregg Singer and Larissa Ovitt are bridging a gap in Glens Falls\u2019 downtown revitalization, which took a giant leap forward with the long-anticipated groundbreaking for a $4.5 million Market Center on South Street.\u00a0 State and city officials tossed shovels full of dirt to mark the momentous occasion, the latest in a series […]\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2023\/11\/reviving-dreams-construction-underway-at-south-street-market-center-project\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Glens Falls Business Journal\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-11-22T19:30:35+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/109\/2023\/11\/groundbreak.jpg\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"674\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jake Van Ness\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jake Van Ness\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2023\/11\/reviving-dreams-construction-underway-at-south-street-market-center-project\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2023\/11\/reviving-dreams-construction-underway-at-south-street-market-center-project\/\",\"name\":\"Reviving Dreams: Construction Underway At South Street Market Center Project - Glens Falls Business Journal\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2023-11-22T19:30:35+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-11-22T19:30:35+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/#\/schema\/person\/a11ec438b5f0e57f1156754ba3931b86\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2023\/11\/reviving-dreams-construction-underway-at-south-street-market-center-project\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2023\/11\/reviving-dreams-construction-underway-at-south-street-market-center-project\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2023\/11\/reviving-dreams-construction-underway-at-south-street-market-center-project\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Reviving Dreams: Construction Underway At South Street Market Center Project\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/\",\"name\":\"Glens Falls Business Journal\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/#\/schema\/person\/a11ec438b5f0e57f1156754ba3931b86\",\"name\":\"Jake Van Ness\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8083519989e12032abdd06a668982ef4?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8083519989e12032abdd06a668982ef4?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Jake Van Ness\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/author\/jakev\/\"}]}<\/script>\r\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Reviving Dreams: Construction Underway At South Street Market Center Project - Glens Falls Business Journal","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2023\/11\/reviving-dreams-construction-underway-at-south-street-market-center-project\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Reviving Dreams: Construction Underway At South Street Market Center Project - Glens Falls Business Journal","og_description":"By Paul Post \u00a0Gregg Singer and Larissa Ovitt are bridging a gap in Glens Falls\u2019 downtown revitalization, which took a giant leap forward with the long-anticipated groundbreaking for a $4.5 million Market Center on South Street.\u00a0 State and city officials tossed shovels full of dirt to mark the momentous occasion, the latest in a series […]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2023\/11\/reviving-dreams-construction-underway-at-south-street-market-center-project\/","og_site_name":"Glens Falls Business Journal","article_published_time":"2023-11-22T19:30:35+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":674,"url":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/109\/2023\/11\/groundbreak.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Jake Van Ness","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Jake Van Ness","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2023\/11\/reviving-dreams-construction-underway-at-south-street-market-center-project\/","url":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2023\/11\/reviving-dreams-construction-underway-at-south-street-market-center-project\/","name":"Reviving Dreams: Construction Underway At South Street Market Center Project - Glens Falls Business Journal","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/#website"},"datePublished":"2023-11-22T19:30:35+00:00","dateModified":"2023-11-22T19:30:35+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/#\/schema\/person\/a11ec438b5f0e57f1156754ba3931b86"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2023\/11\/reviving-dreams-construction-underway-at-south-street-market-center-project\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2023\/11\/reviving-dreams-construction-underway-at-south-street-market-center-project\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2023\/11\/reviving-dreams-construction-underway-at-south-street-market-center-project\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Reviving Dreams: Construction Underway At South Street Market Center Project"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/","name":"Glens Falls Business Journal","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/#\/schema\/person\/a11ec438b5f0e57f1156754ba3931b86","name":"Jake Van Ness","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8083519989e12032abdd06a668982ef4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8083519989e12032abdd06a668982ef4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Jake Van Ness"},"url":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/author\/jakev\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36844"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/89"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36844"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36844\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36846,"href":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36844\/revisions\/36846"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36845"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36844"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36844"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36844"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}