Governor Hochul Announces Start of Construction on 80-Unit Affordable Housing Development in Tupper Lake

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the start of construction on the former Oval Wood Dish Factory, a $46 million, 80-unit mixed-use affordable development in the village of Tupper Lake, Franklin County. The project will transform a long-vacant, former industrial factory into modern apartments and commercial space. Under Governor Hochul's leadership, New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) has created or preserved more than 2,500 affordable homes in the North Country. The Oval Wood Dish Factory continues this effort and is part of Governor Hochul's $25 billion five-year Housing Plan, which is on track to create or preserve 100,000 affordable homes statewide.

"Oval Wood Dish Factory is a great example of how state, local and private partnership can work together to transform an underutilized industrial site into a vibrant neighborhood asset," Governor Hochul said. "This development will breathe new life into a vacant factory while also filling the need for affordable housing in Tupper Lake.

Apartments at Oval Wood Dish Factory will be affordable to households earning up to 90 percent of the Area Median Income. The building will have fully accessible and adaptable apartments. There are four units to accommodate residents with mobility disabilities and two units to accommodate residents with sensory disabilities.

Developed by Housing Visions, Lahinch Group and Braxton Capital, Oval Wood Dish Factory advances the State's revitalization efforts in Tupper Lake. The development will include more than 25,000 square feet of commercial space, a fitness room, a courtyard, a playground and walking paths. It will have Energy Star appliances and efficient lighting.

The former factory, originally built in 1916 as headquarters for the Oval Wood Dish company, produced a wide range of wooden products such as oval wooden dishes, bowling pins and hardwood flooring. Before closing in 1964, the factory operated 24 hours a day and employed more than 500 people. From 2003 to 2008, Jarden Plastic Solutions used the factory to make a variety of plastic items, including utensils. The site was listed in the State and National Registers of Historic Places in 2021.

The project will be all-electric, with cold-climate heat pump technology providing efficient heating and cooling even through the depths of an Adirondack winter. A whole-building ventilation system will continuously provide fresh air while recovering heat that would otherwise be lost, helping maintain comfortable, healthy indoor environments.

The rehabilitation of Oval Wood Dish Factory addresses unmet housing demand in the Adirondack region and improves the quality of life for residents and the surrounding neighborhood. This project will assist in both retaining current residents of Tupper Lake, where affordable housing options are limited, and with attracting new residents and businesses.

Addressing the North Country's housing shortage is a top priority for the North Country Regional Economic Development Council. Because housing availability is critical to recruitment and retention of the workforce essential for regional growth, key initiatives are actively moving forward - including this development and the launch of Accelerate Workforce Housing, announced by Governor Hochul as a multi-year, multi-partner initiative to address the critical shortage of housing for working families and individuals in the North Country region.

Oval Wood Dish Factory will contribute to the continued revitalization efforts in uptown Tupper Lake, a Round 5 Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) recipient. Additional projects awarded funding through the State's revitalization program include Restore 70 Park Street, Create Timberjaxx Pass Miniature Golf, the Energize Uptown Small Project Fund, Upgrade and Enhance Tupper Arts' Presence in Uptown, Redevelop the Oval Lofts and Enhance the Uptown Streetscape. Other North Country DRI winners include Plattsburgh, Watertown, Saranac Lake, Potsdam, Massena, Ticonderoga, Lowville, Malone and Ogdensburg.

Financing for Oval Wood Dish Factory includes a mix of public and private sources, including Federal and State Low-Income Housing Tax Credits from HCR that are expected to generate more than $17 million in equity. Federal and state historic tax credits facilitated by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation are expected to generate an estimated $10 million in equity. The project also benefits from $9 million in HCR subsidy, $2 million through the Department of State's Downtown Revitalization Initiative, and $7 million in subsidy from Empire State Development. Eight units will receive Section 8 Project-Based Vouchers administered by HCR.

New York State Homes and Community Renewal Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas said, "Oval Wood Dish Factory shows that affordability and economic development go hand-in-glove. Thanks to this $46 million investment, 80 households will soon have an affordable place to live and businesses will have three new commercial spaces of their own. We are grateful to Governor Hochul for her bold vision and commitment to increasing the supply of housing in North Country communities, including Tupper Lake."

New York Secretary of State Walter T. Mosley said, "Transforming blighted, underutilized and historic sites truly hits the trifecta when it comes to the Downtown Revitalization Initiative's mission of building on the assets and character a community already possesses, all while transforming these same local resources into something the community needs and desires. Under Governor Hochul's leadership, the Oval Wood Dish Factory will do just that - preserve an important piece of Tupper Lake's history while creating 80 units of much-needed affordable workforce housing for new and current residents, further strengthening the community for generations to come."

Empire State Development President, CEO, & Commissioner Hope Knight said, "Under Governor Hochul's leadership, New York State is making the targeted investments needed to tackle our regional housing shortages head-on. The start of construction on the Oval Wood Dish development marks a transformative moment for Tupper Lake and the entire North Country. Through the adaptive reuse of this iconic, 100-year-old industrial complex, we are addressing a critical local need by delivering 80 units of affordable workforce housing alongside vibrant commercial space. This project is a testament to the power of coordinated collaboration, turning a long-vacant, blighted property into an engine for local economic vitality."

New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation Commissioner Kathy Moser said, "Investing in historic buildings creates an opportunity to preserve our communities' history while bringing new life and new purpose to vacant spaces. Through New York's rehabilitation tax credit programs, we're helping communities transform historic properties into vibrant community assets, including much-needed affordable housing. We're proud to support affordable housing initiatives in the North Country and across New York State, and we thank Governor Hochul for her leadership."

North Country Regional Economic Development Council Co-Chairs James McKenna and Dr. Kathryn Morris said, "For years, the Oval Wood Dish Factory stood vacant as a reminder of Tupper Lake's industrial past and untapped potential. Thanks to Governor Hochul's commitment to workforce housing and critical New York State support, redeveloping this historic site creates a mixed-use community anchor that restores vitality to Route 3, meets the everyday needs of our local workforce, and strengthens the economic foundation for regional employers."

Assemblymember Michael S. Cashman said, "Our strongest resource here in the North Country is our people, and this groundbreaking is yet another example of what we can accomplish when we work together. From the designers and construction workers to the new families and workers who will come to inhabit these spaces, the North Country is continuing to expand, and I am delighted to see this project underway. We have many underutilized spaces throughout our district that can be repurposed into housing units or for countless other uses, and I hope other organizations will see this initiative as a model for future revitalization efforts."

Franklin County Executive Donna Kissane said, "The vision for the Oval Wood Dish site honors Tupper Lake's past while helping address a pressing need of many communities across the region - safe, quality, affordable housing. Repurposing this historic property provides opportunity to breathe new life into a significant part of Tupper Lake's story while creating homes that people can realistically afford. Congratulations to all involved who worked hard to make this project a reality."

Town of Tupper Lake Supervisor Ricky Dattola said, "I am very happy that the OWD project is getting started. I want to thank everyone: the town, village, county, state, and developer. This is a good example that when everyone works together, good things happen! Tupper Lake is alive and moving forward."

Village of Tupper Lake Mayor Mary Fontana said, "This project is about so much more than putting 80 new apartments on the ground. It's about taking a property that has sat vacant for decades and bringing it back to life in a way that creates real opportunity for our community. Housing is one of the biggest challenges facing Tupper Lake and communities throughout the Adirondacks, and projects like this are exactly what we need to move forward. The Oval Wood Dish site has been part of Tupper Lake's history for more than a century. Seeing that it has a new purpose and a new future is pretty incredible. We are grateful to HCR and all of the state partners who saw the potential here and helped make this happen. This is a huge investment in Tupper Lake, and we're excited to see what comes next."

Housing Visions CEO Ben Lockwood said, "The redevelopment of the Oval Wood Dish Factory in Tupper Lake represents years of hard work and dedication from the development team, local residents, Adirondack region advocates and supporters, and the State of New York. We are excited to breathe new life into this historic landmark and provide new affordable rental housing and commercial options in Tupper Lake and the Adirondack region."

Governor Hochul's Housing Agenda

Governor Hochul is dedicated to addressing New York's housing crisis and making the State more affordable and livable for all New Yorkers. Since FY23, the Governor has worked to increase housing supply to make housing more affordable by launching a $25 billion five-year comprehensive Housing Plan, enacted the most significant housing deal in decades and implemented new protections for renters and homeowners. Under Governor Hochul's leadership, HCR has created new programs that jumpstart development of affordable and mixed-income homes - for both renters and homebuyers. These include the Pro-Housing Community Program, which allows certified localities exclusive access to up to $750 million in discretionary State funding. There are currently 450 certified Pro-Housing communities throughout the state, including the town and village of Tupper Lake.

As part of FY27 Budget, Governor Hochul secured a number of landmark reforms to New York's State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) to speed up housing and infrastructure development and lower costs as part of her "Let Them Build" agenda. "Let Them Build" also includes executive actions to expedite critical categories of projects that have been consistently found to not have significant environmental impacts, but for too long have been caught up in red tape and subject to lengthy delays.

The FY27 Executive Budget completes the Governor's current five-year Housing Plan to create or preserve 100,000 affordable homes statewide, including 10,000 with support services for vulnerable populations plus the electrification of an additional 50,000 homes. More than 87,000 affordable homes have been created or preserved to date. The Executive Budget also invests $250 million in capital funding to accelerate the construction of thousands of new affordable homes.