Following early success that included approval of a needed zoning change, the strip mall proposed for a tract of city-owned quarry land more than a mile from Little Fall's Downtown commercial center has been slowed, according to a story in the Mohawk Valley Express, headquartered in Amsterdam. The project has been the subject of spirited debate in the community and before the City Council since it first came to public notice early last fall.
At their January session, the Herkimer County Industrial Development Agency took no action on a "payment in lieu of taxes" proposal (know in development circles as a PILOT) that would allow the project to go forward with incremental governmental financing for additional municipal infrastructure required to serve the mall. An IDA official was quoted as saying the proposal lacked enough information to advance beyond the discussion stage.
The strip mall proposal has drawn lively debate in the Mohawk Valley city of 5,000 people, and Empire State Future was asked to intervene in the matter by a local organization called "Main Street First" that embraces Smart Growth principles and opposes the new mall. Executive Director Peter B. Fleischer addressed the group in October about the application of Smart Growth to a situation such as theirs.
The full Mohawk Valley Express story can be found on the Web site www.mohawkvalley.com
