(PLATTSBURGH- Tuesday September 12, 2023) - The City and 55 Elm St. Properties, Inc, the owner of 15 Couch street, have reached a final agreement to demolish the building which faced a catastrophic fire in 2013 and sat to languish since.
With negotiations starting in 2021, the Mayor’s office and the principle of 55 Elm, LLC have come to agreement that the hazardous building will be razed at the owner’s expense within 90 days of the finalize agreement.
“When I came into office, there were a number of high level issues that were my priority to clean-up before my first term completed; 15 Couch St. was one of them,” says City of Plattsburgh Mayor Christopher Rosenquest. “Negotiation is compromise and collaboration. Although the process took roughly two and a half years, the patience and persistence it took was well worth it. My office’s priority was to get this building down and to not use taxpayer funds to do it. This is now resolved and that building should be gone before the new year.”
The approval to enter into the demolition agreement passed with 4-2 vote with Councilors Baughn (Ward 1), Kelly (Ward 2), Tallon (Ward 4), and Bopp (Ward 5) in support and Councilors Moore (Ward 6) and Gibbs (Ward 3) in opposition. 15 Couch St. is located in Ward 6.
**Edit: Please note that when this article was originally published the date cited for the fire was incorrect. We have since corrected this error. Thank you.
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