Village acquires former Erie Mill for community and tourism center

CANASTOTA, NY – The Village of Canastota has acquired the former Erie Mill property located at 103 S. Main Street. The village intends to transform the property into a community and tourism center to serve residents and visitors alike.

As a central stop along the Erie Canalway Trail, Canastota welcomes thousands of bicyclists each year who ride through our village looking for a place to eat, rest, and relax. Preliminary plans for the building include public restrooms, seating, charging stations, informational kiosks, and signage to cater to those travelers and let them know about all that Canastota has to offer.

Canastota also has a need for indoor gathering space for its residents, and village officials believe this will be an excellent location for both. This new facility is intended to host office and meeting rooms for the Canastota Recreation Commission, which has been growing and adding events to better serve the recreation needs of our community.

This community and tourism center project will compliment two significant upcoming transformative projects along the Historic Old Erie Canal in Downtown Canastota. In February of 2024 the state awarded the village $4.5 million as part of its NY Forward program. $1.7 million of that award has been designated to revitalize Canal Street between Peterboro Street and Main Street. In addition, Madison County has designs for a Pocket Neighborhood of approximately 50 apartments and townhomes called “Old Erie Commons” which is planned to be located on the vacant parcel of land adjacent to the Erie Canal between Canal Street and E. Center Street.  

The village has also applied for funding through the New York State BRICKS program to assist with the transformation of the Erie Mill site.

The current building at 103 S. Main Street has been vacant for years and has recently fallen into noticeable disrepair. The property was previously the site of a private residence, a feed mill, a grocery store, a frozen food plant, and a tavern dating back to the late 1800s.

“The village is very excited about the acquisition of this property, which has a long history in our community,” said Mayor Rosanne Warner. “With all of the transformational projects in the works it will add to our village and provide a home for our recreation department. Over the past two years the village has conducted several surveys, and our residents overwhelmingly identified a recreation center as a priority. Given the current state of this property and its close proximity to the Historic Old Erie Canal, we feel this location will be a significant addition to our community.”

The contracted purchase price was $43,000. The village will initially work to stabilize the structure and clean the property before this winter, then will solicit plans from engineers and contractors to perform the renovations.

A conceptual drawing for the proposed community/tourism center at 103 S. Main Street. Rendering by Mr. Jacob Smith.