1995

PIDC, PARC & Beyond

By Anita Moore • Photo Supplied

The biggest news in Clinton County in 1995 was the closing of Plattsburgh Air Force Base in September. Since 1814 Plattsburgh had boasted a military presence. It was originally an Army base and remained so throughout the 1800s. In the 1940s it was converted to a Navy officer training school known as Camp MacDonough. Finally, in the 1950s, ownership transferred to the United States Air Force which took over the original Army location, but also broke ground on a new Strategic Air Command (SAC) Base that eventually had a flight line big enough to land the largest of aircrafts. The property remained in control of the Air Force until its closure in 1995.

When the federal government’s Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRACC) voted in 1993 to close the Base, the big questions facing the North Country community were, “What was going to happen next?” and “What would be the economic loss to the area.” The PIDC (Plattsburgh Intermunicipal Development Council), made up of over 20 members representing the City, Town, County, and State governments as well as private businesses was formed that same year. Its goal was to explore all viable options for repurposing the land and draft a comprehensive reuse plan to present to the Air Force. Surveys were sent out polling residents on what they did and did not want to see in the community. The most notable agreement was to maintain the flight line. The most controversial topic was the possibility of a Correctional Facility. PIDC’s collaboration was described as a “vehicle of cooperation between local governments” by Council member Louis Wolfe who stated, “We have found a way to get the voice of the community into the development of the Plattsburgh Air Force Base and Clinton County.”

According to David Holmes, then CEO of PIDC, “Once the conveyance of land from the Department of Defense has taken place, PIDC’s mission will be over and a new entity will need to be formed to tackle the next phase of marketing and actually fulfilling our plan.” That was where Plattsburgh Airbase Redevelopment Corporation (PARC) came into play.

PARC was a much smaller group of only seven members. Holmes was the initial CEO transitioning from PIDC. The board consisted of designees of the Governor, Congressman, State Senator, Assemblyman, Clinton County, and the City and Town of Plattsburgh.

SB recently sat with Garry Douglas for insight on how things went during his time as a member of PARC.

Scary Numbers

The $42 million in revenue the area was projected to lose when the Base closed sounded devastating, but when the PARC group did its research, it determined the impact was only about eight percent of the regional economy. Since it was a SAC base, PAFB was a completely self-sustained city within the city of Plattsburgh. It had its own stores, movie theater, barber shop, school, gym, and a golf course, therefore those types of businesses would see little impact. The businesses in the area that would feel the loss most were moving companies, realtors, auto sales and parts stores and bars and restaurants. (We still seem to have plenty of the latter two.)

The other large number that was being tossed around was the loss of 800 jobs. Those were members of the local community who had been employed on the Air Base. The number was one of the reasons redevelopment efforts focused on a variety of private businesses rather than trying for another government agency like a Department of Defense Accounting Center which some of the former bases were becoming. “We didn’t want to be dependent on something else that could leave down the line,” noted Douglas. “We had the opportunity to develop the land, site by site with private developers and that would make it much more diverse.”

Easy Money

A search for ways to successfully redevelop the former Base brought opportunities. Thirty million dollars in three days, just for hosting a concert, certainly seemed like easy money, The Clifford Ball, a massive Phish concert held on August 16 and 17, 1996 on the decommissioned flightline, was attended by over 70,000 people. It was a high-risk event, but PARC pulled it off and organizers considered themselves lucky it went as smoothly as it did. However, that type of event was just a stop gap for the economic loss, and continued use of the flightline as a venue to hold concerts was confounding to the private economic development of the area. “If we wanted to attract aviation tenants it would not have been compatible,” cited Douglas.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Another concern for redevelopment was the former military housing. The Base was full of empty houses, duplexes, dorms, and historic brick officer housing that were in various states of repair. If all the empty housing was dumped into the local real estate market it would have been devastating. Respected local realtor Don Duley volunteered his time to help PARC form a strategy that would promote sale of the properties, not harm the market and be accepted by local realtors. The plan involved the demolishing of older homes requiring too much repair and engaging a development firm to oversee the sale of the remaining housing with the intent to release the properties in phases. The first redevelopment and sale of the housing – now called Lake Country Village – was a huge success. As of 2025 not only has all PAFB housing been sold, but multiple new housing projects have been added to the 5,000-acre site.

The Loss We Still Feel

While the loss of jobs on the Base was a tracked statistic, and something the area has recovered from, what was not measured — but clearly had an impact on the area — was the loss of military spouses in the workforce. With the constant turnover of families, there were skilled nurses, accountants and other professionals to draw from. Bringing in people from all over added to our culture and diversity. Plattsburgh had a reputation for being a welcoming area and many who had been stationed here returned and settled after service.

And Beyond

In the years since the Base closure, PIDC and PARC accomplished what many thought might never happen. When PARC was dissolved in 2015 only one of the 165 parcels it started with remained. Not only does Clinton County now have an International Airport employing more than 700 people, but there are several aviation and shipping companies sharing that space. Roughly 80 companies, employing more than 1,000, are conducting business on the redeveloped land — including Strictly Business’ parent company, The Northeast Group. New housing continues to be built and the area continues to evolve. Douglas noted, “One of our main goals was for the redeveloped land to appear as though it was always part of the town, for it to no longer appear separate. I believe we accomplished that.”

Five rounds of BRACC closings — begun in 1988 and completed in 2005 — shuttered more than 350 Defense Department installations. The Air Force touts Plattsburgh as one of the most successful transfers for community reuse. Clearly an all-around job well done.