Building on a Legacy of Invention

New Mixed-Use Residential Development in Former Industrial Site in Gloversville, New York

Project Summary

Community; Gloversville, New York
Technical Assistance: Market Analysis
Former Use: Glove Manufacturing
Future Use: Mixed-Use Multi-Family Residential

Gloversville is located in Fulton County in the Mohawk
Valley of New York State. Gloversville is considered
one of the gateways into the Adirondack Mountains and
offers many recreational opportunities. Once the glove-
making capital of the world, Gloversville was home to
over 200 tanneries and neighborhoods for those
thousands of employees. The former Decca Records
site is a 2.02-acre property with an industrial history
dating back to the 1920s. The site includes a
deteriorated 109,250 square-foot structure, once used
forgiove manufacturing, and a triangle of vacant land
along the east side of the building. The community has
identified the site as a priority for redevelopment.

The Community's Challenge

By the mid-1990s, only a few manufacturers remained
in Gloversville. The city's population had reduced by 45
percent from its peak of 23,700 in 1950. The collapse of
the glove industry left Gloversville littered with
brownfields, and a population with high unemployment,
high poverty, and a higher-than-expected per capita
cancer rate, it is hoped that redevelopment of the
Decca Records site will serve as a catalyst to the
community's revitalization.

EPA's Land Revitalization Technical Assistance
In 2022, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Land Revitalization Program provided contractor
technical assistance to conduct a market analysis and
identify conceptual reuse options for the former Decca
Records. Three alternative site reuse options were
developed for the city to consider.

Options included adaptive reuse of the existing building,
demolition and new construction, and a combined reuse
and new construction option. All three options identified
multi-family residential as the primary use, supported by
commercial and community services, and considers
potential reuse for the City's Public Works Garage site
as well.

The preferred alternative proposes new construction for
a mixed-use residential development with 126 new
housing units and 10,000 square feet of commercial
space, adjacent to a new public park abutting the
Cayadutta Creek and the rail trail.

Renderings of Decca Records Redevelopment

For more information, contact Sadira Robles, EPA
Region 2 Brownfields Program, at

Robles.Sadira@epa.gov.

United States
Environmental Protection
^*^1 M * Agency

Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization
560-F-23-313

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