Construction has started to turn a vacant factory building into affordable homes in the heart of the Adirondack region of New York.
The Oval Wood Dish Factory is being converted into an 80-unit mixed-use development by joint-venture partners Housing Visions, Braxton Capital, and Lahinch Group.
“Oval Wood Dish is a dynamic rehabilitation that preserves and celebrates the history of Tupper Lake. The development is an example of a public-private partnership that revitalizes a prominent and longtime vacant building and addresses unmet needs in the Adirondack community,” said Ben Lockwood, president of Housing Visions.
The new apartments will be affordable to households earning up to 90% of the area median income. The building will have fully accessible and adaptable apartments. Four units will accommodate residents with mobility disabilities, and two units will serve residents with sensory disabilities.
According to officials, the project addresses unmet housing demand in the Adirondack region and improves the quality of life for residents and the surrounding neighborhood. It will assist in both retaining current residents of Tupper Lake, where affordable housing options are limited, and with attracting new residents and businesses.
The former factory, originally built in 1916 as headquarters for the Oval Wood Dish company, produced a wide range of wooden products such as oval wooden dishes, bowling pins, and hardwood flooring. Before closing in 1964, the factory operated 24 hours a day and employed more than 500 people. From 2003 to 2008, Jarden Plastic Solutions used the factory to make plastic utensils and other items. The site was listed in the state and national Registers of Historic Places in 2021.
Foss & Co., an established tax credit syndicator, is making an $8 million federal historic tax credit and a $4.95 million New York state historic tax credit investment in the development.
"The Oval Wood Dish Factory is exactly the kind of project that demonstrates the transformative power of historic tax credits," said John Sorel, an acquisitions executive at Foss & Co. "By preserving a piece of Tupper Lake's industrial history while creating affordable housing and new commercial opportunities, this development will have a lasting impact on the Adirondack community for generations to come."
The historic tax credits were facilitated by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.
Financing also includes state and federal low-income housing tax credits from New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) that are expected to generate more than $17 million in equity. The project also benefits from $9 million in HCR subsidy, $2 million through the Department of State’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative, and $7 million in subsidy from Empire State Development. Eight units will receive Section 8 project-based vouchers administered by HCR.
“This project is about so much more than putting 80 new apartments on the ground,” said Village of Tupper Lake mayor Mary Fontana. “It’s about taking a property that has sat vacant for decades and bringing it back to life in a way that creates real opportunity for our community. Housing is one of the biggest challenges facing Tupper Lake and communities throughout the Adirondacks, and projects like this are exactly what we need to move forward. The Oval Wood Dish site has been part of Tupper Lake’s history for more than a century. Seeing that it has a new purpose and a new future is pretty incredible. We are grateful to HCR and all of the state partners who saw the potential here and helped make this happen. This is a huge investment in Tupper Lake, and we’re excited to see what comes next.”