Momentum Across the Map in Orange County
Poly Craft Industries - Middletown, NY
By: Lucas Irace, Director of Business Attraction & Development
Development activity across Orange County continues to reflect the diversity of the county itself. From downtown housing and historic redevelopment to advanced manufacturing, food and beverage, life sciences, specialized manufacturing and hospitality, investment is taking shape across communities and industries, each adding a different piece to Orange County’s economic landscape.
In western Orange County, the City of Port Jervis continues to build on its resurgence. Supported in part by the momentum created through New York State’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative, new housing and mixed-use projects are helping bring additional residents, businesses and activity into the city.
Among the projects moving forward is a proposed 25,000-square-foot, four-story mixed-use redevelopment featuring approximately 50 apartments and 3,400 square feet of commercial space. The Tunnel Apartments, currently in the planning process, would add another 48 apartments and approximately 1,500 square feet of commercial space, further strengthening the residential base needed to support a vibrant downtown.
Moving into central Orange County, the development story shifts toward advanced manufacturing and large-scale investment. Companies including Poly Craft, Balchem and SPOG Trailers are contributing to the continued growth and diversification of the county’s manufacturing sector.
The central portion of the county is also home to two major robotic logistics projects that, combined, represent approximately 5 million square feet of development, more than 2,000 full-time jobs and over $2 billion in capital investment. Their scale underscores Orange County’s ability to compete for some of the largest and most technologically advanced projects in the region.
In eastern Orange County, the pipeline becomes even more diverse.
At the S.T.E.A.M. Rail Site in the Village of Maybrook, a major FAST NY investment is helping position the rail-served property for its next generation of development. With infrastructure improvements moving forward, the Orange County Partnership is already working with several prospective food and beverage users interested in the site.
Nearby in the Town of New Windsor, Garonit Pharmaceuticals recently received full approval for its proposed 180,000-square-foot chlorhexidine gluconate manufacturing facility. The life sciences project is expected to create approximately 100 jobs with average annual salaries of roughly $75,000, bringing a new type of high-value manufacturing operation to the county.
In the City of Newburgh, investment is taking several different forms. MetalWyze represents a specialized manufacturing operation that will process large metal coils into smaller coils and flat-sheet products serving contractors, roofers, fabricators and other customers throughout the region.
At the same time, Newburgh is experiencing significant momentum in hospitality and historic redevelopment. A proposed $45.9 million redevelopment of the former Masonic Temple, YMCA and American Legion properties is poised to bring the city its first upscale hotel in 133 years. The project would breathe new life into several historic properties while creating a new destination in the heart of the city.
Taken together, these projects tell a larger story about where Orange County’s economy is heading. Growth is not being driven by one industry, one community or one type of development. It is happening through downtown reinvestment, new housing, advanced and specialized manufacturing, life sciences, food and beverage, major capital projects and the adaptive reuse of historic properties.
That diversity is one of Orange County’s greatest strengths, and the current pipeline shows that development momentum is reaching communities from one end of the county to the other.
