Miles Burnett, Northside Business Owners, and Residents Challenge Kraham Administration Over Lack of Plan for Binghamton Plaza Takeover
Demands cost estimates, timeline, and final project details as Mayor Jared Kraham asks Binghamton Council for $1.55 million to purchase property
BINGHAMTON, NY -- Today, Miles Burnett joined Northside business owners and residents to demand answers from Mayor Jared Kraham over the City’s quest to take over the 24-acre Binghamton Plaza. At the press conference, Burnett and local stakeholders demanded cost estimates, a timeline, and a vision for the project before more taxpayer money is allocated for the site. So far, the Kraham administration has proposed turning the site into a large field, expanding Cheri Lindsey Park and the Greenway, but without any cost estimates, timeline, or plan for the remaining space. Kraham’s 18-month eminent domain saga has driven away longtime Plaza tenants and left those who remain in the dark despite pleas to the mayor's office for updates and answers. An Environmental Review prepared for the contaminated site suggests that the entire 24-acre site will be excavated down to 17 feet, removing hundreds of thousands of tons of material in trucks driven through Northside neighborhoods.
Late last Friday, when he thought no one was looking, Kraham announced via Twitter a $1.55 million request made to the Binghamton Council for the property’s acquisition. The city previously spent $1 million on legal fees in eminent domain proceedings.
“Once again, the Kraham administration is blindly charging forward without a plan — this time with Binghamton Plaza,” said Miles Burnett, Democratic and Working Families Party Candidate for Binghamton Mayor. “After almost two years of legal battles, there’s still no public plan, no timeline, and no estimate for what demolition, environmental remediation, or redevelopment of this site will cost. Meanwhile, the property will be taken off the tax rolls, creating a hole in our city’s budget. Business owners have been sidelined throughout this entire process, and residents are being asked to foot the bill for one of the most expensive projects in Binghamton’s history — with no clear sense of what they’re even paying for. Before another cent goes into this property, we have to know what is going on here. This isn’t leadership. It’s reckless spending, and our community deserves better.”
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