Endwell Blighted Buildings: “Yes, They’re Coming Down!”

A Broome County businessman is moving forward with a redevelopment plan that will start with removing several abandoned structures in Endwell.

Tim Connolly is preparing to remove five or six buildings along East Main Street and Scarborough Drive.

Connolly wants to demolish the structures to create a "big, wide open site" that would be attractive for future development.

One of the buildings to be torn down is a laundromat that was damaged in an arson fire in 1988. The wrecked structure on East Main Street has been boarded up and unused for nearly 35 years.

Other nearby buildings also are to be removed. Connolly said some paperwork still must be finalized but he expects the demolition work will occur this spring. He said that would make five acres available for a future project.

Town of Union supervisor Robert Mack is excited that the eyesores should soon be a thing of the past. He said: "Yay... Yes, they're coming down!"

Mack said the town of Union Local Development Corporation will provide $200,000 to support what's expected to be a $300,000 project to prepare the site.

At this point, Connolly doesn't know what might be developed on the property. He said he'll be looking for "the right entity that can grow the corridor" along East Main Street.

Connolly's company, CEO of First General of Southern New York, now has its offices in a building at the site. It had been home to a series of bars over the past few decades.

A nearby building on East Main Street was torn down to make way for a distribution facility that will be used by AutoZone, a car parts retailer.

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Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com or (607) 545-2250. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.