Vets want Putnam to raze dilapidated Carmel office, but legislature still wants to sell it

In downtown Carmel, right in front of the Putnam County Courthouse, stands a run down office building owned by Putnam County.

In need of substantial renovations, the building went on the market in 2019 after the County Legislature determined it was surplus, seven years after the county clerk moved out of the former Chevrolet dealership.

The legislators wanted it back on the tax rolls, in a prime location, across the street from Lake Gleneida, a New York City reservoir along whose banks fly scores of flags to honor Putnam County veterans. Three doors down stands the David D. Bruen County Office Building.

Then-County Executive MaryEllen Odell, who considers the building a “blight” on the hamlet of Carmel, tapped a local real estate broker to market it in 2019 for $600,000.

It was a tough sell.

By 2022, a deal to sell it at the listing price fell through in the final days of Odell’s tenure. That’s when the prospective purchaser ‒ the son-in-law of County Legislator Toni Addonizio, R-Kent ‒ opted not to move forward with his mixed-use plan for street-level commercial space, and up to 12 apartments overhead.

On Thursday, Putnam Executive Kevin Byrne pledged to put the building back on the market.

At the same time, one of Putnam’s leading advocates for veterans has revived a 2023 proposal to demolish the building to create a green sward from Gleneida Avenue to the courthouse. It would honor our region's veterans with an outdoor public gathering space and walkway while opening up the entrance to the Putnam County government's finest public building.

What's proposed for the building's demolition?

Taking down the dilapidated building would open the courthouse to Gleneida Avenue, also known as Route 52, providing a new welcoming entrance for the busy justice center. It would also provide a gathering spot next door for the Veterans Memorial Hall, which is home to Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1374 and American Legion Post 270.

“They need to rip it down and create a green space,” said Richard Othmer, a highway superintendent in Kent, and vice commander of the American Legion post. “They built our new courthouse and stuck it behind an old car dealership. It would open up the site to Lake Gleneida and dress up the county seat. It would be a classy thing for the county.”

No parking dooms deal

The deal with Addonizio’s son-in-law, Byron Voutsinas, fell apart over the lack of parking on the cramped parcel, which backs up nearly to the courthouse entrance steps. A last-minute offer of 24 county parking spaces, hundreds of yards away, beyond the Putnam County Jail, didn’t work out, so the purchase was not approved by the County Legislature.

Speaking outside of 34 Gleneida last week, Byrne said he was bound by the legislature’s policy enacted in 2019 to sell it. He said he planned to relaunch the marketing campaign, but he warned that it would be a tough sell without any off-street parking.

“My opinion is that we move forward with trying to list it and get a buyer,” Byrne said. “I think parking is going to be an issue. If the legislature wants to have a discussion about it, I’m more than open to have that conversation. But I’m not looking to change course.”

Accusations fly

The failed deal at 34 Gleneida sparked a scrum among Putnam County’s ruling clique, with Republicans holding the county executive’s seat and an 8-1 majority on the County Legislature. County Attorney Compton Spain alleged that Addonizio had an undisclosed conflict of interest during the 2022 discussion on the sale. Addonizio, however, had an opinion from the Legislature's counsel, saying she had acted with the highest ethics by disclosing her relationship with the potential buyer and did nothing to further her son-in-law's possible purchase. .

Legislative Counsel Robert Firriolo maintained that Spain sued Voutsinas in 2023 without permission of the Legislature, and kept the proceedings secret for five months during routine update meetings. The legislators learned of the case when it was decided in the county’s favor in May.

Spain insisted he had the authority, based on a resolution instructing him to engage in any legal action needed to make the sale occur.

Spain acted to extinguish a claim filed by Voutsinas against Putnam County in 2023, saying that the county breached his contract for sale and should repay him for costs he incurred in the potential sale. State Supreme Court Justice Gina Capone in May ruled that Voutsinas’ contract for sale, signed by then-County Executive Odell, was invalid because the county Legislature never ratified the agreement.

So far, Othmer’s proposal to demolish the building has won support from town boards in Patterson, Putnam Valley and Philipstown. But it has failed to gain any traction at the Legislature or with Byrne. We've heard nothing yet from the Putnam County open space advocacy community.

But forward-looking supervisors in half of Putnam's towns see the positive influence of creating a welcoming public gathering place, linked in a growing green necklace, that features Putnam's patriotic lakefront park and the statue of Revolutionary War heroine Sybil Ludington. It will honor the county's vets, and provide an alternative gathering place to the barroom.

"Any time you recognize the veterans is a positive thing for the community," said Patterson Supervisor Richard Williams. "Having a park in that location, would enhance the streetscape along Gleneida Avenue."

Legislator Greg Ellner, R-Carmel, whose district includes downtown Carmel, said he hadn’t heard a peep about the building since taking office in 2023, and chairing the Legislature's Physical Services Committee, which oversees issues involving county buildings and property. He’d like a new landlord to create offices for medical professionals or attorneys, but recognizes that the parking issue is not going away.

Ellner suggests the new owner seek approvals from the town of Carmel to waive the same on-site parking requirements that stymied Voutsinas. He noted that many patrons of George’s Place, a treasured breakfast-and-lunch haunt next door to 34 Gleneida Ave., find pubic spots along Gleneida Avenue. It also has 10 spots behind the eatery.

“George’s functions fine,” said Ellner. “Maybe that’s something that can be worked out.”

County Legislature Chairman Paul Jonke, R-Southeast, said he has no interest in tearing down the old car dealership.

Jonke argued that no one was hanging out at the county-owned Spain Cornerstone Park, located at the site of a former gas station at Gleneida Avenue and Fair Street. He felt the green belt at Lake Gleneida, on the west side of the avenue, was ample for the hamlet of Carmel.

Jonke wants no more green space on the Carmel county campus.

“I don’t think we need to create more and more parks,” said Jonke. “We have a park across the street. I don’t see the need. There’s no demand for a park there. You can go for a nice walk on the shores of Lake Gleneida.”

Sign up for Wilson's weekly newsletter for insights into his Tax Watch columns.

David McKay Wilson writes about tax issues and government accountability. Follow him on Twitter @davidmckay415 or email him at dwilson3@lohud.com.