State to build largest exposition space north of New York City at State Fairgrounds, names developer candidates

GEDDES, N.Y. — The state plans to build a 133,000-square-foot exposition building at the New York State Fairgrounds, which will be the “largest exposition space north of New York City.”

It’ll also be the “largest between Boston and Cleveland,” the office of Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a news release issued Wednesday.

The new space will allow the New York State Fair to “better compete” for larger national and international events, including livestock, equestrian, and sports events.

The state has selected three developers to respond to a “request for proposals” (RFP) to design and build the exposition building.

They had submitted responses to a “request for qualifications” that the New York State Office of General Services had issued in July, and “have been deemed qualified to participate in the RFP.”

The development teams include HBP, a joint-venture of Hueber-Breuer Construction Co. Inc., of Syracuse and the Pike Company of Rochester; Rochester–based LeChase Construction Services, LLC, which operates an office in Syracuse; and Welliver of Montour Falls in Schuyler County.

Construction may begin as early as November, with a “substantial completion” date that will coincide with the 2018 State Fair. New York expects the effort to create more than 700 construction jobs.

The new 133,000-square-foot facility will include “flexible” space for events such as car shows and auctions; consumer and trade shows; motocross; equestrian events; equipment shows; and other events that “complement and expand the Fairgrounds as a premier year-round destination,” Cuomo’s office said.

The state will “privatize the management and promotion” of non-Fair events at the exposition building.

In addition, the state will be issuing an RFP this fall for a non-Fair private events operator/manager to attract and promote additional shows and events. The effort seeks to “maximize” the use of the new exposition building and the entire 375-acre State Fair campus on non-Fair days throughout the year,

 Non-Fair events — including an estimated 90,000 who attended the Syracuse Nationals classic car show and two popular horse shows — have brought the 2017 total attendance year-to-date to 560,929, “already above the 529,000 [in] attendance for all of 2016,” Cuomo’s office said.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com

Rendering credit: New York governor’s office