Community Input
Suggested Future Uses
Community members provided input on types of future uses that could support community needs. They also shared ideas about pedestrian, bike, vehicular, and waterway connections, environmental functions, and cultural features to incorporate in future use design.
Commercial
Commercial use suggestions included small- to medium-scale office space; retail and services that meet needs of visitors (tourists, boaters, cyclists); local and regional retail storefronts. Market-style infrastructure proposed for temporary or seasonal use.
Industrial
Industrial use suggestions were for light industrial with minimal truck traffic, preferably in a sector that appeals to younger populations and includes workforce diversity (a range of educational, socio-economic and skill levels) such as technology manufacturing or a distillery.
Agricultural, Production or Renewable Energy
Suggestions included a hydroponics facility, solar farm, and medical marijuana growing facility.
Recreational
Residents suggested a flexible open space for outdoor recreation and parks; new trail connections to the waterfront, Erie Canalway and natural gorge upstream. Additional features suggested include dog park, creek access, marina services, and a waterway to provide entry by boat to downtown. Ideas for structural recreational uses include and indoor/outdoor all-season athletic facility and facilities for recreational entertainment such as paint ball, drone racing and laser tag.
Residential
Suggestions for residential site uses included medium density, low maintenance, or high quality housing to meet needs of seniors and young adults.
Hospitality
Hospitality use suggestions included a mid-level hotel for tourists, business travelers along Route 10, Route 5 and Thruway corridor.
Entertainment
Suggestions for entertainment uses included an indoor water park and a performance venue.
Institutional
Indoor and outdoor space for a history museum and expansion of the Arkell Museum collection. Montgomery County has suggested consolidating county and municipal offices on the site as well.
Services
Suggestions for service related uses included a rehabilitation center, day care, or elder care facility.
Waterway
Residents suggested to bring boats closer to the downtown area by dredging the entry to Canajoharie Creek; construct a canal along the location of the original Erie Canal to allow boats to travel directly to Church Street.
Environment
Canajoharie sits in a beautiful area along the Mohawk River and is surrounded by green hills and the Canajoharie Creek which flows through the Wintergreen Park. The picturesque landscape surrounding the village and its location provides a unique opportunity for improvement projects.
Riparian Edge
Natural and engineered features, such as creek restoration and wetland plantings, to help mitigate flood effects on the site and restore ecological functions along the waterfront.
Materials Recycling
Recycling and reuse of building materials from demolition to increase elevation and meet updated floodplain requirements for new development.
Cultural History
Canajoharie is located along the Mohawk Valley and Erie Canal Heritage areas. The history of Canajoharie dates back to the 1700s and many cultural and historically significant locations are in and around the village.
Erie Canal
Recognition of Erie Canal’s former location on site; leveraging regional Erie Canal recreational programming and publicity (i.e. events, signs, maps).
Mohawk History
Features and programming that raise awareness of the area’s significance in Mohawk heritage.
Industrial History
Potential inclusion of historic features such as the smokestack, Church Street facade, Church Street “green” (the maintained open space facing Church Street), ironwork entries and the Beech-Nut sign (currently in storage); a small museum to archive artifacts from the Beech-Nut factory and former production companies that operated on the site.
Unlimited Potential
Few constraints exist for the redevelopment of the former Beech-Nut facility. The site has the potential for a multitude of uses including commercial use, light industrial, agricultural production, renewable energy facilities, educational or institutional campuses, residential housing development, entertainment venues, medical or elder care facilities, and hospitality.
