Mount McGregor, in Saratoga Co., is one of the defunct prisons inside the Blue Line being considered for repurposing if State Constitutional Amendment passes. — NORTH CREEK | In her State of the State Book, Gov. Kathy Hochul stated her intention to propose a Constitutional Amendment to authorize the redevelopment of three closed correctional facilities in the Adirondacks that are sitting dormant so that they can be returned to “productive and critically needed uses, such as for housing development, while also securing a win for conservation” by proposing the addition of new lands into the Forest Preserve (quoting State of the State Book, page 79).
Protect the Adirondacks has long supported a bundled Constitutional Amendment to Article 14, Section 1, the “Forever Wild” clause, for the three closed prison facilities in the Adirondacks to allow them to be repurposed. “Due to the Forever Wild provision that applies to these State-owned lands, a Constitutional Amendment is necessary to allow for the redevelopment of State correctional facilities that have been closed in recent years,” said Claudia Braymer, Executive Director, Protect the Adirondacks. “We support a Constitutional Amendment for these facilities because it will help Adirondack communities revitalize these sites for public benefit and improve management of the State-owned Forest Preserve. Protect the Adirondacks fully supports Gov. Hochul’s plan to add replacement lands that will compensate the Forest Preserve and provide new wildlands and public recreational and outdoor experiences.”
Gov. Hochul’s proposal will authorize redevelopment of Camp Gabriels in Franklin County, Mount McGregor Correctional Facility in Saratoga County, and the Moriah Shock Correctional Facility in Essex County. There are also three other closed facilities in Forest Preserve counties: Great Meadow facility in Washington County, Sullivan facility in Sullivan County (in the Catskills) and Bare Hill facility in Franklin County (closing in March 2026). These facilities include hundreds of buildings and are highly developed…