MetalWyze Seeks Tax Deal to Revive Vacant Newburgh Industrial Building

A recently formed metal-processing company asked the City of Newburgh's Industrial Development Agency for a decade of tax relief to bring a shuttered Pierces Road building back to life, drawing only a single public comment at a Monday evening hearing.

MetalWyze, Inc. is seeking a 10-year Payment In Lieu Of Taxes agreement to rehabilitate the vacant 63,000-square-foot industrial building at 106 Pierces Road, converting it into a metal coil and sheet-metal processing facility on a parcel of more than five acres. The company also plans to install new high-tech equipment as part of the buildout.

IDA Executive Director Cherisse Vickers laid out the economic case before the Newburgh Activity Center audience. "The construction phase of the project will generate two direct-indirect jobs that will generate approximately $151,257 in wages," she said. "The project will result in 10 direct and two indirect permanent jobs, approximately over $1 million in an annual basis."

The lone comment entered into the public record came from Orange County Partnership representative Lucas Irace, who read a statement expressing the organization's support. The partnership cited three reasons: redevelopment of an unused property, creation of new jobs, and planned partnerships with SUNY Orange and the Newburgh Free Academy Tech Center.

The sparse turnout at the March 16 hearing contrasts with the scale of what MetalWyze is proposing for a building that has sat vacant. Rehabilitating industrial properties in Newburgh carries genuine economic stakes for a city that has struggled to attract sustained manufacturing investment, and the SUNY Orange and Newburgh Free Academy Tech Center partnerships, if formalized, could create a pipeline of trained workers for the facility.

The City of Newburgh IDA has not yet ruled on the requested 10-year PILOT agreement. A final determination is expected after the agency reviews public comments and completes its evaluation of the project.