LaBella Proudly Attends the Brooks Street Groundbreaking

On April 24, 2025, community leaders and government officials gathered to celebrate the groundbreaking of the Brooks Street Construction Project—marking a significant milestone in the Village of Potsdam, New York’s downtown revitalization efforts.

For many years following the adoption of a Local Waterfront Revitalization Plan, municipal and business leaders in Potsdam have been working to revitalize the Market Square area and create a vibrant commercial district for the Village. The Brooks Street Construction Project is a foundational component of this redevelopment strategy for the downtown Market Square District. The dedication of Brooks Street—located between the Village’s public parking area and Market Square—will create a new public connection for vehicles and pedestrians, linking Raymond Street and Depot Street. This improved connectivity complements and reinforces the Village’s broader Downtown Revitalization Initiative, which includes streetscape and Riverwalk enhancements.

Once complete, the Brooks Street project will feature new sidewalks, LED lighting, tree-lined planting areas, and other pedestrian-friendly infrastructure. LaBella provided civil engineering and landscape architecture design services for this project.

The new street is named after LaBella architect Brooks Washburn, who owns the adjacent local mall and has played an instrumental role in making the project possible. A land swap agreement between Brooks Washburn, the Village of Potsdam, and the North Country Children’s Museum helped bring the vision to life. Washburn donated the land needed for the new street to the Village. In turn, the Village transferred a portion of the current public parking lot in front of the North Country Children’s Museum to Washburn, who then donated the land to the museum. The museum plans to use this land for new indoor and outdoor exhibit spaces—further encouraging the growth and development of the Village.

Scheduled for completion in July 2025, the project is funded by the Northern Border Regional Commission and the St. Lawrence River Valley Redevelopment Agency, along with in-kind services and materials provided by the Village of Potsdam.