CAZENOVIA COLLEGE: A fresh outlook on community impact
We’re thrilled to share that our team has reached an agreement in principle to purchase the Cazenovia College campus. After many (many) months of due diligence, planning, and collaboration, this marks a major milestone in our effort to bring fresh energy and long-term value to a place that means so much to us and this community.
Our team—local to Cazenovia and deeply invested in its future—has been working diligently for months to shape a redevelopment approach that honors the legacy of the College while opening the door to new opportunities for our wonderful town.
We want to thank the municipal leaders and many community members who have offered their support, insight, and encouragement along the way. Your involvement has helped immensely and we’re just getting started.
Stay tuned – we’ll be sharing more in the coming weeks.
Cheers,
Kate Brodock
Founder & General Partner, 9 Fresh
We have the opportunity to turn a once-vibrant academic institution into an equally as vibrant, reimagined district for innovation, business growth, and impact that not only strongly serves our community, but provides powerful global connections and influence.
Located in Upstate NY, the main campus sits on 27 acres (14 parcels). Many buildings have been renovated in the past 10-20 years, and remain in good condition.
In its original form, it contains a network of lecture halls and instructional space, several historical village homes, many community spaces (eg student hall), a fully-functioning theater space, an athletic facility, a health center, 600 beds of housing, and more. There’s an additional 151-acre Equestrian Center 2 miles off-campus, with an adjacent 89-acre vacant, wooded lot.
The Main Quad is our launch site—a full village block of buildings, space, and possibility. It’s a chance to reimagine with purpose—turning a former campus into an engine for growth. It’s where food systems, innovation, leadership, and culture converge.
A walkable, flexible, livable district with room to grow.
Our mixed-use, community-focused redevelopment is built around three integrated systems – a business, innovation and tech district, various housing options such as senior living and tiered-affordability housing, and ample indoor and outdoor community spaces, making maximum use of the traditional Quad-style layout.
Some of the specific (but not exclusive!) projects in active development: Agriculture and Food Innovation Center, Women in Sports & Health, Drones & UNA, Veterans Center, the Trades, Creator & Maker spaces, Senior Living, Tiered-affordability living and more!
The Village of Cazenovia conducted a campus reuse feasibility study, a process that our group took an integral and active part in. We opened up key parts of our due diligence to the process, and benefited from additional layers of third-party inputs.
We're grateful for the opportunity to work closely with local stakeholders on determining win-win pathways for the future of the campus.
We have strong conviction that sustainable regional growth can be acheived through innovation, thought capital, and community engagement.
We’re mushing together – in a good way – leading technology and business elements, experiential and leisure components, and collaborative public programs, into curated spaces where businesses, residents, and visitors can thrive together.
This community-first approach will kickstart economic development, generate new job opportunities and provide investors with competitive returns.
The district will offer a pro-business environment, and skilled workforce and job opportunities for the region
Our reason for initiating this effort from the get-go—and our entire team’s unwavering focus—has been to create long-term benefit for the community, in direct alignment with the Village’s stated goals: community vitality, job creation, and thoughtful economic development.
To that end, several actions we’ve taken thus far, and have mapped out for our future.
We’re excited to work with experienced partners as we kick off this project. These partners will work with additional local developers, contractors, and experts throughout.
Primary Operating Partner
The Oughtness Group, based out of Atlanta, has an extensive background in multi-national development practices specifically combined with a community development model focused on improving health, economic, and education outcomes for residents.
Led by John Majors, the team will work as operators side-by-side the 9 Fresh team in site planning and execution, and in close partnership with local developers for projects across the property.
Food + Culture Consultants
Colicchio, led by Phil Colicchio, are experts in creating top food and beverage experiences, with a viewpoint centered around culture.
As consultants, they’ll work with us to build out the culinary compliments to the campuses “leisure” focus.
We’re hoping it’s clear that we’re highly-motivated to include community stakeholders in our process moving forward. As we’re moving through our initial planning phase, we’d love to hear from you, and will be focusing on input that’s most aligned with our long-term vision and goals.
Please feel free to provide feedback below!