The City of Fulton expects demolition of the long-vacant former Nestle Building 30 to begin November 9, and city officials are warning residents that the work could leave their tap water looking cloudy or discolored for a few days afterward. The building sits at 533 South 4th Street, on the sprawling former Nestle property that has sat partly empty since the company shut down its plant there more than two decades ago.
According to Oswego County Today, required asbestos abatement work has already been completed, clearing the way for the demolition to move forward. The city says crews are expected to use roughly 3,000 to 5,000 gallons of water per day, Monday through Friday, during the teardown — enough to stir up sediment in Fulton's water distribution system and potentially cause temporary dirty or discolored water for residents around the city.
What to Do if Your Water Looks Off
City officials are asking residents to simply give any discoloration time to clear on its own before taking further action. If it doesn't clear up, the city says to call the Fulton Water Department at 315-592-9341. In a statement, the city thanked residents in advance for their patience while the demolition work is underway.
The demolition is the latest step in Fulton's long-running push to redevelop the old Nestle property, which once employed hundreds of workers before the company closed its roughly one-million-square-foot plant on the 24-acre site in 2003, laying off the last 450 employees, per the same reporting from a related account of the site's history. That closure left the city with a hulking industrial footprint it has spent years trying to repurpose.
A Manufacturing Incubator Takes Shape
Where Building 30 once stood, the city envisions a 30,000-square-foot advanced manufacturing incubator, according to Oswego County News Now. The facility is designed to attract startup companies, support emerging manufacturers and foster regional economic growth, with officials pointing to opportunities tied to Micron's semiconductor development in nearby Clay, the city said, as reported by Oswego County Today.
The project traces back to a RestoreNY Round IX award announced by the Central New York Regional Economic Development Council, which brought the city $1 million in state funding, according to a claim attributed to the New York State Governor's Office, though that source carries lower confidence in the dossier record. The project was initially estimated at $2,314,760, but the overall cost has since climbed to approximately $5.7 million to $5.8 million following the initial award and application, the city says. Demolition services were competitively bid in June 2026, with bids returned the following month.
Mayor James Rice said the city remains committed to investments and partnerships that strengthen the local economy, create opportunities for residents and position the community for the future. Fulton, he said, is building a better community through projects, partnerships and renewed spaces.
A Property With a Complicated Past
Not every plan for the old Nestle site has gone forward as proposed. Fulton's 2021 Comprehensive Plan designated the property primarily for economic development rather than housing, Oswego County Today has reported separately, after a prior proposal to use the Nestle property for low-income housing was shelved.
The timeline for demolishing Building 30 has shifted more than once. Oswego County News Now previously reported the demolition was slated to begin September 1, and in earlier coverage the outlet quoted Mayor Rice saying the work would have to wait until at least August. The city's current expectation points to a November 9 start instead.
Elsewhere on the former Nestle grounds, redevelopment has been moving on a separate track. CNY Signal has reported that INDUS Hospitality Group is planning a $55 million mixed-use development on the site, including an 80-room Hampton Inn, retail space and housing, part of a broader push that has also included a planned 60-unit housing project at Seventh and Fay streets and a separate manufacturing incubator effort led by the Oswego County Industrial Development Agency. Fulton also landed a $10 million state Downtown Revitalization Initiative award back in 2019, underscoring how long the city has been working to reshape this corner of its industrial past.
