The real estate developer behind an ambitious plan to revitalize the former IBM campus in the Town of Ulster has died. Joe Cotter, 66, passed away unexpectedly at his home in New York City on Friday.

Cotter was a co-founder and president of National Resources, a Greenwich, Conn.-based real estate firm that specialized in redeveloping former industrial sites for residential and commercial use. Cotter, along with business partner Lynn Ward, played a vital role in revitalizing waterfronts in Yonkers, Tarrytown and Edgewater, N.J. The company also developed the “iPark” concept, repurposing former IBM campuses in East Fishkill, Yonkers and Norwalk, Conn. into thriving business parks. Those projects and others amounted to some $2 billion in investment over the years; the company employs about 100 people.

In 2022, Cotter took on what might have been his biggest challenge yet, redeveloping the sprawling former IBM complex in the Town of Ulster into “iPark 87.” The 200-acre campus with over a million square feet of commercial and industrial space had languished under previous owners Alan Ginsberg, who purchased the site in the late 1990s promising to turn “TechCity” into a hub of technology-based businesses. Instead, the campus only attracted a revolving door of tenants while buildings continued to deteriorate, tax bills went unpaid and a botched 2015 demolition job left in its wake towering piles of asbestos contaminated construction debris.

Under Cotter’s leadership, National Resources removed the debris piles and began developing plans to convert three large buildings along Enterprise Drive into modern office space. The company’s plan also calls for the creation of 600 units of housing at the site. Deals are already in place to lease space to Ulster County government and Ulster BOCES. But hopes of landing a big, private sector anchor tenant faded last year when Canadian battery manufacturer Zinc8 — which had promised to invest $68 million and create up to 500 jobs at the site — declared bankruptcy.

Town of Ulster Supervisor James Quigley III, who worked closely with Cotter in facilitating the redevelopment plan, called him the driving force behind National Resources efforts at iPark 87 providing vision and leadership. Quigley added that Cotter had a rare talent for working and establishing trust with government, investors and potential tenants at his properties.

“They all had to have confidence that there was someone who had the wherewithal to pull it off and Joe Cotter was that person,” said Quigley. “[National Resources] will be challenged with finding a person with a similar skill set.”

Cotter coordinated his efforts with Ulster County, which had sought for years to get the former IBM facility out of Ginsberg’s hands and under the control of a developer with the vision and resources to transform the campus. Much of the site passed into the company’s hands through the county, which was holding parcels for unpaid taxes. Earlier this year, County Executive Jen Metzger announced a plan to lease 40,000 square feet of space to house a Sustainable Ulster Workforce Innovation Center while Ulster BOCES has leased 100,000 square feet at the site to expand its Career and Technical Center currently located in Port Ewen.

“He was a true visionary who saw the potential in the long-abandoned IBM complex and was committed to transforming the property into an economic hub for the county,” said Metzger in a statement posted to social media over the weekend. “We will continue to carry that vision forward. I want to extend my deepest condolences to his family, friends and colleagues. He will be greatly missed.”

On Saturday County Legislative chair Peter Criswell (D-Kingston) issued his own statement on Cotter’s passing.

“We are deeply saddened by the sudden passing of Joe Cotter, a visionary leader whose transformative work on the iPark 87 redevelopment leaves an enduring legacy for Ulster County and beyond,” Criswell wrote. “Joe was more than a developer; he was an innovator who breathed new life into spaces others had given up on. His commitment to revitalizing the former IBM campus is a testament to his groundbreaking approach to economic growth and community building, paving the way for opportunity and prosperity in our community.”