Middletown Plans $70 Million Transformation of Former Psychiatric Center into Educational Facility
The City of Middletown is advancing plans to redevelop the former Kleiner Center at the Middletown Psychiatric Center into a new educational facility serving the Middletown Enlarged City School District and Orange-Ulster BOCES.
The proposed redevelopment would transform an approximately 80,000-square-foot building on a 14-acre city-owned property into educational space designed to address growing demand for classroom facilities and specialized programs.
According to Middletown Mayor Joseph DeStefano, the building was originally envisioned as a community center, but plans have shifted to accommodate educational needs. The facility would provide space for the school district's universal prekindergarten programs and special education classrooms operated by Orange-Ulster BOCES.
The estimated redevelopment cost ranges from $65 million to $70 million. New York State has committed $10 million toward the project, although approximately $9 million to $10 million in additional funding is still needed to complete the financing.
The property is part of the former Middletown Psychiatric Center campus, which closed in 2006. The city acquired the former state-owned property in 2024 as part of a broader effort to revitalize the campus and return vacant buildings to productive use.
The proposed educational center represents another step in Middletown's efforts to repurpose former institutional properties while expanding educational services and supporting neighborhood revitalization.
Source: Mid Hudson News, October 20, 2026
Additional background: New York State Senate, July 9, 2024
