Environmental Work Begins for $40M Binghamton Apartment Complex

Crews start soil testing at site of proposed 102-288 unit development in city's First Ward

Apr. 3, 2026 at 6:23pm

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A high-end, photorealistic studio still-life photograph featuring a polished metal soil core sample cylinder, a clipboard with environmental testing documents, and a hardhat on a clean white background, conceptually representing the environmental investigation work happening at the site of a proposed apartment complex.Environmental testing and remediation work at the site of a proposed $40 million apartment complex in Binghamton signals the first steps toward transforming a long-vacant industrial property.Binghamton Today

Soil borings and environmental testing have begun at the site of a proposed $40 million apartment complex in Binghamton, New York. The Metro Group of Long Island announced plans for the 102-288 unit development, called Vanguard Village, in 2023, with groundbreaking expected in 2025. Workers are now conducting a brownfield remedial investigation to determine any necessary cleanup before construction can begin on the two five-story buildings.

Why it matters

The project would transform a long-vacant site that was previously home to a large printing press facility destroyed by a fire in 1997. The new apartment complex would bring much-needed housing to Binghamton's First Ward neighborhood, which has seen significant economic and population changes in recent decades.

The details

Crews from a Long Island drilling company are taking surface soil samples at the Clinton Street site that will be analyzed to determine what environmental remediation may be required before construction can begin. The proposed Vanguard Village development would include at least 102 apartments, with the potential to expand to as many as 288 units across two five-story buildings. The Metro Group plans to develop the project in phases, with the second building dependent on the successful completion of the first.

  • On April 2, 2026, workers began taking soil samples at the project site.
  • In September 2023, The Metro Group announced plans for the $40 million apartment complex.
  • The former 196,000-square-foot Vail Ballou Press building on the site was destroyed by an arson fire in September 1997.

The players

The Metro Group

A Long Island-based real estate development company that announced plans for the $40 million Vanguard Village apartment complex in Binghamton in 2023.

Robert Muchnick

The president of The Metro Group who said groundbreaking for the project was expected to occur in 2025.

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What’s next

If the project moves forward, The Metro Group plans to develop Vanguard Village in phases, with construction of the second building dependent on the successful completion of the first.

The takeaway

The environmental testing and remediation work at the Vanguard Village site represents an important first step in transforming a long-vacant industrial property into a major new residential development that could bring much-needed housing to Binghamton's First Ward neighborhood.