SYLVAN BEACH — The Massachusetts company working with the Oneida Indian Nation on a $25 million project called the Cove at Sylvan Beach says work will begin this month.

The project, described as an “all-new, one-of-a-kind hospitality and recreational destination,” will open in the summer of 2022, the Oneida Nation said.

The construction site is the former Mariner’s Landing Marina within the Oneida reservation in the village of Sylvan Beach.

The project will begin this month with excavation work on the site, Brian Cohan, principal of Great Barrington, Massachusetts–based Benchmark Development, tells CNYBJ in an email. 

Parsons-McKenna Construction Co., Inc. of Salina is the general contractor on the project. River Rock Dock of Chittenango is among the subcontractors on the project, according to Cohan. 

Designed for week-long vacations, the Cove will have 70 two- and three-bedroom cottages. Each cottage rental comes with a pontoon or deck boat and a dedicated boat slip, a fire-pit, a gas grill, kitchen, Wi-Fi, and many other amenities. 

The Cove will also include Sylvan Beach Supply Co., its “flagship store,” and will be open for both guests staying at the cottages, as well as daily visitors. Sylvan Beach Supply Co. will offer daily rentals of pontoon boats, jet skis, bicycles, paddle boards, kayaks, and other watercraft, plus beach, fishing, and lodging items.

The Cove won’t be the only Oneida Nation property in the Sylvan Beach community. Less than a year ago, it opened the Lake House at Sylvan Beach, a beachside dining and entertainment venue.

“We have seen an explosion of interest from tourists visiting upstate New York over the past year, especially in lakefront areas such as Sylvan Beach,” Ray Halbritter, Oneida Nation Enterprises CEO and Oneida Indian Nation representative, said. “We wanted to create an authentic experience for guests to introduce them to the best of the region and allow them to enjoy the area for a day or for weeks at a time. Our collective efforts with our local partners to transform Sylvan Beach made this a natural extension of that effort and will undoubtedly make The Cove a welcome addition to the area.”

It’s also not the first time that the Oneida Nation has worked with Benchmark Development on a project.

“They have proven themselves to be great partners through our work to open the newly introduced Hampton Inn Verona at Turning Stone, and we look forward to continuing that partnership as we turn our attention to now developing The Cove,” Cohan said in the Oneida Nation’s announcement about the Cove project.