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 START DATE: 4/5/17
END DATE: 4/7/17
PRESS CONTACT:
Tara Collins, Director of Communications & Resource Development
Office: (845) 331-2140, ext. 276
Cell: (607) 643-5148
 NEWBURGH, NY, APRIL 5, 2017 -
Collaboration is key to the renewal of downtown Newburgh. To celebrate that collective vision, regional housing & community developer RUPCO, of Kingston, hosts a groundbreaking ceremony on Friday, April 7 at Safe Harbors Lobby at The Ritz, 107 Broadway, from 11a.m. to 1 p.m.
The groundbreaking ceremony officially recognizes the groundwork laid by the Newburgh Neighborhood CORe Revitalization community redevelopment discussions. The free, public event marks the construction launch at several properties, a scattered-site development symbolizing teamwork among RUPCO, NYS Homes & Community Renewal, Newburgh Community Land Bank, Safe Harbors of the Hudson, and other state and local partners. In the next 18 months, RUPCO plans to bring 45 affordable apartments online on five city blocks just off Broadway.
 The 15 buildings under historic redevelopment include homes located on Lander, South Miller, First, Johnston and DuBois Streets.
Ayanna Martine, a local singer and SUNY-Orange graduate, will kick off the festivities at 11 a.m. Representatives from partner agencies, as well as dignitaries from the NYS Assembly, NYS Attorney General's Office, City of Newburgh, and NeighborWorks America will take the podium at 11:20 a.m. Light refreshments and a walking tour of the neighborhood round out the day's events.
"Reviving the City of Newburgh has to be a collaborative approach," notes Kevin O'Connor, Chief Executive Officer at RUPCO (Kingston). "Newburgh's time is now. We're here to rebuild community one home at a time. With the help of our partners and local homeowners, together we can turn things around with housing as the keystone. Through this restoration work, we're preserving the historic value of this neighborhood's past and investing in this city's future. These homes are proof of the momentum and imagination of what can be NEW-burgh."
RuthAnne Visnauskas, Commissioner of New York State Homes and Community Renewal said, "The Newburgh CORe Neighborhood Revitalization Project is an important part of Governor Cuomo's commitment to investing in projects that breathe new life into distressed communities. We are excited about the potential this development has for revitalizing Newburgh, preserving pieces of the city's history, and providing 45 quality homes for people who need them. Thank you to RUPCO and all the partners who are coming together to make this new development a reality."
"Safe Harbors of the Hudson is very excited to be part of the further development of Newburgh's downtown and the revitalization its neighborhoods," notes Lisa Silverstone, Executive Director at Safe Harbors of the Hudson, Newburgh. "We look forward to our partnership with RUPCO and expanding our innovative model of property management beyond the Cornerstone Residence."
"Newburgh Community Land Bank is thrilled with the opportunities the RUPCO project will bring to the neighborhood and its residents," says Madeline Fletcher, Executive Director at Newburgh Community Land Bank. "In collaboration with the other homeowners, Habitat for Humanity and other property purchasers, we are confident that this neighborhood will continue its transformation into a community of choice."
ABOUT THE REDEVELOPMENT
Newburgh Community Land Bank facilitated the property transaction with assistance from NYS Homes & Community Renewal and the NYS Attorney General's Office. RUPCO's scatter-site development includes 15 buildings with a mix of 1 studio, 25 one-bedroom, 10 two-bedroom and 9 three-bedroom apartments for income-eligible individuals and working families. Apartments range in size from 482-1348 square feet. A Community policing sub-station will occupy 39B Johnston Street. Upon completion, Safe Harbors will serve as property manager. Seven apartments will be available to middle-income families. Seven apartments will be set-aside for persons, including veterans, who are homeless, and will include supportive services provided by RUPCO. Additionally, the project will provide a preference in renting apartments to up to twelve tenants who are involved in artistic and literary activities.
ABOUT THE PARTNERS
RUPCO, affordable housing advocate and innovative community developer in the Hudson Valley, is a charter member of NeighborWorks America, a national network of 240 housing and community development change agents. RUPCO affects the lives of over 8,000 people through its work with homelessness, rental assistance, foreclosure prevention, first-time homebuyers, home rehabilitation and energy efficiency and real estate development. RUPCO currently owns/manages 16 properties with 411 apartments providing homes to over 560 people. The majority of those residents represent our community's most vulnerable populations: the elderly, seniors, disabled and working class families. Through its NeighborWorks America HomeOwnership Center, RUPCO helped 30 first-time homebuyers since January 1, 81 in 2016, and another 75 in 2015, to achieve their dreams of homeownership. Through its subsidiary, RDAC assists Orange County homeowners with a variety of homeownership, foreclosure and weatherization services. Over the last five years, RUPCO's energy efficiency and weatherization program, Green Jobs | Green New York, has helped 2,409 homeowners complete energy audits; 523 of those families have conducted energy retrofits worth $5.8 million to the local economy, saving money and energy throughout its 10-county reach. With 65 employees working in five offices, RUPCO is spearheading $71-million worth of real estate development in the Hudson Valley, including Energy Square, Landmark Place, and The Metro in Kingston and the 15-property Newburgh effort. RUPCO most recently received Preservation Action's "Best of 2016" award for its historic preservation work at The Lace Mill, a long-vacant curtain factory transformed into 55 apartments preferenced for artists in midtown Kingston. For more information, visit www.rupco.org.
NEWBURGH COMMUNITY LAND BANK (NCLB)
is a leader in New York State on the forefront of land banking strategies. The NCLB implements innovative strategies designed to return vacant and abandoned property to productive use and the City's tax rolls. The Land Bank holds, maintains, rehabilitates, and disposes of these parcels in order to ensure that they help revitalize Newburgh's neighborhoods and increase the City's taxable property base. While NCLB works in all areas of the city, its initial work has focused on the East End Historic District north of Broadway with the highest concentration of vacant and abandoned properties (Liberty, Chambers, Lander, Johnston, South Miller, and Dubois Streets).
SAFE HARBORS OF THE HUDSON
is a mixed-use, non-profit housing, arts and community building redevelopment project in the City of Newburgh. Safe Harbors purchased the Hotel Newburgh in 2002 and in 2004 was awarded $21 million in state, county and federal funds to create a vibrant affordable, supportive housing complex. Most recently
, Safe Harbors has established two vibrant commercial spaces and a half-acre urban park along Broadway. Work began in early 2017 on the first phase of the redevelopment of Safe Harbors' historic Ritz Theater into community performing arts space where the groundbreaking ceremony will take place. For more information, visit www.safe-harbors.org.
NEW YORK STATE HOMES AND COMMUNICTY RENEWAL'S (HCR) housing and community development agencies work to create, preserve and improve affordable homes and vibrant communities, in keeping with Governor Andrew M. Cuomo's vision of a more inclusive, affordable, sustainable, and resilient New York. In 2016, HCR set a record for the third year in a row, financing the creation or preservation of more than 17,000 affordable homes and apartments, creating nearly 2,000 homeownership opportunities for first-time homebuyers, and was once again the #1 affordable housing bond issuer in the nation with $2.8 billion issued. HCR stands ready to make good on the Governor's $10 billion 100,000 affordable units House NY 2020 commitment. For more information on HCR agencies, programs and initiatives, please visit
www.nyshcr.org/.
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