September 27, 2024 - In this issue: | |
Mayor Proposed Downtown Property Acquisition for Housing | |
Restore NY Applications Now Open | |
Additional Grant for City Tree Maintenance | |
New Benches on Pine Grove Ave. | |
Home Energy Efficiency Program - Deadline Sept 30 | |
Mayor Noble's Tuesday Radio Show | |
Weekly Roadwork/Infrastructure Update | |
City of Kingston Job Opportunities | |
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Mayor's Message:
Dear Friends -
Tomorrow, we have a special event at City Hall for the unveiling of Sojourner Truth: First Step to Freedom, a bronze statue which will be installed on the main floor at City Hall for the next 11 months. On Saturday, September 28, we will celebrate the installation with an exciting program starting at 6:00pm.
Our Grants office is accepting proposals for the Restore NY grant, which is a great opportunity for local businesses and organizations to make substantial improvements to structures in disrepair. With previous rounds of Restore NY funding, we have been able to support projects that revitalize neighborhoods, encourage economic growth and community development, and create new business and housing opportunities.
I encourage our local community groups, organizations, and developers with project ideas to submit a proposal for this next round of funding.
-Steve
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Mayor Proposes Downtown Property Acquisition for Housing | |
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Mayor Noble is proposing a property acquisition process for the long-vacant properties at Garraghan Drive and Broadway in a property to create much-needed housing.
“The City of Kingston needs and wants more housing to be built. This three-acre parcel of land was part of the Federally-funded urban renewal program in Kingston, which displaced as many as 361 families, 104 individuals, and 94 businesses in this area of the Rondout alone. This so-called Broadway East project demolished a neighborhood to make way for a mall that was never built and the area has never been fully restored. The City hopes to acquire approximately 3.5 acres of property, ideally by reaching an agreement with the property owners and without having to utilize the lengthy legal procedure of eminent domain,” said Mayor Noble. “In our new zoning code, this site was identified as a prime building location to create density and spur economic growth in Downtown Kingston. We are proposing a mixed-use housing development that would support approximately 200 housing units with 30,000 square feet of commercial and non-profit space. I want to thank my Director of Housing Initiatives Bartek Starodaj and Corporation Counsel Barabra Graves-Poller for their excellent work on this project. Broadway East has sat vacant for 50 years, and it is well past time to build more housing here.”
“The residents of the City of Kingston, those in the Downtown neighborhood, and especially those that were displaced as part of the Broadway East project, deserve better than the vacant and underutilized site that still stands at the corner of Broadway and Garraghan Drive. The ongoing vacancy of these three acres depresses Downtown’s economic vitality and worsens housing availability and access for all Kingston residents. I am pleased that the City is taking this action to meet our housing and economic development goals,” said Bartek Starodaj, Director of Housing Initiatives.
We expect to hold a public hearing on October 29 at 6:00pm at City Hall.
|  | Mayor Noble & Bartek Starodaj at a press conference across from the proposed acquisition site | |
Kingston Proposals Open for Restore NY Grants | |
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Kingston’s Office of Grants Management is gathering proposals for the Empire State Development (ESD) Restore NY Communities Initiative grant program and will submit the two strongest concepts.
The Restore NY grant program provides municipalities with financial assistance for the revitalization of commercial and residential properties for projects involving the demolition, deconstruction, rehabilitation and/or reconstruction of vacant, abandoned, condemned and surplus properties.
Once submitted by the City of Kingston, applications are scored against specific ESD guidelines and how strongly they meet the program goals to encourage commercial investment and improve the local housing stock. Priority will be given to projects in Empire Zones and Brownfield Opportunity Areas and those that leverage other state or federal redevelopment, remediation, or planning programs. Priority will be given to projects from economically distressed communities. A minimum 10% match from the organization is required.
All proposals should meet the Restore NY program guidelines, which can be found here. Interested organizations should complete the City's short project form by 12:00pm on October 16, 2024:
Questions regarding proposal concepts can be directed to Grants Director Ruth Ann Devitt-Frank at rfrank@kingston-ny.gov or 845-334-3962.
Past local Restore NY Grant awards include:
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Kingston Standard Brewing Company– to reconstruct a portion of an adjacent commercial building, adding more than 5,000 square feet of operational space and creating a cutting-edge zero fossil fuel facility. The project will incorporate CO2 recapture, electric stream generation, and an offsite community solar farm, to become a pioneering example of environmentally conscious craft beer manufacturing and will create eight new full-time jobs. ($550,000 award)
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St. Joseph’s Lofts project-- to support an adaptive reuse project to a renovate a former schoolhouse in Uptown Kingston into three floors of office space and an event center. ($1.15 million award)
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The Center for Photography at Woodstock-- in 2022, was awarded for to adaptively reuse and rehabilitate the 40,000 square feet former cigar factory in Midtown Kingston, ($1.5 million award)
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Barrel Factory Lofts Project-- adaptive reuse of a 120-year-old warehouse in Midtown into a mix of live-work spaces for artists, commercial flex spaces, and amenities spaces. ($840,000 award)
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In 2017, the demolition of the former Mid-City Lanes bowling alley to create RUPCO’s Energy Square, a mixed-use residential, commercial, and nonprofit space. ($500,000)
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The Kingstonian-- mixed-used development that will transform an underutilized site at Fair and Wall St. by adding 143 residential units (10% affordable workforce housing); 8,500 square feet of commercial space; a 32-room hotel; and a 420-space parking garage with 250 spaces dedicated for public use.
Read Governor Hochul’s announcement here.
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Barrel Factory Loft design concept | |
New Benches on Pine Grove | |
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With Community Development Block Grant funding (CDBG), the City is working to add benches and trash receptacles to parks and green spaces across Kingston.
Pictured here are two new benches that were installed on the Pine Grove Avenue median this week.
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Additional Grant for City Tree Maintenance | |
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This week, Governor Hochul announced that the City of Kingston has been awarded an additional $240,824 from the U.S. Forest Service’s Urban and Community Forestry Grants, which was funded through the Federal Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
The new funding is in addition to the $491,550 that the City of Kingston previously received in July. Both grants, which total $732,374, will support the City’s Community Forest Management Plan implementation.
In September 2023, the City of Kingston received over $500,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service to hire a full-time Urban Forester for long-term tree protection and maintenance.
Brent Knepper was recently hired as the City’s first Urban Forester. Knepper has worked in the environmental industry for nine years, with a focus on tree health and safety in urban settings. He is an ISA Certified Arborist with Tree Risk Assessment Qualification credentials, and is a certified Master Naturalist. Previously, he worked as a consulting Urban Forester in the Chicago area for communities who are also grant recipients for the USDA’s Urban and Community Forestry Program.
Mayor Noble has set a goal of planting 1,000 trees by 2030 as outlined in the City’s Open Space Plan, and has created a tree counter to record the number of new street and park trees planted in the City of Kingston.
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MHET Home Upgrades Program Round 2 | |
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The deadline for Mid-Hudson Energy Transition (MHET) Home Upgrade Grants (HUG) is fast approaching! This program aims to assist residents in making crucial improvements to their homes for enhanced health, safety, and utility cost savings.
MHET will collaborate with income-qualified Kingston homeowners to leverage federal, state, and local clean energy incentives, facilitating home improvement projects that directly lower utility costs. Initiatives such as air sealing, insulation, and remediation of mold, lead, and asbestos are among the strategies aimed at improving affordability and sustainability.
Through MHET’s grants and the support of NYSERDA’s EmPower+ program, this program has been able to distribute over $93,000 in grant funding, and there is still $200,000 available in grants to give!
The deadline for expressing interest is September 30, 2024. Interest forms can be found here.
Reach out to homes@mid-hudson.energy or 845-372-1728 with questions. More information at https://www.mid-hudson.energy/home-upgrade-grants
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Mayor Noble's Tuesday Radio Show | |
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Mayor Noble's weekly radio show, "It's the Mayor" airs on Tuesdays at 5pm on Radio Kingston.
This week, Mayor Noble spoke with Brent Knepper, the City of Kingston's new Urban Forester. Click below to hear their conversation.
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Weekly Roadwork/Infrastructure Update | |
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Clinton Avenue Intersection Improvements– sidewalk work is nearing completion on the north side of the street, with trees and plantings installed this week. Work will continue at the intersection for signal work. Construction will move to the south side of Clinton Ave for sidewalk work.
Paving-- paving was completed this week on Maiden Lane and Furnace Street from Franklin Street to the dead end. The last round of 2024 paving will be announced soon.
Central Hudson—Gas main installation will continue on Fair St between Henry St and Greenkill Ave. Service replacements will continue on Pine Street with expected lane and/or road closures.
ADA Curb Ramps—construction will continue along Smith Ave, completing the corners of Grand and Smith and then moving to Ardsley, Downs, and Elmendorf intersections.
This project includes 56 new ADA Ramps along Cornell St, Smith Ave, Maiden Ln, and St James Street, and is anticipated to be completed in November.
Prospect Street sewer project–sewer work is continuing from St. James to Liberty. This street will be open for local traffic only.
Post Office Park-- construction will start up again soon with site work to prepare for the installation of amenities and plantings.
Kingston Point Rail Trail – NYSDOT has closed the pedestrian bridge over 9W on the Kingston Point Rail trail for painting. A detour is in place through mid-October.
Weekly roadwork updates will be posted on the City website here.
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Fresh paving on Maiden Lane this week | |
City of Kingston Job & Board Opportunities | |
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The Kingston 311 app, website, and phone system allow residents to quickly and easily report issues and submit service requests.
The Kingston 311 app, available for Android & iPhones, is a fast and simple way to connect to City officials in non-emergency situations. Photos can be attached to illustrate service orders.
This system is a valuable resource to submit municipal service requests. Examples include:
- Streetlight replacement
- City signage, including overgrowth blocking traffic signs
- Snow removal, reporting parking violations, and other snow-related issues
- Parks & playground repairs
- Report graffiti or vandalism
- Trail issues
Dial 311 from any phone within City limits to reach us, use the app or visit www.kingston-ny.gov/311/
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Sent on behalf of:
Mayor Steven T. Noble
845.334.3902
mayor@kingston-ny.gov
The purpose of this newsletter is to share important information, project updates, pictures and news from the City of Kingston. For more detailed information, visit:
www.kingston-ny.gov
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