Mayor's Message

RFEI for Kingston Business Park

FFEI for N. Front Street Parking Lot

305 Lucas Ave. Acquired by City

Surplus Property Auction on January 9, 2026

$3M Grant for Community Center Renovations

Indoor Pickleball Club Starting January 5

The Cornell Christmas Spectacular Event Tonight!

Mayor Noble's Tuesday Radio Show

City of Kingston Board & Commission and Job Opportunities

Mayor's Message:

Dear Friends -

We have lots of housing news this week!

We released Requests for Expressions of Interest for two City-owned properties, the City acquired a long-abandoned house to be sold for rehab, and the City is holding an auction for surplus properties.

For the last 5 years, we have been using every tool available to combat our housing crisis. In 2020, I created the Housing Initiatives office, which manages housing-related grants, supports the construction of new market-rate and affordable housing, develops policies to protect existing residents, and addresses the connection between housing and sustainability, health, and mobility. The Department also reviews the disposition of city-owned property suitable for housing development and collaborates with local and regional housing organizations. Our Housing Director has been hard at work, and I want to thank him for all his ongoing efforts!

For more of our housing initiatives, please visit https://kingston-ny.gov/housing.

-Steve

City Releases RFEI for Kingston Business Park

The City of Kingston has issued a Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) for the Kingston Business Park seeking qualified developers able to deliver a large-scale mixed-use redevelopment on the current campus. 

Mayor Noble said, “Here in Kingston, we are exploring a number of areas-- especially City-owned land, to increase our housing stock, and believe the Kingston Business Park will be a prime area for an exciting mixed-use development that provides a variety of housing. Taking our recent study as a guide, we look forward to seeing how developers envision the site.”

The Business Park, located at 370-384 Delaware Avenue, is a 107-acre campus, currently owned by the Kingston Local Development Corporation (KLDC). The Business Park opened in 1998 and was designed to attract four to five light industrial companies totaling 300,000 to 500,000 square feet. The buildout of the Business Park included the construction of a new road that serves the Business Park, in addition to water, sewer, and utility infrastructure. There are currently two active commercial tenants: Howmet Aerospace and Community Manufacturing Solutions. In 2024, the City of Kingston contracted Buro Happold to provide architectural and design concepts for potential housing and/or mixed-used development in the Kingston Business Park. Their study can be found here.

The City of Kingston and the KLDC are seeking submissions from qualified respondents demonstrating the technical, design, and financial capacity to deliver a large-scale mixed-use redevelopment through a multi-year phased approach. The RFEI can be found here. Proposals are due February 13, 2026.

Bartek Starodaj, Director of Housing Initiatives said, “The study completed earlier this year set out several redevelopment objectives for the Business Park campus focused on building variety, connectivity, and conservation. Based on this strong redevelopment vision, with this RFEI we are looking to gauge interest from developers that have the capacity and proven technical expertise to follow this vision and work with the City and the KLDC on a long-term, phased development program.”

More about the Kingston Business Park can be found at https://engagekingston.com/kingston-business-park. 

City Issues RFEI for N. Front Street Lot

The City of Kingston has issued a Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) to partially or fully redevelop the municipal parking lot at 65-67 N. Front Street.

Mayor Noble said, “The objective is to return this parcel of N. Front Street to the original look and feel of a historic Main Street. We put the parcel up for RFP in 2019 and didn’t receive any proposals. Now, we are interested in hearing from developers with proposed projects that will integrate with the surrounding neighborhood and Stockade Historic District, that possibly keeps some of the existing parking, while significantly expanding our housing and commercial opportunities.”

The property at 65–67 North Front Street is an approximately 0.7-acre site in the Uptown Business District. The lot was created in the 1960s to serve as a municipal parking lot with roughly 60 spaces, and it has recently received significant green-infrastructure improvements. The site is located within the Stockade Historic District, listed at the local, state, and national levels in 1975, and is subject to review by the Historic Landmarks Preservation Commission. The City of Kingston seeks submissions from qualified respondents demonstrating the technical, design, and financial capacity to deliver a large-scale redevelopment.

Under the City’s recently adopted form-based zoning code, the site is zoned as T5 Main Street. This allows for a wide variety of uses and building types and for higher density residential and/or mixed-use development. The City is seeking a development partner that can deliver creative solutions to reduce reliance on traditional on-site parking, lowering both development costs and environmental impacts.

The City recognizes that the existing municipal lot is well used by visitors and residents of the Uptown Business District, and public parking plays an important role in supporting the economic vitality of Uptown businesses. While the primary objective is to unlock the site’s development potential, proposals that thoughtfully incorporate a portion of parking—whether to support commercial uses, residential tenants, or shared public access—will be considered.

Bartek Starodaj, Director of Housing Initiatives, said, “In response to the housing shortage, the City of Kingston has been reviewing municipally owned property for potential redevelopment. Though a similar effort in 2019 did not lead to any proposals, updated zoning makes full or partial redevelopment of this site more feasible. Redevelopment of this site could lead to the restoration of the historic streetscape along North Front and boost commercial activity and housing options in one of Kingston’s most walkable neighborhoods. Together, these factors make revisiting the redevelopment effort both reasonable and promising.”

The municipally owned N. Front/Crown Street parking lot is not part of this RFEI. The City has no plans to offer this property within an RFEI process.

The RFEI can be found here. Proposals are due February 6, 2026. 

City Acquires 305 Lucas Avenue

The City of Kingston has acquired the abandoned, vacant property at 305 Lucas via Article 19-A of the Real Property Actions and Proceedings Law.

The property, which was abandoned with no known heirs, has sat vacant since at least 2016, has been acquired by the City of Kingston and will be sold as outlined in the City’s Disposition Policy. Per the policy, the Kingston City Land Bank will be offered the property first to rehab as part of its affordable homeownership initiatives.

Mayor Noble said, “We continue to look at all avenues and utilize every tool available to not only increase housing opportunities, but to also improve our neighborhoods. As we all know, vacant homes hurt a community, and allowing the vacant property to return to a home revitalizes the entire neighborhood. This is the first time the City of Kingston has acquired a property via Article 19-A, and I want to thank the Director of Housing Initiatives and our Corporation Counsel’s office for guiding and supporting this effort.”

Article 19-A of the New York Real Property Actions and Proceedings Law allows municipalities to take ownership of the title to a residential property that has been certified as abandoned. The property at 305 Lucas Avenue marks the first of the City of Kingston’s use of Article 19-A, with four more properties currently being addressed by the courts. These properties are on West Chester, Cordts, Boulevard, and Hunter Streets.

The City of Kingston Disposition Policy, last amended by the Common Council via Resolution 83 of 2025, standardized the procedure for the sale of City-owned surplus property, which encourages the timely redevelopment of City-owned buildings and land and returns them to the tax rolls, while encouraging the development of affordable rental and homeownership housing opportunities.

More information at https://engagekingston.com/surplus-properties

City-owned Property Auction on January 6, 2026

The City of Kingston will conduct a public auction for City-owned surplus properties. Eight properties owned by the City of Kingston will be sold to qualified bidders at a public auction to take place at City Hall in Council Chambers on January 9, 2026, at 10:00am.

Properties for auction include:

-  Vacant parcel at 72 Garden Street (56.26-7-52) - starting bid $65,683.43

- Vacant parcel at 371-383 R Boulevard (56.48-1-10) - starting bid $3,118.04

- Vacant parcel at 2-20 Purvis Street (56.57-1-4) - starting bid $545.51

- Vacant parcel at Catskill Terrace (48.82-7-35) - starting bid $1,122.17

- Vacant parcel at R23-29 Florence Street (48.82-6-71) - starting bid $311.95

- Vacant parcel at R64-68 Florence Street (48.82-6-74) - starting bid $104.49

-  Vacant parcel at R10-24 Howland Avenue (48.78-2-6)- starting bid $5,785.34

- Property at 207 Delaware Avenue (56.28-2-8) - starting bid $300,000

The seven vacant parcels were acquired by the City of Kingston through tax foreclosure process. The former J.N. Cordts Company Firehouse is a long-held City-owned property. An open house for the decommissioned firehouse property at 207 Delaware Ave Property will be held on January 5, 2026, from 11:00am to 12:30pm. 

The public auction notice with further details can be found here. The auction will be managed by the Office of Housing Initiatives. Questions can be directed to housing@kingston-ny.gov or 845-334-3928.

$3M for Community Center Renovations

The City of Kingston has been awarded $3 million to support renovations at the Albert Brown Community Center (formerly the Rondout Neighborhood Center) through the New York State Building Recreational Infrastructure for Communities, Kids and Seniors (NY BRICKS) capital grant program.

Mayor Noble said, “We are thrilled to receive this grant funding from the State, which will help us complete a much-needed renovation at the Albert Brown Community Center. Once we conduct a full assessment of existing conditions, we’ll better understand the scope of the project, and the additional funding that would be needed to get the project across the finish line. We are grateful to Governor Hochul for her continued investment in Kingston.”

An RFP for engineering and design services will be released as soon as the grant contract with New York State is executed. The professional design services will include a design report that identifies the existing conditions and recommendations for comprehensive repairs with cost estimates. The construction project will, at minimum, entail renovating two first-floor bathrooms to meet ADA compliance and demolition of two second-floor locker/shower rooms to construct two additional ADA-compliant bathrooms. The project will also include the installation of a stair lift in the first-floor split-level corridor.

The City of Kingston previously received a grant from the NYS Office of Children and Family Services for $300,000 for this project, which was previously known as the Rondout Community Center Improvements Project. While the formal renaming of the center took place in August 2025, a public re-naming ceremony will be held this spring.

Read the Governor’s full announcement here.

Indoor Pickleball Club Starting January 5

Cornell Christmas Spectacular Event Tonight!

The Cornell Christmas Spectacular event, starting tonight at 6:00pm, features:

• Santa arriving by fire truck

• Laser light show

• Christmas tree lighting

• Fire show

• Special guest singer Jodi Amato

• World-class figure skating performances...and more!

For full details, visit https://cornellkingston.com/.

Mayor Noble's Tuesday Radio Show

On this week's "It's the Mayor" on Radio Kingston, Mayor Noble spoke with the Department of Public Works Superintendent Ed Norman and Parking Supervisor Vinnie Perry about Snow Emergency rules and procedures.



Click below to hear their conversation.

To sign up for Snow Emergency alerts via text or call, please register here: https://kingston-ny.gov/codered

City of Kingston Job and Board/Commision Opportunities

The City of Kingston is hiring! The following positions are currently open:

• Assistant Corporation Counsel
• Heavy Motor Equipment Operator
• Skilled Laborer
• WWTP Mechanic II

For more information on civil service exams and job opportunities, please visit https://kingston-ny.gov/employment

The following civil service exams are scheduled:

• Account Clerk on February 28, 2026 (deadline: 2/10/26)

The City has over 25 boards & commissions, and we're always looking for volunteers to serve the community. The following currently have openings:

• Historic Landmark Preservation Commission
• Ethics Board (Republican or non enrolled)
• Conservation Advisory Council
• Zoning Board of Appeals
• Ulster County Planning Board

Find the application at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/KingstonBoards.

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 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/