The City of Poughkeepsie’s Planning Board could vote approval for a residential development at 9 Dutchess Ave. in the city at its next scheduled meeting on August 26. On July 28, the board determined that the project would have no significant environmental impacts and further review under the State Environmental Quality Review Act was not necessary.
The project is by the entity 9 Dutchess Avenue LLC, which is related to The O’Neill Group, a real estate development company based in Hackensack, New Jersey. It is seeking site plan and Special Use Permit approval to develop a 27-unit building in the area of the development One Dutchess, a 300-unit mixed-use project by The O’Neill Group that opened in 2019.
The estimated cost of the new project is $12 million. The 9 Dutchess Ave. development site is an approximately 0.5-acre vacant parcel on the north side of Dutchess Avenue.
The proposed development would consist of a three-story building with 27 apartments. There would be 15 one-bedroom units and 12 two-bedroom units. There would be 132 off-street parking spaces provided at the site.
The site is located within Poughkeepsie’s Waterfront (W) Zoning District, where multifamily residential development is a permitted use subject to a Special Use Permit. Amenities for residents would include a rooftop terrace, outdoor open space, bicycle and motorcycle parking, and a fitness facility.
The development parcel was created through the merger of four previously separate lots. The area around the site includes a mix of single-family and multifamily residential buildings, neighborhood retail establishments, small commercial and office uses, light industrial activity, and public parkland. Public access to the Hudson River waterfront is available at the end of Dutchess Avenue.
According to Attorney Lauran O’Neill of The O’Neill Group, “The project intentionally provides an enhanced level of on-site parking as a community benefit, with the goal of reducing on-street parking demand and improving parking availability for residents, visitors, and users of nearby waterfront amenities.”
O’Neill said that the new building at the 9 Dutchess Ave. site would provide a transition between the existing development and another proposed project at 141 North Water St.
“The 9 Dutchess Avenue parcel and the adjacent One Dutchess property will function as a single zoning lot, reflecting their integrated site planning, architectural continuity, and coordinated circulation and access,” O’Neill said. “The site plan incorporates complementary design elements, including building massing, facade articulation, and material selection to ensure that the proposed building integrates seamlessly with the existing development.”
O’Neill said that as part of the new development they would be providing new signage in the waterfront area to make it easier for pedestrians to find their way around.
“The signage program is intended to celebrate the historic recreational legacy of the Poughkeepsie waterfront, including its role as a host to collegiate rowing championship races, while reinforcing cultural identity and encouraging greater public engagement with this important public resource,” O’Neill said. She also said that her company would be installing in the waterfront park a bicycle maintenance station that would have an air pump to fill bike tires as well as a full toolkit to be used in making bicycle repairs.
