Kingston proposes acquiring properties for preservation, housing

Kingston Mayor Steven T. Noble has announced a plan to purchase a 70-acre tract of land for preservation. The acquisition would be the city’s first open space purchase and comes shortly after Noble presented a plan to acquire a different parcel to develop for housing.

The property for preservation is in an area known as Rondout Uplands. It consists of seven lots and is adjacent to a 4.5-acre parcel the city already owns.

According to Noble’s office, two separate appraisals have been conducted, which support a purchase price of $840,000. Scenic Hudson Land Trust is working to contribute a portion of the total cost.

“Scenic Hudson applauds Mayor Noble and the City of Kingston for reaching an agreement to purchase the Kingston Wilderness property,” said Seth McKee, executive director of The Scenic Hudson Land Trust. “It is remarkable to have this kind of forested open space only 1.5 miles from Midtown Kingston.”

Kingston holds a public hearing Oct. 29 at City Hall on a plan to acquire property for a different purpose. The city wants to take vacant properties at Garraghan Drive and Broadway so that housing can be built.

Noble says that the property being eyed was part of a federally-funded urban renewal process in which several hundred people and 94 businesses were displaced.

“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,” Noble said. “In our new zoning code, this site was identified as a prime building location to create density and spur economic growth in Downtown Kingston.”

Noble said that the city is proposing a mixed-use housing development that would support approximately 200 housing units with 30,000 square feet of commercial and non-profit space.

“When I first became an Alderman 12 years ago, my main goal was to support the Downtown neighborhood, where I grew up and I’ve lived all my life,” said Ward 8 Alderman Steve Schabot. “I am excited about what could come from this project that displaced so many of my neighbors and schoolmates when I was young. Downtown is already a vibrant community, but I believe this project could really spur the right kind of growth.”