With the threat of a veto showdown removed from the debate, the city of Kingston will implement a six-month moratorium on building along a small section of its gateway district, while the city Planning Board moves ahead to consider the controversial pharmacy project that has been exempted from the ban.
Mayor James Sottile has signed a Washington Avenue building moratorium approved by the Common Council despite initially saying he would veto the measure. Sottile expressed concern that, if he vetoed the original moratorium measure, the council would pass a new version that includes a CVS Pharmacy proposed for the corner of Washington Avenue and Schwenk Drive.
The moratorium covers the 0.4-mile stretch of Washington Avenue from the Esopus Creek to Lucas Avenue and will be in effect for six months. The purpose is to give the city time to create development guidelines for the corridor. That real estate is immediately adjacent Thruway exit 19, which is officially in the town of Ulster. But the area, especially the segment within city boundaries, could serve as a gateway to Kingston”™s historic attractions. The city was the first capital of New York and has an array of historic structures, including the first Senate building.
The moratorium was approved on Dec. 16 by a 9-0 vote. It excludes the CVS proposal, which will be allowed to move forward. The CVS plan is on the agenda for the city Planning Board”™s Jan. 12 meeting at 6 p.m. in City Hall. Planners are hoping the pharmacy representatives present a revised conceptual plan more in keeping with the historic character of the area, but no plan has been publicly unveiled yet.
The CVS store is somewhat controversial because it is located within blocks of two other established pharmacies. But supporters of the new CVS planned at the corner of Washington Avenue and Schwenk Drive say the two vacant buildings that would be demolished and rebuilt currently stand over a contaminated brownfield site, home of the former industrial Utility Platers. They say CVS will decontaminate the site, a process too costly for the city to undertake.
