The City of Kingston owns land at 32 and 33-39 Abeel St. that it would like to see developed and has issued a Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) in a search for qualified entities to submit proposals to do something beneficial with the property. According to Kingston’s Mayor Steve Noble the city recently accepted the properties from the Irish Cultural Center organization that had hoped to build there but was unable to do so.
“With this RFEI, we are moving very quickly to ensure that it will be redeveloped in a manner that serves a positive community purpose and advances the city’s long-term planning, housing, economic development, and vision,” Noble said. “This is a great opportunity for a forward-thinking developer to utilize this prime property that overlooks the Rondout Creek and the Waterfront neighborhood’s amenities.”
The first parcel, 32 Abeel St., is a 0.427-acre site. The second parcel, 33–39 Abeel St., covers 0.266-acre directly across from the first parcel. Proposals in response to the RFEI are due Sept. 30.
The city’s Common Council voted to accept the donation of the property in June. The 32 Abeel Street parcel was previously approved by the Kingston Planning Board as the site of the proposed Irish Cultural Center. It was to be a three-story 16,000-square-feet building. Several site improvements were completed, including the installation of water and sewer connections, construction of new bluestone sidewalks along Abeel Street, and partial site clearing and excavation in preparation for the development that failed to take place. The 33–39 Abeel Street parcel was intended to provide off-street parking, but no site work was undertaken.
Prior to its acquisition for the proposed Irish Cultural Center, the property had remained vacant for approximately 30 years. Before that, a total of seven small buildings had been on the two pieces of land. The zoning permits a wide variety of residential, mixed-use, commercial, and civic uses, as well as a range of building types and development intensities.
The neighborhood in which the land is located is described by the city as a vibrant, walkable mixed-use district featuring a diverse mix of residential, commercial, cultural, and institutional uses, including destinations such as the Reher Center for Immigrant Culture and History, the Kingston Trolley Museum, Tempo Performing Arts Center, the Hudson River Maritime Museum.
