If the planning process is airtight, a development built even years in the future will benefit a community, even if there is a recession or worse between the planning and the final construction.
That is the stated logic of Kingston city officials as they contemplate plans for two major subdivisions on their valuable-but-blighted waterfront, which they envision as a model of development attractive to both residents and tourists.  Â
Two major projects, totaling roughly 2,000 houses on adjoining lands adjacent the Hudson River in Kingston were delayed by city planners last month, raising fears the financial underpinnings of the ambitious projects were unraveling.
But city officials say they believe both projects are on track financially. They say recent delays were only to finalize important provisions and sort out details regarding consulting fees. They could not give dates for next steps in forwarding the process to actually beginning construction, but said that developers for both projects have a long-term perspective and that whenever the projects are constructed, they will be an asset to Kingston because of the care and safeguards being put in place now.
“We weren”™t just rubber stamping,” said Kingston Mayor James Sottile, standing at KingstonPoint Beach and looking northward along a roughly mile-long shorefront dominated by the ruins of an old brickyard and quarry operation. Plans call for a pedestrian walkway, leading to homes, restaurants and parks.
Showing the latest drawings depicting the proposed 1,650-unit Hudson Landing development being refined by planners, the mayor and city planning director Suzanne Cahill compared the latest refinements to the initial plans and detail the improvements city planners have made in reducing the visual impact and improving public benefits, including preserving green spaces atop the ridge over the project and waterfront access ranging from restaurants to benches and gazebos along the water.Â
They note that the city and developer have even preserved the right of way for the historic trolley that ran in the area back in the golden era of steamboats at Kingston Point, and said they envision someday revitalizing trolley service for residents and tourists.
“This process is leading to a project the community wanted and to some extent even what opponents wanted,” said Sottile. “It represents compromise leading, I think, to a project we are all going to be proud of.”      Â
The Hudson Landing housing and commercial development proposed by AVR Acquisition of Yonkers is on 500 acres. The 1,650 units include single-family homes and three-story apartment buildings. Plans also include commercial development related to neighborhood needs and riverfront activities. The plan was first introduced over five years ago and has been significantly modified since that time.
The other project is on acreage immediately south of Hudson”™s Landing. That project is called Sailor”™s Cove, a proposed 380-unit housing complex on 78 acres at the former Hutton Brickyard site off North Street. Review of the project was halted last month because the Ohio-based development group Polaris 771 had not sent the city $25,000 required to pay for consultants reviewing the plan at the behest of Kingston officials. Cahill said that the payment has now been received and review work resumed. Â
The two projects are north of the historic Rondout section of Kingston, in an area that currently has little access by road. City officials largely support the projects as a way to bring renewal to the area, but critics worry that the projects are too large for the rugged riverside terrain, and for city infrastructure and services.
While Hudson”™s Landing is nearing the end of the environmental review process,
Sailor’s Cove is in the early stages of what is likely to be an extensive review by the city.
Neither representatives from Yonkers based AVR, nor Enrique Mazada, the Orange County resident guiding the Sailor”™s Cove project, returned calls seeking comment on their financial outlook and other matters.
“I”™m optimistic they both are going to go forward,” said Kingston economic development director Steven Finkle. “It may take a little longer than expected because of the economy.”
“I can tell you they are both spending money to get the projects through the approval process and that”™s a good sign,” said Finkle. “This is an unprecedented time. So we”™re going to have wait six months and see how it sorts out.” He added that “hopefully” six months would be long enough to resolve current economic issues.
But that optimistic viewpoint is not necessarily shared by at least one Kingston Realtor, who is a familiar figure at city meetings. “I”™ve been in the realty business 26 years; I like to see projects succeed I like to see things sell ”“ it”™s good for everyone,” said Karen Vetere. “But I worry about the figures for these projects. Prices are dropping faster than flies and so I”™m asking, can you build this project and make a profit when you have to build all those roads and infrastructure? If you have any common sense, you are asking these questions. If you are a city official you should be asking these questions.”
Vetere said that if one or both major projects encounter financial problems, city taxpayers could be forced to absorb costs of completing or maintaining roads or assume the risks of an uncompleted project on the river. She also wonders aloud if the developers of record could get approvals and then “flip” the project to some other developer.
Sottile said that after six years at the drawing board, he did not think officials from AVR would sell their Hudson Landing project to another developer, but said it would have little practical impact even if they did. “Whether they flip it or not doesn”™t really matter because the planning board has defined what has to be built there.”
Planner Cahill said that the city is finalizing not only the environmental impact statements, but a “findings statement” that will legally dictate details of the project whoever ends up building it. And Sottile said the same procedure will be used for Polaris 771, or any other entity that eventually builds on the lands known now as Sailor”™s Cove.
“We”™ve got everything in place for when this (economy) turns around to protect the community,” said Sottile. “It takes a long time but it”™s worth it. This open space provides so much opportunity.”
