“I think we”™re seeing a light at the end of the tunnel,” said Kingston Mayor Jim Sottile.
That “light” is shining on the revised plans AVR Realty presented to more than 300 members of Kingston”™s business and political community at the Kingston Holiday Inn on May 16. (AVR had already unveiled its revamped project at a public hearing last month.)
In 2005, the project was considered by detractors too big, in effect “a city within a city.”
AVR has re-worked its original plans for Hudson Landing: down from 2,182 residential units to 1,750. The firm has scaled back original plans for retail/office space and made several concessions to Friends of the Kingston Waterfront, a coalition of several advocacy groups who were clearly unhappy with AVR”™s original proposal.
Hudson Landing”™s new look and feel is not unlike those proposed by other area developers, who are increasingly embracing the “traditional neighborhood design” concept.
Hudson Landing will feature many amenities, including a mix of single-family units, townhomes, stores with rental apartments above, live/work units (shops downstairs, living quarters upstairs) and walkable neighborhoods designed to keep foot traffic up and vehicular traffic down.
Simone and members of AVR”™s design team visited similar developments in several states to come up with their revised proposal, which plans on developing the north and south cove of the former Tilcon Cement industrial site into two distinct, yet interactive, neighborhoods.
What Sottile likes about the project is the “commitment to growing our tax base, not our tax rates. Let your voices be heard,” the mayor ordered the business community. “The minority tend to be getting the microphone.” Sottile went on to tell business, “This developer is not putting the city at risk. It has been a pleasure to work with Tom (Perna) and his company.”
Perhaps that”™s because Simone, who calls himself “chief cook and bottle washer” for the development, has spent the past two years meeting with city planner Sue Cahill and other city officials, as well as with dozens of members of Friends of the Kingston Waterfront. And the firm has attended public hearings and given public tours of the 500-acre industrial site AVR purchased from Tilcon.
“We”™ve heard a lot of public comment about what people want to see,” said Simone. “Kingston”™s a city steeped in tradition, with a unique place in the Hudson Valley. It was the driving force behind our reclamation plan to create a new urbanist community and bring out the best in the project site.”
If the project succeeds, there will be perks for the city and the town of Ulster, where a portion of the property lies. A 2,000-square-foot Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-rated community center will be built between the North and South Cove neighborhoods. The historic mule barn would be preserved and become a museum and community center for the town of Ulster. Three miles of hiking trails with views of the Hudson would be created. And public access to the last mile of Kingston waterfront, which has been held privately and off limits to the public for several years, would be opened. A waterfront promenade, complete with a public boat launch and docking facilities, would provide access to the Hudson for Kingstonians and visitors alike.
AVR”™s long-range plans include working with city planners to create a set of design guidelines for those who may follow them in the years to come: the complete build out of Hudson Landing is estimated to take between 15 and 20 years. “There will be guidelines for the future,” says Simone. “Architecture will include Hudson River gothic, colonial and incorporate a broad breadth of what we see in the valley. The look will be cohesive, and it is being developed as a village and will look like a village.
“The ”˜steep rocks”™ will be the anchor of the South Cove neighborhood,” he continued, “and will be a public access viewpoint.”
Saying they are reclaiming and reusing a former industrial site dating back to the mid-1800s, AVR says it”™s not taking any “green field” space. The Energy-Star homes, say developers, will yield a net tax benefit of more than$10.6 million to the city of Kingston and town of Ulster with $5.7 million going directly to the Kingston City School District. “We are in an area with tremendous opportunity,” said Simone. The engineer, who has worked beside city planners since the outset of the project, said he was “concerned when I first saw the site, but then I saw the potential.” And for those who are interested in going “green,” AVR hopes to be able to offer LEED-certified design plans to prospective buyers.
AVR told the business audience 80 per cent of the labor force will come from local sources and for the most part, pay prevailing wages. When asked about the impact on the school district, Simone said he anticipates approximately 350 children. “We see a trend that there will be an actual decrease within the school in the next 10 years. This is a unique community, attracting empty nesters and young professionals.”
Sue Cahill, city planner for more than a decade, said the Planning Board has reviewed proposals to upgrade the sewage treatment plant, the impact on community services and the visual impact Hudson Landing will have on the waterfront.
“We pulled those elements out of the public comment,” said Cahill, “and after the public hearing was over, we received lots of positive feedback, both from the business community, residents and the general public. People are generally pleased. We have put a lot of effort and energy into this and created a basis for a far superior layout and design. This project will meet the community needs.” One aspect of Hudson Landing Cahill is most pleased about: “The tremendous amount of public access: one mile of open access to the Hudson River which is currently under private control.”
Now, the generic environmental impact statement requires government approval. After that hurdle comes the final environmental impact statement. Simone is optimistic, hoping the project will break ground between 12 and 18 months after approval.
