Motel conversion into housing planned in Kingston

A presentation by the nonprofit affordable housing developer RUPCO Inc. is scheduled to take place during a public meeting at the town of Ulster”™s Town Hall on June 1 on its plan to convert the Quality Inn at 114 Route 28 in Kingston into a housing complex.

RUPCO is working on the project in partnership with the Ulster County government, Catholic Charities of Orange, Sullivan and Ulster counties and the nonprofit Family of Woodstock.

Aerial rendering of RUPCO motel conversion.

RUPCO had announced that in August it arranged a contract to purchase the motel for about $3.7 million.

The proposed project is for the conversion of the 145-room hotel into 81 apartments. The apartment mix would include 11 three-bedroom units, 21 two-bedrooms, 24 one-bedrooms and 25 studio apartments. RUPCO says that special emphasis will be placed on moving homeless families and individuals out of long-term stays in hotels or motels in Ulster County and into permanent supportive housing when the motel conversion is completed.

RUPCO said that wrap-around services offered to residents would include health care, including mental health care, career counseling and job training and childcare. Support for finding permanent housing outside of the site also will be provided.

“The ability to provide all of these services onsite will greatly accelerate residents”™ ability to secure sustainable, permanent housing,” RUPCO said. “The hotel restaurant will be renovated to serve both residents and the community and may be used for job training opportunities.”

In addition to funding from New York state, Ulster County has committed $2 million in American Rescue Plan funds to extend water and sewer to the site and surrounding properties. RUPCO says that it intends to use as many environmentally friendly features as possible in the project, such as solar panels, heat pumps and upgraded weatherproofing and insulation. The project is expected to be completed by the winter of 2024.

When announcing the county”™s participation in the Quality Inn project, Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan said, “Coming out of the pandemic, Ulster County will continue to do everything that we can to assist those most vulnerable among us. No one in our community should go homeless, ever. These new apartments, along with all the supportive services, will allow our residents to live with dignity and pride while accessing critical services and support during a difficult time.”

Rendering of proposed RUPCO motel conversion into housing.

The plan calls for the current restaurant at the site to be developed as either for community use or as a commercial space. RUPCO is asking for community input about what to do with the restaurant portion of the property.

Among RUPCO”™s other projects in the area is Energy Square, a $22 million, mixed-income-mixed-used development in Kingston. The five-story building includes 57 mixed-income apartments. The building also has commercial space on the ground floor.

RUPCO also worked on Landmark Place, a 66-unit affordable housing development in Kingston for seniors age 55 and up.

The Metro is a 70,000-square-foot formerly abandoned factory in Kingston that RUPCO had been working to bring back to life as a TV and film production center along with the NoVo Foundation, run by Peter Buffett, son of billionaire investor Warren Buffett.

RUPCO also was working on the Newburgh East End II project, a $32 million mixed-use development.

According to its 2020 annual report, RUPCO had $8.9 million in revenue, and its assets totaled $20.7 million.

“Catholic Charities is grateful for the opportunity to partner with the county, town of Ulster, RUPCO and Family of Woodstock to address critical housing issues in our community,” said Shannon Kelly, CEO of Catholic Charities of Orange, Sullivan, and Ulster. “Operating the county”™s Warming Center has allowed us to learn first-hand about the challenges faced by those who visited the center. For many, housing insecurity is just one aspect of their struggles. In addition to providing safe, secure housing, the hotel conversion will offer increased access to services so that those in need are able to care for their health and well-being and improve their quality of life. We”™re very excited to be a part of this forward-thinking project.”

According to Michael Berg, executive director of Family of Woodstock, “Family is very excited to collaborate with the county, RUPCO and Catholic Charities on such a major initiative to respond to the huge numbers of homeless families and individuals who have been living in area motels. The project will not only provide apartments with cooking facilities but will co-locate extensive services needed to help address the other issues holding the residents back.”