FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 22, 2024
Midtown Thriving to Launch with Public Meeting
KINGSTON, NY – Mayor Steven T. Noble is pleased to announce that the Midtown Thriving project will officially kick off with a public meeting on Wednesday, April 10, 2024, at 6pm at City Hall and virtually via Zoom. Live Spanish interpretation and childcare will be available.
In November 2023, the City of Kingston, in partnership with Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress, won a Brownfield Opportunity Area (BOA) grant for $238,559 from the New York Department of State. With the funding, the City and Pattern for Progress will create Midtown Thriving: A Community Vision to Revitalize Vacant Properties, a plan for the redevelopment of vacant and abandoned properties within a 270-acre area running along the Broadway corridor. The planning process is an opportunity to proactively align future development and investment in Midtown with the local community’s priorities and needs.
“We are excited to kick off the Midtown Thriving initiative, which will encourage the revitalization of underutilized parcels to create environmentally responsible, mixed-use and walkable infill redevelopment in Midtown Kingston,” said Mayor Noble. “We look forward to public input in this plan, which should represent a true community vision for the redevelopment. We are thrilled to partner with Pattern for Progress who will shepherd this process, starting with an in-depth analysis of existing conditions and opportunities for revitalization and including many opportunities for public engagement.”
The final plan, which is expected to take two years to complete, will be submitted to the State to complete the BOA nomination. Designation as a BOA by the State will give development in the area priority and preference for State programs, eligibility for pre-development funding, and it will unlock additional brownfield cleanup program tax credits for property owners and developers.
City of Kingston Housing Director Bartek Starodaj said, “With the City’s new form-based code in place, now is the time to remediate and redevelop vacant and underutilized properties in Midtown. The Brownfield Opportunity Area is an opportunity to create a community vision for these properties that can be implemented with public, non-profit, and private partners.”
Midtown Thriving Public Meeting
Wednesday, April 10, 2024
6:00-7:30pm
City Hall Council Chambers
& virtually via Zoom (registration required)
Live Spanish interpretation available
More information at https://engagekingston.com/midtown-thriving.