FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 6, 2024
Statement from Mayor Noble Regarding New Litigation Threats from NYC Billionaire:
The City of Kingston continues to be threatened by a New York-based developer who has repeatedly burdened Kingston taxpayers with lawsuit after lawsuit to meet his own real estate goals.
Representatives of William Gottlieb Real Estate have recently visited Uptown businesses to collect signatures to advance their claims against the City of Kingston. That the real estate conglomerate, which represents a billionaire who has purchased and sat on empty properties in Uptown Kingston, is claiming to have the best interest of Uptown businesses in mind, is dishonest at best. William Gottlieb Real Estate has used questionable methods in the past, and -- in addition to challenging local affordable housing requirements under the guise of promoting “environmental” issues, has used its seemingly limitless resources to harass neighboring mom-and-pop businesses with nuisance lawsuits or legal threats.
In advance of the Common Council’s vote to remove the Pike Plan canopies, the City of Kingston recently had six Notices of Claim filed from each of the buildings that William Gottlieb Real Estate owns under different corporate LLCs. These lawsuits have besieged the City’s resources, drained taxpayer dollars, and stalled necessary community improvements from moving forward.
Kingston has done everything it reasonably can to help Uptown thrive and will continue working to improve this historic neighborhood. We are taking the reasonable measure to remove the city-owned canopy, which is beyond its useful life. And now once again, our efforts are being threatened at every corner by this billion-dollar real estate company. This is a true David versus Goliath situation, with a deep-pocketed corporation —one facing multiple lawsuits of its own for allegedly failing to pay workers and provide heat during the winter— choking off economic development. Nevertheless, we will keep doing what is in the best interest of our community.
As elected officials representing Kingston residents, our first responsibility is the health and safety of our residents. That often requires prioritizing resources to ensure that Kingston is able to meet the demands of our residents, while also making fiscally sound decisions for the next generation of Kingston residents.
If we do not move forward with the Pike Plan removal as planned, and which William Gottlieb Real Estate is now trying to stop, the price tag for rebuilding the canopy is at least $10 million, with an additional estimated $150,000 in maintenance costs each year going forward. The owners of the Uptown buildings will bear this financial burden, according to the easements granted at the time. The annual Pike Plan tax in year one will be at a minimum of $12,500 plus an additional $3,750 in annual maintenance fees per property. That is $16,250 per property per year for at least the next 20 years in addition to the non-homestead property taxes already being paid. These costs all but assure that only businesses owned by wealthy corporations like William Gottlieb Real Estate can survive.
These lawsuits not only negatively affect the progress of the Uptown business district, but they also have an immediate cost to Kingston taxpayers, just as the previous 16+ frivolous lawsuits directed at redeveloping the former parking garage site did. Kingston taxpayers foot the bill and we expect these recent lawsuits will cost at least $200,000 over the next few months.
Although the Common Council is not voting on the authorization to fund the Pike Plan removal tonight, as we are completing our planning documents, I am committed to fighting for Kingston taxpayers as William Gottlieb Real Estate attempts once again to tie the city up in court, impeding business development in our beautiful Uptown business district for its own selfish gain.