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Balanced approach fair to developers and doesn’t burden community’s infrastructure, taxpayers  A coalition of citizens groups today presented an alternative master plan for developing and revitalizing Kingston’s waterfront. The Friends of Kingston Waterfront (FOKW) proposal seeks to strike a balance—recognizing that developers and the business community need financially viable projects while the city needs to ensure that critical infrastructure services are not overwhelmed and taxpayers are not overburdened. FOKW highlighted that their plan would:
In creating its plan FOKW looked at the implications for developing nearly all of Kingston’s Hudson riverfront. This effort includes both the large developments proposed for the waterfront—The Landing and Sailor’s Cove. The plan is based on the realistic capacity of the land and the capacity of the city and its taxpayers to maintain critical community services. Through its own research and reports developed by credentialed consultants, the coalition looked at maximum development density that could be achieved on the waterfront. The FOKW plan calls for 650 housing units and 251,000 square feet of commercial development for The Landing property. The amount of commercial space is unchanged from the developer’s proposal, while the residential portion is reduced from 2,182 units suggested by the developer. The Sailor’s Cove project under the FOKW plan would feature 250 housing units and 64,000 square feet of commercial development. Again, the residential component is smaller, reduced from the developer’s suggested 365 units, but the commercial space is maintained. For The Landing site, it is important to note that the FOKW proposal would provide significantly more commercial development, and stronger tax benefits, to Kingston. The Town of Ulster would still enjoy a strong share but not the 82 percent slice the developer’s plan offers. “We believe it’s absolutely critical that the revitalization of Kingston’s waterfront feature job-creating economic development. This is an important element of the Friends of Kingston Waterfront proposal”, said Ned Sullivan, president of Scenic Hudson. Even FOKW plan needs some mitigation In total (both The Landing and Sailor’s Cove parcels) the FOKW plan suggests 900 residential units and 315,000 square feet of commercial development. However, this level of development cannot be achieved without enhancement of critical city infrastructure—specifically the wastewater treatment plant and road capacity. For instance, even at this significantly scaled back size, the sewage treatment plant would still exceed maximum capacity 5 percent of the time, or about two weeks of each year. Traffic increases would require that North Street be turned into a larger boulevard roadway and Delaware Avenue would need reworking for volume and safety concerns. FOKW urges the Kingston Planning Board to proactively seek input on this concept from the affected residents on these streets before implementing this option. We also recommend that the Planning Board establish strict guidelines for site clearing, construction and landscaping to maintain the maximum amount of natural vegetation, to buffer the visual impacts of the project, and to protect the large sensitive aquifer. Mr. Sullivan said, “Kingston’s riverfront lies at the intersection of two important and historic waterways, providing an exciting opportunity for revitalization that can be a source of pride and economic vitality for the city and entire region. The riverfront plan presented today by the Friends of Kingston Waterfront can achieve that vision. It builds on Kingston’s strong tradition of neighborhoods. It provides for a range of housing stock and mix of uses—residential, retail and other job-generating facilities that will build on Kingston’s strong and dynamic community. It includes meaningful access to the Hudson River and protects water supplies and other natural features of the site. We look forward to working with the planning board, AVR Realty and the developers of Sailor’s Cove to achieve the goals that members and leaders of the community and region have set forth for this property.” Manna Jo Greene, environmental director for Clearwater, said, “This alternative plan truly represents a community consensus, not only of the eight groups in the Friends of the Kingston Waterfront coalition. It also includes input from hundreds of residents in the neighboring community offered at public hearings and community workshops and others from around the region.” She continued, “The plan effectively reduces most of the negative impacts, while preserving sensitive ecological resources and maximizing public access to the riverfront for all to enjoy.” Creating traditional neighborhoods The FOKW plan would establish two traditional neighborhoods along the waterfront. These would provide streets that are inviting and safe places where people can walk and kids can ride bikes and play. There would be a mix of building types and clusters of houses and townhouses together with businesses. This mixed-use approach makes business and retail services convenient for residents and visitors. The reasonable variety of building styles would reflect the architecture and community character that makes Kingston and the valley attractive to residents and tourists. This balanced and creative approach is strongly different than AVR Realty’s proposal for The Landing, which would produce a continuous riverfront defined by cookie-cutter residences not reflective of the historic, beautiful Hudson River Valley. “The Landing proposal alone was so enormous in its impacts that it would determine the community character of both the City of Kingston and the Hudson Valley for generations to come,” said Deborah Barrow, president of Hudson River Heritage. She added, “This new community-based plan offers a way for this waterfront to develop organically rather than be abruptly set on a course characterized by overbuilding and the traffic, crowding and rootless, bland kind of growth that won’t help Kingston or its residents.” Real, lasting economic gains The FOKW alternative will provide for long-term economic gains by incorporating at least 100,000 square feet of commercial development along Route 32 and by incorporating both job-generating facilities as well as retail and restaurant conveniences within the two neighborhoods. AVR has said it intends to eliminate the office building it proposed for the Town of Ulster portion of The Landing property. The FOKW plan retains commercial space both along Route 32 and within the neighborhoods. Safe traffic levels Safe and efficient traffic volumes also are important. The Landing project would have generated up to 18,000 more vehicle trips per day—a nearly 10-fold increase—that would have primarily impacted local neighborhood streets near the site. Streets where a few hundred cars now travel and where kids ride bikes would be transformed into busy thoroughfares. Delaware Avenue would feel more like Delaware Highway, as a resident pointed out at the last public hearing. AVR Realty has indicated informally that it plans to accelerate construction of a bypass to Route 32, as FOKW has recommended. However, this alone will not reduce excessive traffic on local roads and streets. The FOKW plan will reduce traffic by at least one-third in trips averaged over local roads. Avoiding sewage overflows and costly treatment upgrades As currently proposed, the sewage from The Landing and Sailor’s Cove projects would result in regular exceedances of the capacity of the city’s treatment plant. This would damage water quality and limit future development opportunities. If the projects are not made smaller or the treatment plant expanded, the plant is projected to be overloaded approximately 15 percent of the time during peak periods. Eighty-seven percent of the time the plant would have to operate at 90 percent capacity, and approximately one-third of the time the plant will be operating at 98 percent of capacity, which can result in degradation of water quality leaving the plant and operational difficulties that would make permit violations more likely. While the FOKW plan would reduce loads on the wastewater treatment plant, the city will have to enhance wastewater capacity to achieve the full buildout plan. Building where it makes sense The FOKW plan protects a major underground water supply that the city’s master plan cites for protection. The FOKW plan includes buffers between private residences and the public waterfront, includes parks and trail systems that will provide for a healthy community. Structures are targeted for areas most disturbed by former industrial uses, and the FOKW plan avoids building on ridgelines and other places important for water quality and the natural areas and wildlife that local residents have called on the planning board to protect. Kingston resident and FOKW member Lowell Thing said, “This plan, the results of hundreds of public comments, preserves the city we know and love. It also provides new access to the river and more housing than anyone has built yet in the Mid-Hudson Valley. This plan proposes neighborhoods, not a ‘project’—new neighborhoods that the city will be able to take pride in.” Plan shaped by citizens, city’s waterfront planning guidelines and detailed research FOKW hosted four workshops during which residents spoke up for what they wanted and did not want for their waterfront. Representatives of the coalition also listened to ideas the public offered during four hearings held by the City of Kingston Planning Board. These and many informal meetings made it clear that residents want a waterfront that improves the economy and gives them places to experience the beauty and uplifting power of the Hudson River. Residents objected to overdevelopment that threatens traffic jams and burdens on the city’s infrastructure. The plan developed by FOKW is consistent with the city’s adopted Local Waterfront Revitalization Plan. The AVR plan fails to meet key aspects of the plan, including protection of the aquifer, protection of the visual beauty of the waterfront. Click here (PDF) for information about the original/proposed plan and why we About FOKW FOKW was formed in spring 2005. The coalition is focused on ensuring resident participation in creating a Kingston waterfront that protects the Hudson River Valley’s cherished history, culture, beauty and economic well-being. Its member organizations want to ensure that Kingston does not see its waterfront become a burden when the opportunity exists to create powerful benefits for a diverse population. |
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