City hears development proposals

By Alberto Gilman
Posted 3/1/22

Newburgh City Council were presented proposals for possible development of properties located at 140 and 146 Montgomery St. and 137 Smith St.

Two development firms, Liberty Street Partners and …

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City hears development proposals

Posted

Newburgh City Council were presented proposals for possible development of properties located at 140 and 146 Montgomery St. and 137 Smith St.

Two development firms, Liberty Street Partners and Kearney Realty & Development Group, presented their proposals for mixed use, mixed income spaces during the council’s regular work session last Thursday.

Mixed-use properties can be defined by Rocket Mortgage, a mortgage lender organization, as “property that combines commercial, residential and sometimes even industrial units”.

Mixed-income properties, defined by Local Housing Solutions, a housing policy platform, “refers generally to residential settings in which housing is affordable to individuals and families with different income levels”.

Both firms presented their various concepts on design that included residential units, commercial spaces and other community inclusive spaces.

The first project, known as Barclay Place, was represented by Liberty Street Partners. The second project, known as The Green, was represented by Kearney Realty & Development Group.

The current properties owned by the City of Newburgh neighbor Horizons on the Hudson Elementary School, the Varick Homes and the Bourne Apartments.

According to Mayor Torrance Harvey, the three city properties currently rest on designated Urban Renewal land.

Before any actions can be made, according to Michelle Kelson of Corporation Counsel, a public hearing will need to take place at a later date and a site development agreement will need to be written.
Prior to the presentations, Councilwoman Ramona Monteverde asked Kelson how many votes would be required in order for the council to proceed on the properties while being on Urban Renewal land.

Kelson responded to Monteverde’s questions stating that six of seven votes would be needed by the city council for approval but that is to be determined at a later time.

For the Barclay Center proposal, Philippe Pierre of Liberty Street Partners highlighted that the development can provide 125 - 175 new residential units and retail and communal spaces.

Residential units would be an anticipated mixture of one to three bedroom apartments, studios, town houses and live work carriages for example.
In the proposed site plan, Liberty Street Partners plans to build several staircases to connect the development with other surrounding structures and neighborhoods.

Chris Lennon, Vice President of Grants and Regulatory Management for Cornerstone Family Healthcare, spoke on the potential usage of space within the site for Cornerstone to operate and provide medical care for the immediate surrounding area.

For The Green proposal, Sean Kearney, Vice President of Kearney Realty & Development Group proposed development incorporating two distinct buildings with 7,000 square feet of retail/commercial space mirroring the East End Historic District architecture with 100 proposed apartments for rent.

Kearney highlighted that the site plan has a main corridor that runs through the middle that would offer garden and patio space for residents and potential businesses.

Several examples of highlights included free Wifi, on-site maintenance of the buildings and possibilities for a grocer also included.

Kearney Group also was approved to develop the project East End Lofts. However, that project has not been developed yet, according to Harvey. Kearney presented that the proposal would bond both Kearney projects.

At the conclusion of the two presentations, Kathy Lawrence and Jerry Maldonado, representatives from the City of Newburgh Strategic Economic Development Committee (SEDAC) shared with the city council that they recommended the approval of the request for proposal for The Green project.

Five members of the city council were in favor of the recommendation made by SEDAC. Councilman Omari Shakur was not in favor and Councilwoman Patty Sofokles was not present at the meeting.