Remediation planned for unsafe hotel

By Alberto Gilman
Posted 8/24/22

The Newburgh Town Board will return for another special at 1 p.m. on Monday, October 3 at the town hall to further address the Hudson Valley Hotel and Conference Center site at 90 Route 17K that was …

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Remediation planned for unsafe hotel

Posted

The Newburgh Town Board will return for another special at 1 p.m. on Monday, October 3 at the town hall to further address the Hudson Valley Hotel and Conference Center site at 90 Route 17K that was deemed unsafe last month in July.

The property in question, which was identified to be owned by Asif Javaid, came before the board on Thursday, August 18 for a special hearing to allow the owners of the property to provide additional information and statements in response to the town’s determination of the property.

Town Supervisor Gil Piaquadio, Councilman Scott Manley and Councilman Anthony LoBiondo were present, along with Town Clerk Lisa Vance-Ayers and Town Attorney Mark Taylor. Councilman Paul Ruggiero and Councilwoman Betty Greene were absent from the hearing.

On July 25, the town board was presented this property during their regularly scheduled work session. The town board had received inspection reports prepared by the building and other town department officials that indicated visible and non-visible structural damages, and additional unwanted entries were reported on-site with calls having been made to the police department.

The currently active hotel complex features one main building that serves as the main entry point, with a conference center and additional mixed use spaces. In the rear, an L-shaped two story structure is located behind the main building, with an additional unused pool area.

The town board ultimately deemed the hotel property unsafe following the review and criteria of Chapter 75 of the town’s code section titled “Buildings, Unsafe”.

Representing Javaid during the course of the hearing was Attorney Michael Sussman, who presented to the board a plan going forward to address the concerns of the town and to bring the site back within the town code compliance and remediate the site.

“What he [Javaid] wants to do is retain a structural engineer who he has identified, and that structural engineer has made a specific proposal. That proposal is to develop in what are three stages, remediation plans for the balcony area so that that area can be properly reinforced, and constructed, reconstructed if you will,” Sussman said.

While work is being conducted on the site, if approved, sections of the site would not be made available to the immediate public and would be properly sectioned off with proper fencing to avoid any difficulties. No demolition has been proposed for the site, though that conversation had been brought up in the past. Sussman said Javaid has been speaking with other architects and structural engineers for site proposals.
Additionally present was Luis Tappan owner of the Mobil Gas Station across the street from the site. “He [Tappan] is interested in not only doing the renovation but ultimately purchasing the 120 units,” Sussman told the board.

Tappan is the current owner of L.E.T.S. Construct LLC and is a certified New York State contractor. He shared with the town board that he and Javaid are currently in the process of creating a partnership that would see the redevelopment of the site and ultimately the purchase of the site. With the recent Resorts World Casino set to open this coming fall, Tappan would like to see the site become a destination for travelers, fully renovated with a dining option.

With the determination by the town board to meet again in October, Piaquadio provided several conditions to the property owner. “There are some conditions. One is to afford the property owner the time to select and enter into an agreement with a professional architect or engineer and to perform the services described by Mr. Sussman on the record, and to submit the executed contract to the town,” Piaquadio stated. “Two, to submit a permit application and do in proper form the work described in compliance with the architects engineers plan, which is developed pursuant to the contract and to the applicable building code. And three to allow the town code compliance department to inspect the fencing installation as described and report back to the board.”