Post by musicradio77 on Aug 31, 2005 22:55:01 GMT -5
From the Daily Freeman:
Public can speak out tonight on condo plan
By Paul Kirby, Freeman staff
KINGSTON - The first public hearing on a proposal to raze the Uptown parking garage and replace it with a 12-story condominium and retail building will be held tonight at City Hall.
The hearing, scheduled for 6:30 p.m., comes more than five months after the Teicher Organization, the project's developer, held a public information session about the proposed 214-unit development.
The hearing is being sponsored by the Ulster County Industrial Development Agency under its practice of holding public forums in communities where projects seeking agency support are planned.
Prior to tonight's hearing, the Industrial Development Agency is expected to review the project during a 4 p.m. meeting at the Business Resource Center on Ulster Avenue in the town of Ulster.
Chester Straub, president of the Ulster County Development Corp., said the Teicher group has applied for Industrial Development Agency support for the condo project. If granted, the developer would be entitled to sales tax exemptions on building materials and relief from mortgage recording taxes.
Additionally, Teicher has proposed that some taxes paid by owners of the condominiums be spent on establishing 300 parking spaces for public use. A new parking garage, with a total of 600 spaces, is to be built beneath the condominiums.
The existing garage, which has about 250 spaces, was built in the 1970s.
In April, the Kingston Common Council approved a resolution endorsing the conceptual plan for the $50 million project, which also has the backing of Mayor James Sottile.
Alderman Chris Burns, R-Ward 1, opposed that resolution, saying Uptown deserves development but not a building like the one being proposed by Teicher.
Opponents of the plan say the building's height is objectionable. At 12 stories, it would be nine stories higher than most surrounding buildings and twice the height of the nearby Ulster County Office Building.
Sottile and other supporters of the project say it will bring new life to Uptown, create more commerce for merchants and widen the city's tax base.
City Planner Suzanne Cahill said on Tuesday that the Teicher Organization did not submit its plans to City Hall in time for the Planning Board to consider them next month. Teicher officials could not be reached Tuesday.
The developer has said the condominiums, ranging from studios to three-bedroom units, will sell for $165,000 to $300,000.
Public can speak out tonight on condo plan
By Paul Kirby, Freeman staff
KINGSTON - The first public hearing on a proposal to raze the Uptown parking garage and replace it with a 12-story condominium and retail building will be held tonight at City Hall.
The hearing, scheduled for 6:30 p.m., comes more than five months after the Teicher Organization, the project's developer, held a public information session about the proposed 214-unit development.
The hearing is being sponsored by the Ulster County Industrial Development Agency under its practice of holding public forums in communities where projects seeking agency support are planned.
Prior to tonight's hearing, the Industrial Development Agency is expected to review the project during a 4 p.m. meeting at the Business Resource Center on Ulster Avenue in the town of Ulster.
Chester Straub, president of the Ulster County Development Corp., said the Teicher group has applied for Industrial Development Agency support for the condo project. If granted, the developer would be entitled to sales tax exemptions on building materials and relief from mortgage recording taxes.
Additionally, Teicher has proposed that some taxes paid by owners of the condominiums be spent on establishing 300 parking spaces for public use. A new parking garage, with a total of 600 spaces, is to be built beneath the condominiums.
The existing garage, which has about 250 spaces, was built in the 1970s.
In April, the Kingston Common Council approved a resolution endorsing the conceptual plan for the $50 million project, which also has the backing of Mayor James Sottile.
Alderman Chris Burns, R-Ward 1, opposed that resolution, saying Uptown deserves development but not a building like the one being proposed by Teicher.
Opponents of the plan say the building's height is objectionable. At 12 stories, it would be nine stories higher than most surrounding buildings and twice the height of the nearby Ulster County Office Building.
Sottile and other supporters of the project say it will bring new life to Uptown, create more commerce for merchants and widen the city's tax base.
City Planner Suzanne Cahill said on Tuesday that the Teicher Organization did not submit its plans to City Hall in time for the Planning Board to consider them next month. Teicher officials could not be reached Tuesday.
The developer has said the condominiums, ranging from studios to three-bedroom units, will sell for $165,000 to $300,000.