A shower (maybe) of state money

Five of the 19 projects recommended for priority status by the state-controlled mid-Hudson Regional Economic Development Council (REDC) this year are in Ulster County. Three are in Kingston, one in Milton and one in the Shawangunks. The 19 designated regional projects have the potential to generate nearly $300 million in economic activity and leverage private dollars at a ratio of nearly 14 to one, according to Empire State Development.

The final state awards are usually announced in early December. Some of the projects on the priority list of those who have submitted consolidated funding applications (CFAs) will not get funding, and many others not on the list will be funded. Regional input supposedly constitutes 20 percent of the total state score by which projects are ranked.

Members of the regional REDC provided a progress report at the Clearwater barn along the Rondout Creek in Kingston late Monday morning, October 30, to an audience of three state commissioners and two assemblypersons gathered as the state’s Strategic Implementation Team (SIAT). A team of presenters headed by Marist College president emeritus Dennis Murray, the regional REDC chair, provided a half-hour summary of the newly updated version of the regional vision, this one entitled “Future Forward.” The SIAT members then had a half an hour to ask questions and make comments.

The central role that Kingston is assuming as the poster child in the state’s present vision for mid-Hudson economic development was never more evident. Seated at the presenting table was mayor Steve Noble, who described a “change in outlook” by which Kingston had “been able to differentiate ourselves.” Quoth the young mayor, “We need to channel that energy.”

The state will support economic revitalization wherever it can find it. “Most importantly, these projects help move the mid-Hudson forward, building on our strategy and leveraging our strengths,” said Dr. Murray. “We have identified projects that will continue the revitalization of our urban centers and complement the State’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative award in the City of Kingston.”

A $48.1-million mixed-development project between North Front Street and Schwenk Drive in the Stockade neighborhood has been proposed by a partnership of regional developers and Herzog Supply Co. Proposing a $4.2-million state ask and offering an eleven-to-one ratio of private to public dollars, the JM Development Group LLC project involves almost four times as much capital as the other four Ulster County projects on the regional priority list. According to Future Forward, the bulky two-building project proposes 129 residential units, a 475-car parking garage, 9000 square feet of commercial space, and a 38-room boutique hotel. It’ll create 150 jobs during construction and an estimated 13 permanent jobs.

The other two priority-status Kingston projects on the priority-status list are the Hutton Brickyards redevelopment project on the shore of the Hudson River and the Stockade Works/Metro project in midtown Kingston. Hutton Brickyards is seeking a million dollars in state money to leverage a five-million-dollar project “to create a compelling waterfront destination suitable to host concerts, festivals, markets and private events on an ongoing basis.” Future Forward says that the Stockade Works/Metro project is seeking an additional $242,500 in state money (it received a million-dollar state grant in last year’s competition) to help provide “an immersive learning environment, connect media-makers and technologists, and attract quality jobs to the region.” The total project cost is $1.285 million.

The Open Space Institute is applying for a million dollars in grants from three state sources — Empire State development, Market NY and the Environmental Protection Fund — to build a single-story, 6000-square-foot, $3.642-million visitor center at the main visitor entrance to the Minnewaska State Park. Among other purposes, the proposed center “will provide welcoming amenities and orientation for expanded and enriched visitation.”

Finally, the Hudson River Fruit Distributors in Milton would very much like an Empire State Development award of $180,000 and Excelsior job credits of $1.470 million to build a five-room controlled-atmosphere food storage facility and create ten jobs. The $2.250-million project would store locally grown apples from over 50 growers in the region.

Obviously, the $10 million in DRI funding is a significant accelerant to the REDC process, particularly in Kingston. Kingston’s first Downtown Revitalization Initiative public meeting was held Monday evening at the city hall on Broadway. Mayor Noble, Department of State planner Jaime Ethier and Valerie Monastra of the planning firm VHB provided a sketchy outline of the four-month planning process ahead prior to the submission to the state of Kingston’s DRI plan by a March 1 deadline. An 18-person local advisory committee was named.

On average, the ten regional winners of last year’s DRI competition spent 44 percent of their $10-million state grants on public improvements, 34 percent on inducements for private developers, 13 percent on grant or loan funds, and nine percent on strengthening non-profit organizations.