Developer Charles Blaichman continues to expand his holdings in Kingston’s Stockade neighborhood. He recently closed on his latest purchase, the county Family Court building on Lucas Avenue Extension just off Green Street. It is the ninth Stockade building he has purchased in recent years. The price for the building and large parking lot was $1.1 million, according to broker Nan Potter.
The New York City developer with a longtime Woodstock home intends to use the property for parking for his four Uptown boutique hotels on Wall, John, Fair and Pearl streets. Under the sale agreement, Ulster County government will continue to occupy the court property as a tenant for the next two years.
At its meeting this past Monday evening, Kingston’s planning board reacted favorably to Blaichman’s plan. At that meeting, the developer also detailed his plan to build a commissary or prep kitchen at the rear of his building on the corner of Fair and Main streets to provide food service to the boutique hotels. The corner space on the ground floor once occupied by Burgevin Florists will become an establishment selling food products. It will be called Fare and Main, Potter disclosed.
Blaichman hopes that the first two of the proposed hotels, the ones at 301 Wall and 41 Pearl Street, can open in early summer of 2018. A full-service restaurant as well as hotel rooms are planned for 301 Wall St.
Blaichman, whose projects are a major contributor to the Stockade neighborhood’s rent boom in the price of commercial properties, is not requesting money from the state-initiated Downtown Revitalization Initiative, which has awarded Kingston $10 million. Potter said Blaichman hopes the state money will be used to strengthen the neighborhood’s infrastructure.
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