An online survey seeks the opinion of Kingston residents and business owners on Uptown’s eternal conundrum — what to do with the Stockade District’s Pike Plan canopy.
Built in the 1970s as the city’s Uptown Business District was struggling to compete with suburban shopping plazas, the canopies underwent a $1.2 million renovation and restoration, largely funded through state and federal grants, in 2013. Since then, owners of some properties to which the canopies are attached have complained about water leakage and other structural issues with the porticos. The city recouped $315,000 in a 2015 lawsuit against the construction company that carried out the renovations, but a lawsuit against the designers of the renovation project was blocked after courts ruled the city missed a deadline for legal action. In 2017, the city dissolved a special taxing district for Pike Plan property owners and assumed fiscal responsibility for the upkeep and maintenance of the canopy.
Now, the Common Council’s Finance Committee has requested cost estimates to repair damaged portions of the canopy and to remove the entire structure and restore the underlying building façades. Initial estimates for repair came in at $450,000 in addition to ongoing maintenance and upkeep. City officials believe the cost of removing the canopies and restoring the buildings would run to $868,000.
The survey asks respondents for their name, whether they are a city resident, city business owner or owner of a property abutting the Pike Plan and whether they believe the canopies should stay or go. Information about the canopy and its current condition is available at www.kingston-ny.gov/pikeplan. To take the survey, go to www.surveymonkey.com /r/pikeplan.
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