1,700 New Homes Coming to Kingston

[slave2bacon]

For those living near Kingston, 'The Landing' development project is moving ahead, and is now in a public comment period. For those that do not know about 'The Landing', it will bring up to 8,000 new residents to Kingston and will be a single development of hundreds of acres. A recent proposal scaled down the number of homes from 2,500 to a mere 1,700.

The project will go in the old brickyard area between Kingston and East Kingston, and will extend from the River up to Rt. 32. They project up to 1,000 more cars per hour on Rt. 32 as a result of the 8,000 new residents.

The new scheme is presented by the developer in this link:
http://www.ci.kingston.ny.us/kingstonforms/PPSEQRAApril07.pdf

In case you want more information, and a way to get involved, check out the Friends of Kingston Waterfront. Their site has many good links to analysis of likely impacts, and who to contact with your comments.

Friends of Kingston Waterfront: http://www.fokw.org/index.html

Get involved or get ready for a lot of new neighbors!

[Tim845]

There's a myth, often untrue, that development leads to lower taxes. Increased strain on schools and infrastructure usually raise taxes with an influx of new residents.
Not that we dont need "smartly developed" affordable housing badly!
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Pedal, b*tches!!

[Bawitdaba]

We face a similar situation here in Pine Plains, a 49 unit condo project, a 267 unit home/townhouse mix project, a 40 house project and a 951 house unit, in a one traffic light, two pay phone town of about 2,800 folks.
I don't even want to begin to think about the traffic potential.
What I am getting is that the town will do well with more income from property tax, but the schools will gain more students and not enough school tax to cover it it, so we may be looking at an increase in school taxes.
I think if think if we grew home by home as opposed to sub-division by sub-division, the impact would be less and much easier to handle.
BUT, try and tell that to folks who are in the business of building and developing or town boards that may not be qualified for the job or may not be honest.
We are fortunate that there is a group formed by concerned residents called PinePlainsUnited.org which is keeping an eye on things and reminding the board of what is right, wrong or in the best interest of the whole town.

The waterfront is a beautiful place and if not planned properly could be ruined, as well as create a huge tax burden on the current residents.
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[tom church]

Being a Land Surveyor who worked for Chazen for a while...I have worked on both of the above mentioned projects. Drafted maps, read comments and done boundary work. It's all BS. The carvel project is just nuts...and there is another one...Silo Ridge. The golf course is planning to develope hundreds of acres into town homes shortly. All those fields on your way down to Amenia will be houses.

These mega developments are the last thing the hudson valley needs...

[slave2bacon]

[Riceball]

How about a little tolerance here...you may not agree with this project but you have no right to interfere with it... I personally have enjoyed free choice in the development of my properties and would not like it one bit if someone tried to interfere with my rights under the law.
My view is that if we work with the project developers, we may in fact be able to develop the trail system in ways that benefit everyone in the community. If we polarize everyone's feelings about the deal than we gain nothing.
get a grip.
do not think that we are posting mails to one another in some internet vaccuum, this is a public forum. When we show ourselves to be distrustful employees or suggest violating the rights of others, we demean the public good we do.
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Grumpy is my happy place.

[Tim845]

[jamesframes]

[Riceball]

[tom church]

Yes you have a right to develop but the public also has a right to determine what they want in their community. They can do this via way of public forum at their planning board meetings. Planning boards have a lot of leeway. They can't tell you what to build but they can limit a lot of things. That is what they are there for...to ensure that the community stays they way that it wants to.

Personally I think the McMansions in fields and the large 200+ cluster subdivisions that are going in are a scar on the land...frankly they are repulsive. I don't do much subdivision work anymore because of my conflict of interest. I work mostly on highway and boundary projects.

The best defences are environmental concerns. If there are wetlands that is a large issue. Also traffic and schools can be used. But keep in mind that the developers almost always win in some way or another...

For instance...I was working on a large townhouse project in Dobbs Ferry. We went out and located wetlands and an Indian archaeological site. Both where in the way of a proposed road and a drainage pond. So we went and staked out a fence around these areas that was erected the same day. We went back 2 days later to locate the final fence and we found that the fence was gone, the wetlands filled with a road bed already laid down and the archaeological site gone. The town gave them a fine in the area of $250,000 for this and forced them to create a (much smaller) wetland area elsewhere on the property. Their view was that these where 1-2 million dollar townhouses and they felt it better to just pay the fine and make more money. I would say that things like this happened on 75% of all large subdivision work I did. We have had developers modify our maps before they submit them (which is illegal), move stakes we set (also illegal), fill wetlands (also illegal), etc.

Another in example...in Tarrytown with the Ferry Landing Project. The town was VERY opposed to the scale of this project as is most of the town itself. It will create huge congestion issues on Main Street and worsen the traffic on Route 9. But the developers sweet talked the town with a brand new town hall and police station as part of the development. Now construction is starting.

Most of these large developers don't give a poo about anything except $$$. They will impose themselves on a community that does not want them there, they will just pay a fine if something is in their way or they will sweet talk people into letting them get away with anything.

Tom

[Tim845]

pave the world

On a positive note, its things like this that might make people aware that they can get involved locally for (hopefully) positive changes. Showing up to town meetings, writing letters to the editor, calling a representative...Better than only b!tching and letting the power$ that be have their way.
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Pedal, b*tches!!

[Bawitdaba]

I think I have every right to interfere when a large project will undoubtedly line pockets of the developers and their partners (read that as co-conspirators) and do nothing for the residents except raise taxes and increase traffic. We have no one to protect our interests.
I see nothing wrong with steady well thought out and paced construction, but to slam in large mega projects which, in our case here in Pine Plains, will double the population, in two years or so, serves only to make a select few wealthier..and that's all.
_________________
Everything you wanted to know about downhill mountain biking at Whiteface but were afraid to ask!!! www.downhillmike.com

Support our heros who have sacrificed for our nation
http://www.fallenheroesfund.org