The property available for development includes the parking lot on the far right, as well as the large lot in front.
By Nancy Peckenham
The city of Newburgh is launching a fresh attempt to develop a central block of the Broadway business district. The city planning office is soliciting interest from developers who may want to offer a proposal for a mixed commercial/residential development on two-and-a-half acres between Johnston and Lander Streets.
The city seized the property from developer Robert Carchiatta two years ago for non-payment of taxes. In 2005, Carchiatta, who restored the nearby Armory building and turned the former Woolworth building into the Department of Motor Vehicles office, had bulldozed the existing buildings on the acreage with the expectation that SUNY Orange would build its Newburgh campus on the site. When that plan fell through, development ground to a halt and the area remained empty.
A street-level view of the property.
The request for qualifications issued by the city’s office of planning and development lays out the general outlines of any proposal. In accordance with a Land Use Plan that is expected to change zoning, the city is calling for buildings that are no more than six stories high, a central plaza and open space as well as environmentally sustainable construction and historic design sensitivity. The city also notes that it is not looking for a tax-exempt project on the site.
Ed Lynch, the city’s director of planning and development, told the city council last week that it will have input on any proposals received for the site. He said he expected that his office will come up with a short list of applicants, weeding out those who don’t have proposals that meet requirements and those who don’t have the experience to pull off a project of this size. The deadline for proposals is May 20, 2011.
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