Editor’s Note: When a pandemic of hunger and homelessness threatens, is it right for government to spend millions of dollars on luxury housing? The Kingstonian sits at a confluence of federal, state and local funding streams that shower cash on developers while depriving Kingston of revenue at a moment when the Covid-driven downturn has slashed budgets and when a deluge of evictions is nigh. This proposed development seeks $27 million in property tax breaks, has received almost $7 million in grants from Albany, and may fetch the investors more than $100 million tax-free — all the while promising to create 33.6 jobs that pay $15 an hour or less.

The main article attempts to paint an overview, while the sidebars take a deeper dive but can also be read as standalone pieces. As such, there is repetition, and apologies in case you read all sidebars. I approached this story with a neutral, open mind; but the more I learned, the more it became apparent that local government and the developers were running roughshod over community opinions, not to mention community welfare, and would go to any lengths to bring this development for the wealthy to fruition in exactly the form the developers wanted – including a $27 million tax break that everyone else in Kingston will have to pay for, one way or another. As a result, the writing spilled over into advocacy journalism. The Kingstonian fits squarely into the development frenzy of recent decades, exacerbated by the Opportunity Zone grab-a-thon that’s in full swing. Elsewhere, the end result has been displacement and, eventually, the disappearance of small local businesses, and there is no reason to assume things will be different this time. This particular project takes place in Kingston, NY. But stories like this are commonplace throughout America and much of the world because real estate — in fewer hands than ever — is where Wall Street and lobby-riddled Washington and state capitals are funneling investment and taxpayer dollars. A big piece of the puzzle is still missing: an investigation into Board of Elections databases to follow campaign donation trails, as well as back room promises and sweetheart deals. Nor is it clear whether the push for this project originates in City Hall or Albany. The developers did not return phone calls, nor did most local officials, although some gave quotes after meetings or via text or email. Radio archives, video clips and newspaper articles served as source material when local figures declined to comment.

 

THE KINGSTONIAN

 

A new luxury housing development proposed for Kingston’s revitalized Uptown has become a lightning rod for social issues, pitting City Hall and the developers against a coalition of environmental, preservationist and affordable housing advocates.

Promotional renderings of the proposed $58 million Kingstonian show a plaza of fountains, greenery and benches flanked by a 32-room hotel and 143 apartments above shops and restaurants, all perched atop a 420-car garage in the new Kingston mecca known as the Uptown Stockade district.

Local officials and business owners say the complex will replace a vacant eyesore with much-needed market rate housing, create jobs, and bring more parking to a congested historical district.

Activists say the developers are flouting state and city law, with the blessing of Kingston’s elected officials, and that decision-makers who disagreed were removed from office. The developers have received close to $33 million in cash grants and tax breaks, a stark contrast with the plight of local residents losing their homes now that the moratorium on evictions has expired. Moreover, members of a community group tasked with recommending grants say they were steered into rubber stamping pre-determined awards to the developers.

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