Real Estate Agency Offers Assessment Service

As homeowners struggle with mortgage payments and rising taxes, Vetere Real Estate said it will help residents look at the market value of their property and will walk taxpayers through the necessary steps to help reduce current real estate assessments.

“We cover all angles as to re-grouping, lot line erasures, correct square footage, averaging square foot values, acquiring up-to-date comps and taking you through the proper steps to getting fair assessment values,” the agency said in a statement. “Let us provide you with information dealing with Town and City Assessors. Fees vary through representations that are required. We want you to save on your next tax bill.”

Vetere said it covers all of Ulster County and that the deadline in Kingston is March 1 for the 2010 tax year. For more information call 845 338-0571 or e-mail: kvetere@vetererealestate.com. Ask for Karen Vetere or Regina Melnick.

If there are other businesses out there who can help residents have a more fair assessment, please let us at the KingstonCitizens.org blog know.

NYSERDA Launches New Energy Saving Program

New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) said today that it was rolling out a new campaign, “Power Management,” to help consumers save energy as well as money.

The program encourages consumers to use power management technology such as programmable thermostats, “advanced” power strips and other devices to better manage home electronics and appliances that can use energy even when off.

“Using power management products is one of the easiest steps to saving energy at home,” said New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) President and CEO Francis J. Murray Jr. in a statement this morning. “These devices, coupled with simple energy-saving actions, will help New Yorkers further reduce their power consumption while increasing their energy savings.”

For more details, see NYSERDA’s website here.

— Arthur Zaczkiewicz

Mayor Supports Tech Friendly Branding Effort

As the Daily Freeman reports today, the mayor is calling on residents to volunteer. James Sottile also cited accomplishments in the city under his watch, and suggested “promoting the city as a place for Web-based entrepreneurs” the Freeman wrote adding that he sees Kingston as an “upstate digital tech-friendly city.”

He must have got Mark Greene’s proposal. As reported here by Kingston Citizens on Jan. 22, Greene suggested in a report to Sottile and majority leader Bill Reynolds that the city market itself as a “Digital Tech-Friendly City.”

To read Greene’s full report, click here.

— Arthur Zaczkiewicz

Uptown Snow Removal

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City workers got to work on Wall Street early today, removing snow and ice that was piled high from two snowstorms.

Earlier this week several business owners complained out loud that the snow was eating up much of the parking, and making it difficult to park on Wall and North Front streets.

Pictured above is snow that was bulldozed in front of the courthouse before it was loaded onto dump trucks.

— Arthur Zaczkiewicz

Kingston Food & Gardens Open House

Kingston Food & Gardens, an organic and natural foods buying club said today this it will open its doors this Saturday, Feb. 7, night during the First Saturday Art Walk. The storefront, located at 33 Broadway on the Rondout, will be open between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.

“Come learn about the benefits of the buying club and why organic products are better and healthy for you and your family,” the buying club said in a statement. “Yearly membership is $36, which allows members to experience up to 30 percent off the price of goods found at retail venues.”

“It’s so important that people eat clean, organic food,” said Kingston Food & Gardens President Jennifer McKinley. “Whole grains such as brown rice, millet and quinoa are essential for healthy bodies. We also offer members hundreds of other products such as raw cheeses, yogurt, agave, lentils, nuts, seeds and dried fruit. At the moment, our products are sourced from one of the largest national distributors of organic products. We are also working with a local distributor who specializes in fresh, biodynamic and organic local produce and dairy. And we are in the process of working with local growers, farmers and other producers to bring in their products as well.”

For more information, email us at: kingstonfoodandgardens@gmail.com

Working Together

Here’s in interesting story in The New York Times about a landlord in New York City offering to help out a retail tenant who owes close to $14,000 in back taxes. Why is the landlord helping? Because the retail leasee is a good tenant that draws traffic.

The lesson here is that the recession is causing businesses and property owners to reconsider prior “power dynamics” — which often favored building owners. Flexible arrangements are now a necessity as tough economic times create a more symbiotic relationship between between tenant and landlord.

— Arthur Zaczkiewicz

Tubby Row Renovation

A notice is circulating around Spring Street informing folks of a renovation that is in the works at the famed Tubby Row building on the street.

The notice urges residents to attend a special zoning and planning board hearing on February 9 at 6 p.m. at City Hall. The project calls for creating 18 housing units in the structure. The unidentified creator of the notice questions where residents of the renovated project will park.

I’m not sure how many units are in the current structure, but would be interested in learning more about this. Alderman Mike Madsen wrote about the project on his blog. You can read it here. Madsen said he alderman Bob Senor have concerns about the project and its impact.

There concerns echo prior worries over a proposed communal living facility proposed by Common Fire last year. That project never took flight, and like Tubby Row, parking was a concern.

— Arthur Zaczkiewicz

Hoffay’s Updates on Pike Plan, Valet Parking

Last week as I was gathering insights on the Pike Plan, I had emailed alderman Tom Hoffay (Dem., Ward 2) to get him to weigh in on the topic. Tom emailed back to say he was busy and would reply later. Well, a busy week got ahead of Tom and he replied this morning with an update of not only the Pike Plan, but other topics on his ward as well.

Thank you!

— Arthur Zaczkiewicz

Tom’s email:

 I’ll give you a summary of the week, where four developments and the meetings and correspondence attendant to them, gobbled up the time.

Read more…

Kingston Gives $15,500 in Presidential Race

For many Kingston residents, support of a candidate this year amounted to lawn signs and bumber stickers. According to OpenSecrets.org and Federal Election Commission data, our humble zip code of 12401 doled out just $15,500 in the 2008 presidential race.

The total contributions in 2008 for political action committees, elected officials and those seeking office totalled $49,657 for Kingston — well below the average contribution by zip code of $57,858.

If you are interested in seeing how much and to which presidential candidate that your neighbors gave to, click here, and click on the map tabs. This shows the address and amount given.

— Arthur Zaczkiewicz

Reuse and Reclaim

Have you seen the new furniture shop uptown that makes great things out of reclaimed wood? It’s called Salvage Co. and also offers the works of local artists as well as unique items that are worth checking out.

Although Salvage Co. is not a traditional auction house, they are having an auction on February 8.

Here are the details:
Salvage Co
Presents
The Sustainability
Auction

This is a public auction
All Welcome

Offering:
Reclaimed – Recycled – Interesting Furnishings – Mid Century Furniture
Photography – Primitive Rural Artifacts
Antiques – Local Art
Architectural Elements

FEBRUARY 8th @ 2:00 PM
314 Wall St. Uptown Kingston
Preview:
Thursday, Friday, Saturday (2/5-2/7)

For more info
call
845-331-7565
wallstreetsalvage@gmail.com

Ward 9 Visioning Session is Open to All

Just wanted to share with you this email from Rebecca Martin regarding our upcoming visioning session:

— Arthur Zaczkiewicz

Dear all,

I just got off the phone with the Kingston Times, who is doing a story on the visioning session that Arthur Zaczkiewicz and I are organizing for one block in our neighborhood on Saturday, February 14th at 2:30pm. Those who are on the Ward 9 Community Group email list, and members of the KingstonCitizens.org Yahoo! Groups have received a press release. I’m attaching it below, in the case that you did receive it by not being on one of these lists. While being interviewed today, it occurred to me that I be certain that you were all made aware of what we are doing and to make it clear that it is open to all.  I also felt it was necessary to give you a bit of background on why we have decided to proceed with this project.

Read more…

Give Us the Old Main Street Again

One of the editors of Retail Traffic magazine said he possibly had a story for me to do on mixed used development. Having covered the retail real estate beat for some time, I’m intrigued that this trend is gaining speed again — it backs up what I’ve been reading about elsewhere regarding how people are seeking urban environments.

The large real estate investment trusts (REITs) are taking heavy losses on their large-scale development projects as retailers fail and businesses sink. But there are smaller, more nimble companies who are working on mixed use projects that is in step with a consumer trend of shopping local. Consumers want the old main street back again.

Read more…

Future of the Pike Plan: Part II

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Several building owners who own properties on North Front and Wall streets, where the Pike Plan canopies are located, reiterated that a petition was circulated in August of last year demanding “an individual vote in regard to all plans and/or monies received and spent on the future of the Pike Plan. Without a vote, we consider this to be taxation without representation.”

Thirty seven of the roughly 42 building owners in the Pike Plan district signed the petition and are working to take control of the destiny of the Pike Plan.

Separately, around the holidays, a handful of business and building owners sent a letter to the mayor asking for the option to remove the Pike Plan.

From the building owners perspective, the Pike Plan requires a heavy tax on an already heavy tax load. What several of the building owners would like is to examine the feasibility of removing the structure and restoring the buildings to its original facades.

It’s important to note that in one study, Norman Mintz, an expert consultant known as “Mr. Main Street,” recommends hiring a main street manager and conducting a thoughtful marketing campaign.

Mintz’s final report, which was submitted in July of 2007, urged for the creation of a business improvement district as well.

— Arthur Zaczkiewicz