A five story mixed-use with residential building has been proposed to be built at 50, 50 ½, 52, and 54 Liberty Street, currently a vacant lot. The project proposes 143 units to be constructed with retail space provided on the first floor of the building.

The project property is owned by Mid Hudson Film LLC and is located in the Downtown Neighborhood Zone (DN) in the city’s Historic District. The vacant lot sits adjacent to the Foundry, Washington’s Headquarters, the Liberty Street corridor and the Johnes and Edward Street neighborhoods.

The project appeared at the city’s Zoning Board of Appeals meeting on Tuesday, February 27. Developer Andrew Schrijver, Frank Filiciotto of Creighton Manning Engineering and Chris Berg of Berg + Moss Architects presented the project. Members of the public also had the opportunity to learn more about what was being proposed.

“This is approximately 100 units of affordable housing with varying income bands associated with that and then around 43 units of market housing,” said Schrijver. “The thinking being that it’s really important when you’re building affordable housing to do it in context with market rate units, so that you have a blend of incomes in a community so that you’re not necessarily isolating those who are seeking affordable housing, but blending them across socioeconomic classes, and thus opening them up to the opportunity there within.”

The first floor features proposed retail usage with a majority facing Liberty Street. “We’re programming approximately about 8,000 square feet retail. We’ve seen a lot of progress on Liberty Street with entrepreneurs taking risks, opening businesses that are now starting to provide services to residents,” said Schrijver.

An underground parking garage has been proposed for the building. Site plans prepared by Dunn & Sgromo Engineers have listed 39 spaces in the garage and four spaces on the surface within the site.

Discussing project parking, Filiciotto provided the board with the results and clarifications of a prepared traffic study. The study states the project proposes 43-off street parking spaces that would be assigned. Access to the parking area and garage will be made available on Johnes Street. The parking study notes the project is anticipated to be completed and occupied by 2027.

“There are 143 units proposed. That’s 143 spaces are being required, off-street parking spaces,” said Filiciotto. “The 7,596 square foot commercial space requires an additional nine spaces so the total requirement is 152 by our math. We’re able to provide 43 off street spaces, which makes our variance request 109 spaces. I hope that clarifies the record. Right now the ask is 109 spaces.”

Filiciotto also discussed changes to the street directions. City streets in the immediate area of the project include Liberty St, Johnes St, Lafayette St, Edward St and South William St.

“We’re considering certain scenarios that would turn Johnes and Edwards into one-way streets. No change to the current parking capacity on those streets except for Lafayette, which we would actually be able to gain on-street parking on Lafayette if we made that a one-way as well,” said Filiciotto. “There’s a particular plan that we believe is the preferred plan, which would involve making Johnes Street one way north from Renwick to Lafayette and then Edward would be one way south from Lafayette to Renwick.

Lafayette would in turn be one way away from Liberty.”

At the city’s planning board meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 20. the board declared itself lead agency for the project.

The city’s Department of Planning and Development noted in a letter dated February 20 that mixed-use with residential is permitted with planning board approval of site plans. The letter also notes that the project is considered a Type 1 Action under the New York State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA). Type 1 actions, according to the state, are more likely to have a significant adverse impact on the environment than Unlisted Actions and may require a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS).

The zoning board opened a public hearing on the application with residents of the Foundry and Johnes Street not in favor, sharing concerns about parking, the size of the building and overall impact to the neighborhood.

“I just think that putting a very large building, that’s gonna take up an entire city block, the scale of this is just way too large,” said Richard White. “I don’t feel like it fits in with the neighborhood, quite frankly. It doesn’t make sense.”

“We are already congested with the parking,” said Cherie Bell. “We have a few elderly people in the Foundry and when the fire trucks and the ambulance are coming they can barely get through.”

“This is going up right next to Washington’s Headquarters. I really don’t see how a big blocky, five story thing is going to blend at all into the surrounding neighborhood,” said Martha White.

“If there’s going to be a change in the parking spaces that are on Johnes Street, I would think that why not leave those spaces as they are and get the entrance at the area where there is no parking currently on Lafayette [St]. It would make more sense to leave Johnes Street as it is,” said Nicole Blair.

“I share concerns about the fact that this is directly adjacent to the first National Historic Site in the United States of America and so hope that that historic legacy and value will be maintained,” said Kathy Lawrence.

At the conclusion of the public comment session, the zoning board voted to keep the public hearing open until its next meeting. No determination was made on the requested setback and parking variances for the project. Documents on the project are made available on the City of Newburgh website. The next zoning board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 26 at 7 p.m. at the city activity center located at 401 Washington Street.