KINGSTON – Applications
are being accepted to serve on the Board of Directors of the City of Kingston’s
newly established Kingston City Land Bank.
The land bank was formed to acquire title to city-owned and other distressed
properties in Kingston, removing barriers to redevelopment, and returning
the properties to the tax rolls.
The top priorities of the land bank will be to ensure that the reuse of
the properties provides opportunities for homeownership for those who
might not otherwise be able to afford an opportunity, to maintain a range
of affordability in the city’s housing stock, and to guide the redevelopment
of properties to enhance neighborhoods and suit the needs of residents
in those neighborhoods.
Mayor Steven Noble said his administration is “committed to improving
access to good quality, affordable housing, to addressing deteriorating
housing conditions that are negatively impacting our neighborhoods, and
to returning properties to the tax rolls.”
The board of directors of the land bank will consist of nine members,
all of whom must live in the City of Kingston. Six members will be appointed
from the public by the mayor. The board will include the deputy chief
in charge of the building safety division, a member of the Kingston Planning
Board selected by a full vote of the planning board and the mayor. Two
community members from each of the city’s three Ulster County Legislative
districts will be appointed.
Persons interested in serving on the board may download the application
at www.kingston-ny.gov and are due back by Friday, June 29.
