Poughkeepsie poised to sell parking lot

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Architect’s rendering of Crannell Square

POUGHKEEPSIE – The City of Poughkeepsie sought proposals earlier this fall for plans for the parking lot at the intersection of Catharine and Mill Streets and received a single response from one well-known developer.
The parking lot is a 1.22-acre parcel owned by the city that is part of a much larger parking lot that extends from North Hamilton Street to Catharine Street along the westbound arterial.  The Kearney Realty and Development Group has submitted plans to purchase the parcel from the city and develop “Crannell Square” on the site.  The name of the development is a nod to the city’s former Crannell Street which has been reduced to an alley next to The Chance Theater.  According to Vice-president Sean Kearney, the project is an “innovative mixed-income, or mixed-income and mixed-use development.”
The plans as submitted call for the construction of one building that will have frontage on both Mill and Catharine Streets.  Kearney says that the design of the building is consistent with city’s “Poughkeepsie Innovation District,” which has yet to be approved by the common council. 
By dedicating the first-floor of the project to retail, Kearney plans to work with Green’s Natural Foods for a 5,000 to 10,000 square foot retail store that will draw more people to the area for the company’s specialty natural/organic groceries and dietary supplements.  The developer already has a working relationship with Green’s including a planned small retail front at the almost completed Queen City Lofts on Main Street, which is also being developed by the Kearney Group.  Green’s currently operates retail stores in Somers, Briarcliff Manor, Eastchester, Mount Kisco and Yorktown Heights.
In addition to the retail space at Crannell Square, plans call for apartments on the second, third and fourth floors.  Original plans called for one- and two-bedroom units but at a presentation to the common council, Alderwoman Natasha Cherry asked if it was possible to include some three-bedroom apartments to accommodate larger families and the developer agreed. 
Council President Ann Finney said that she is prepared to use “customized” zoning as opposed to waiting for the Innovation District legislation to be passed to allow for maximum flexibility for Kearney to develop the property. 
In addition to zoning changes, Finney said that several other steps are needed before construction can begin including finalizing an appraisal of the property, agreeing to terms of sale between the city and Kearney and the approval of the common council on all of the steps.  Finney said via email that “The council is in full support of the proposal as presented to them.”
According to Sean Kearney, the plans as submitted call for 75 apartments catering to various income levels in a building designed to blend in with the historic architecture of the neighborhood.
The developer plans to use cobblestones to create a pedestrian plaza, complete with benches and landscaping that will follow the original path of Crannell Street.  Kearney said the design “will turn an unattractive parking lot, which is devoid of pedestrians, to an aesthetically pleasing streetscape with a pedestrian plaza as a focal point that will encourage increased levels of pedestrian activity” to the area, including Main Street. 
The developer said that the apartments and planned retail store will not draw foot traffic away from Main Street but instead will draw more people to the area. The Kearney Group has developed several mixed-income/mixed-use developments including properties in East Fishkill, Beacon, Peekskill and Somers.
One of the goals of the Poughkeepsie Innovation District, according to Mayor Robert Rolison is “to draw more employees who work in Poughkeepsie to live in the area and affordable housing like the ones proposed by Kearney help us to achieve that goal”.  The mayor said that if the common council passes the Poughkeepsie Innovation District in a timely fashion, this project could be completed by 2023. 




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