KINGSTON – The Kingstonian project has passed another hurdle in it ongoing application process, Monday evening, at the Kingston Planning Board’s regular meeting, receiving a negative declaration of environmental impact following the state’s SEQR process.
Passing with a negative environmental declaration is necessary to continue towards awarding a special permit for the project.
The Kingstonian project would include a 420 car garage, 143 apartments, including those qualifying as affordable housing, 32 hotel rooms and 8,000 square feet of retail space.
Kingston Planning Board Chairman Wayne Platt Jr. said the Kingstonian developers have been amicable to making various compromises regarding a number of concerns with the project and as far as environmental-related studies requested of them have gone, they have been satisfactory.
“We’ve had 18 meetings on this project,” said Platt Jr. “The applicants have been directed to undertake a number of studies for the project, these studies are also listed in the negative declaration. I think they’ve addressed all of those studies to my satisfaction,” he said.
In addition to meeting the board’s requirements for various studies, the board also acknowledged the developer’s compliance with the Uptown business community’s approval, keeping the industrial aesthetic of the area, maintaining the historic look of the building, including affordable housing of their own volition and meeting scenic view requirements.
Kingstonian Development LLC representative Brad Jordan said there is still a large portion of the permitting process going forward, but they have been happy with the way it has proceeded thus far.
“The process is working. The project has gotten better through that I think and we’ve taken input from the various boards that we’ve gone in front of, so we’ll see,” said Jordan. “Now, we’re anxious to get going and now we’re able to do that,” he said.
Kingstonian Development LLC will still have to meet before the city’s zoning board and common council, which will begin in 2020.
