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RateVillage trustees OK concept for downtown revitalization
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| An artist's rendering of Catskill bordered by Main Street; Bridge Street; Bronson Street and the Catskill Street with possible future docks; retail spaces and parking areas identified. Susan Campriello.Hudson-Catskill Newspapers |
Plan, expected to take years to complete, could attract hotels and new shops
By Susan Campriello
Hudson-Catskill Newspapers
CATSKILL — The Catskill Village Board approved a concept plan for the Catskill Downtown and Waterfront Revitalization Strategy Tuesday evening, heralding the plan as a continuation of improvements in the Village.
The plan, which will take years to see through and is still subject to change, could bring in several lodging options, a museum featuring local history as well as shops.
The plan also calls for a revision of Hop-O-Nose and businesses along Bridge Street and West Main Street.
Each target area included in the plan has several different redevelopment options.
Other possibilities for Catskill under the plan include bringing to Spirit of the Hudson to dock on the Catskill Creek, opening a satellite campus of Columbia-Greene Community College and the creation of a trolley or bus service that would link locations in downtown Catskill with outlying areas.
Catskill Village President Vincent Seeley told representatives of Elan Planning and Design, who gave a presentation of the concept plan Tuesday, and the Village Board that the plan showed a continuation of the various safety and infrastructure improvements made in Catskill during the last few years by advertising the Village’s waterfront and historical assets.
“This takes us up to the next level,” he said.
Elan based their concept plan on feedback on what Catskill needs from business owners, residents and county government staff.
The firm worked with with municipal partners, the Greene County Industrial Development Corporation, the Heart of Catskill Association and a combination of business owners and residents.
The firm believes the market for Catskill will come from the Town and Village of Catskill, communities surrounding Catskill, such as Athens and Cairo, and an area of New York that includes Greene County and parts of Albany, Columbia, Delaware, Schoharie and Ulster counties.
According to the draft plan Elan comprised, hospitality or lodging could fit into a number of Catskill neighborhoods including at the Hop-O-Nose Marina or on Main Street, along West Main Street or at Cone-E Island or at Hop-O-Nose. The firm’s Lisa Nagle said redevelopment of Hop-O-Nose, which could include a basketball court or other play areas, would have to be made within U.S. Department Housing and Urban Development guidelines.
Under the plan, trees could be planted along lower Main Street and benches could be installed along the shopping district. Sidewalks would be fixed, curbs cut to allow handicapped accessibility and individual parking meters replaced by single-location metering stations, similar to that in the municipal parking lot at Willard’s Alley.
The plan suggests that the St. Patrick’s Academy, which currently houses the Greene County Courthouse while the courthouse building on Main Street undergoes renovation, could serve as a museum, as could a building on the creekside Dunn property, used by the Herrington’s Lumber, Millwork and Building Supply.
That property could include shops, docks for tour boats and greenspace.
Across for Cone-E Island, the building housing Mountain T-Shirts could become a cafe or beer garden, according to the plan.
A parking structure could be built on the location of Candyman Chocolates, on Bridge Street, or on an adjacent lot with new buildings fronting on Bridge Street.
Elan’s Lisa Nagel and the board agreed that owners of private property and businesses that are targeted as areas for revitalization will have to agree to any changes to their properties. The private sector would have to support the finalized plan, they said.
Seeley said the IDA could take options to buy properties. Property owners could use the plan to design future business expansions.
Nagel said involvement of municipal, private and business entities already in the concept development process shows Catskill has a commitment to building on its assets.
“It is kind of a two-way street and a lot of this plan does fall on private investment,” she said.
Trustee Angelo Amato asked how the Village could mandate that new buildings fit with the Village’s historic look and feel.
Nagel suggested that the Village could present potential business owners with guidelines of how new buildings could look or what services the Village hopes to attract.
Trustee Patrick McCulloch said he did not want adoption of any plan to force private business or property owners to modify their properties.
Trustee James Chewens said the Village’s Department of Public Works staff would need to make infrastructure changes to prepare for the plan elements as they come.
Chewens agreed with business owners in the audience who said that the business community would have to support the plan if it was to work in Catskill.
“It is going to take a lot of money, it is going to take a lot of time,” he said.
Nagel said bringing businesses together would be the next step in the plan’s development. She said the plan set forth ideas of what the Village could do in the future. She said the plan was sensitive to Catskill’s financial situation and current tax rates.
“What we tried to do is design realistically to that some improvements can be made,” she said, adding that adoption of the plan would be an approval of the idea that Catskill has a direction for the future within the vision of the plan.
Nagel said Elan was in the process of applying for a matching County grant that would help fund further research into Catskill’s needs in order to fine-tune the plan.
Greene County Legislator Keith Valentine, R-Catskill, said the county could possibly cover all the costs of a further study. He said the study would be the step between the concept plan, in front of the board, and an implementation and construction plan.
McCulloch, Chewans, Trustee Joseph Kozloski and Seeley voted to approve the concept. Amato, who owns Candyman Chocolates, abstained.
To contact Susan Campriello, call (518) 943-2100, ext. 3333, or e-mail scampriello@thedailymail.net. To comment on this story, visit www.thedailymail.net.
The plan, which will take years to see through and is still subject to change, could bring in several lodging options, a museum featuring local history as well as shops.
The plan also calls for a revision of Hop-O-Nose and businesses along Bridge Street and West Main Street.
Each target area included in the plan has several different redevelopment options.
Other possibilities for Catskill under the plan include bringing to Spirit of the Hudson to dock on the Catskill Creek, opening a satellite campus of Columbia-Greene Community College and the creation of a trolley or bus service that would link locations in downtown Catskill with outlying areas.
Catskill Village President Vincent Seeley told representatives of Elan Planning and Design, who gave a presentation of the concept plan Tuesday, and the Village Board that the plan showed a continuation of the various safety and infrastructure improvements made in Catskill during the last few years by advertising the Village’s waterfront and historical assets.
“This takes us up to the next level,” he said.
Elan based their concept plan on feedback on what Catskill needs from business owners, residents and county government staff.
The firm worked with with municipal partners, the Greene County Industrial Development Corporation, the Heart of Catskill Association and a combination of business owners and residents.
The firm believes the market for Catskill will come from the Town and Village of Catskill, communities surrounding Catskill, such as Athens and Cairo, and an area of New York that includes Greene County and parts of Albany, Columbia, Delaware, Schoharie and Ulster counties.
According to the draft plan Elan comprised, hospitality or lodging could fit into a number of Catskill neighborhoods including at the Hop-O-Nose Marina or on Main Street, along West Main Street or at Cone-E Island or at Hop-O-Nose. The firm’s Lisa Nagle said redevelopment of Hop-O-Nose, which could include a basketball court or other play areas, would have to be made within U.S. Department Housing and Urban Development guidelines.
Under the plan, trees could be planted along lower Main Street and benches could be installed along the shopping district. Sidewalks would be fixed, curbs cut to allow handicapped accessibility and individual parking meters replaced by single-location metering stations, similar to that in the municipal parking lot at Willard’s Alley.
The plan suggests that the St. Patrick’s Academy, which currently houses the Greene County Courthouse while the courthouse building on Main Street undergoes renovation, could serve as a museum, as could a building on the creekside Dunn property, used by the Herrington’s Lumber, Millwork and Building Supply.
That property could include shops, docks for tour boats and greenspace.
Across for Cone-E Island, the building housing Mountain T-Shirts could become a cafe or beer garden, according to the plan.
A parking structure could be built on the location of Candyman Chocolates, on Bridge Street, or on an adjacent lot with new buildings fronting on Bridge Street.
Elan’s Lisa Nagel and the board agreed that owners of private property and businesses that are targeted as areas for revitalization will have to agree to any changes to their properties. The private sector would have to support the finalized plan, they said.
Seeley said the IDA could take options to buy properties. Property owners could use the plan to design future business expansions.
Nagel said involvement of municipal, private and business entities already in the concept development process shows Catskill has a commitment to building on its assets.
“It is kind of a two-way street and a lot of this plan does fall on private investment,” she said.
Trustee Angelo Amato asked how the Village could mandate that new buildings fit with the Village’s historic look and feel.
Nagel suggested that the Village could present potential business owners with guidelines of how new buildings could look or what services the Village hopes to attract.
Trustee Patrick McCulloch said he did not want adoption of any plan to force private business or property owners to modify their properties.
Trustee James Chewens said the Village’s Department of Public Works staff would need to make infrastructure changes to prepare for the plan elements as they come.
Chewens agreed with business owners in the audience who said that the business community would have to support the plan if it was to work in Catskill.
“It is going to take a lot of money, it is going to take a lot of time,” he said.
Nagel said bringing businesses together would be the next step in the plan’s development. She said the plan set forth ideas of what the Village could do in the future. She said the plan was sensitive to Catskill’s financial situation and current tax rates.
“What we tried to do is design realistically to that some improvements can be made,” she said, adding that adoption of the plan would be an approval of the idea that Catskill has a direction for the future within the vision of the plan.
Nagel said Elan was in the process of applying for a matching County grant that would help fund further research into Catskill’s needs in order to fine-tune the plan.
Greene County Legislator Keith Valentine, R-Catskill, said the county could possibly cover all the costs of a further study. He said the study would be the step between the concept plan, in front of the board, and an implementation and construction plan.
McCulloch, Chewans, Trustee Joseph Kozloski and Seeley voted to approve the concept. Amato, who owns Candyman Chocolates, abstained.
To contact Susan Campriello, call (518) 943-2100, ext. 3333, or e-mail scampriello@thedailymail.net. To comment on this story, visit www.thedailymail.net.
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Reader Comments
The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of thedailymail.net.
ExGreeneLander wrote on Sep 9, 2009 10:26 AM:
" Once again, Catskill's Village Board is reaching toward Utopia. Before the taxpayers back such a plan - which will, even by Mr. Seeley's "ambitious" accounting, end up costing the public money - a look at the roster of development in Catskill is in order:
- Union Mills: still mostly empty.
- Water's Edge: took years to sell off, with many units selling far below market value.
- Harbor Lights Restaurant: gone to make way for condos and parking.
- Bridge Street revitalization: net gain of a couple of storefronts, no real beautification of the property.
- Proposed new Urgent Care facility: approved and hustled through before any other doctor could bid on it. "Coming soon."
- Catskill Commons: plan was a success...except for the traffic mess on 9W, as well as the flooding and lighting concerns that Landon Avenue residents had to endure.
- Irving School Condos: despite a gift of land of the village and a giveaway price from the town, the builder is now bankrupt, none of the condos were purchased, and the building sits vacant.
- Grandview Avenue School: historic school was levelled to become...another drugstore.
Now, this team of trustees and economic development specialists wants to rehab an entire section of waterfront, potentially displacing an entire community of people whose homes are actually nicer than in some areas of the Village. Business owners will be given the "option" to participate - but we all know what the other side of that option is, a lovely concept called eminent domain.
The Village Board needs to fix what's wrong with Catskill before they undertake projects like this. There is still a significant amount of infrastructure work to be done, and they might consider attracting some business to fill in all the empty building space. Pouring money into the creekfront will be an empty endeavor.
Concepts like Second Saturday are great if you're a retail business owner on Main Street, but a waste of taxpayer money if you're not. It's time this board returned to basics. "
- Union Mills: still mostly empty.
- Water's Edge: took years to sell off, with many units selling far below market value.
- Harbor Lights Restaurant: gone to make way for condos and parking.
- Bridge Street revitalization: net gain of a couple of storefronts, no real beautification of the property.
- Proposed new Urgent Care facility: approved and hustled through before any other doctor could bid on it. "Coming soon."
- Catskill Commons: plan was a success...except for the traffic mess on 9W, as well as the flooding and lighting concerns that Landon Avenue residents had to endure.
- Irving School Condos: despite a gift of land of the village and a giveaway price from the town, the builder is now bankrupt, none of the condos were purchased, and the building sits vacant.
- Grandview Avenue School: historic school was levelled to become...another drugstore.
Now, this team of trustees and economic development specialists wants to rehab an entire section of waterfront, potentially displacing an entire community of people whose homes are actually nicer than in some areas of the Village. Business owners will be given the "option" to participate - but we all know what the other side of that option is, a lovely concept called eminent domain.
The Village Board needs to fix what's wrong with Catskill before they undertake projects like this. There is still a significant amount of infrastructure work to be done, and they might consider attracting some business to fill in all the empty building space. Pouring money into the creekfront will be an empty endeavor.
Concepts like Second Saturday are great if you're a retail business owner on Main Street, but a waste of taxpayer money if you're not. It's time this board returned to basics. "
Joe The Real wrote on Sep 10, 2009 4:19 PM:
" The comments registered here are understandable. The Daily Mail should have gotten a PDF or gif link of the proposed redrawn map, because the parallax view of the photographed map is useless.
The plan being proposed is too vague on details timing and cost to properly evaluate. But, one issue is obvious for Village business development regardless of what is decided upon, better parking access, and traffic control are key to the success of any effort.
I am not sure what 'desirable housing' displacement Ex-Greenlander is talking about. As for moving Section 8 housing out of Catskill to Cairo? - I don't see that in the mix here at all. But, I do agree that tax assessment reform is long overdue and that property that multiplies density and service demand by converting single family housing into multi-unit rentals via Section 8 should be taxed at a rate that discourages their owners from placing a disproportionate load on the service infrastructure to feed their own greed for profit. "
The plan being proposed is too vague on details timing and cost to properly evaluate. But, one issue is obvious for Village business development regardless of what is decided upon, better parking access, and traffic control are key to the success of any effort.
I am not sure what 'desirable housing' displacement Ex-Greenlander is talking about. As for moving Section 8 housing out of Catskill to Cairo? - I don't see that in the mix here at all. But, I do agree that tax assessment reform is long overdue and that property that multiplies density and service demand by converting single family housing into multi-unit rentals via Section 8 should be taxed at a rate that discourages their owners from placing a disproportionate load on the service infrastructure to feed their own greed for profit. "
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Let's Play Hardball wrote on Sep 9, 2009 7:27 AM:
One can't help but notice how those details have been skipped over. For sure those involved will say the details have yet to be worked out, but it's not the finer details that we need right now. No, it's the big picture that needs defining.
For a couple of years now, the folks in Cairo have heard the rumblings of a plan to move the Hop-O-Nose apartments to Cairo. Since, we can't get the facts from the DM, it appears that the folks in Cairo had better begin attending boards meetings in both Catskill and Cairo or Cairo will become the proud owner of a huge section 8 housing complex, or as some of us like to refer to it: the last nail in the coffin. "