KINGSTON, N.Y. – Romeo Kia on Wednesday asked the Ulster County Industrial Development Agency to press County Executive Pat Ryan to sign off on tax breaks for the dealership’s expansion.
The request was made during a video conference meeting, with dealership attorney Lucia Romeo saying the delay has kept work from beginning and may risk the project entirely because of time limits involving an eagle’s nest on the property.
“We’re pretty much stuck in limbo,” she said.
On May 19, agency board members granted approval of $1.17 million in tax breaks related to the construction of a 20,000-square-foot showroom on 4.7 acres at 1670 Ulster Ave. in the town of Ulster.
“The legal language says that the Executive needs to confirm (the agency) decision,” Romeo said.
“I can’t get a response from the County Executive’s office,” she said. “I can’t get a call back. I can’t get a response to my letters. I can’t get a text. I can’t get any reason why he’s not confirming our project.”
Romeo plans to move its Kia dealership from 111 Schwenk Drive in Kingston to the new site, which it has been using for outdoor storage of vehicles from the Romeo Chevrolet dealership across the street.
Romeo Kia was ordered by the town of Ulster to hold off construction pending state Department of Environmental Conservation approval involving a bald eagles’ nest on the property. The nest is about 550 feet from the site of the planned showroom but the trees along the eastern edge of the property, including next to the construction area, are used as perch locations for the eagles.
The dealership was told on Aug. 12 it could begin construction after two eaglets had fully fledged the nest, with work limited to the period through the end of the year.
“We went through everything we need to go through with the DEC for the eagles,” Romeo said.
“We were given a finite period of time in which we could do noise-generating construction,” she said. “If we don’t do that by that point, we have to start all over, pay another biologist to observe the site, and keep our fingers crossed next year that the eagles leave early.”
Romeo said the project is expected to result in 18 new jobs and generate $37 million in tax revenue over the 15-year payment-in-lieu-of-taxes agreement.
Assistant Deputy County Executive Dan Torres said on Wednesday that “County Executive Pat Ryan is continuing a conversation with the IDA regarding both the KIA project PILOT and IDA procedures and policy.” Questions about the delay were not answered.
The agency Chief Executive Officer, Rose Woodworth, said no policy discussion is occurring as it relates to the KIA project.
