KINGSTON – Demolition of Ulster County’s former three-story jail atop Golden Hill in Kingston will begin at the end of the month, and 164 units, 80 of which will be available as senior housing, will be constructed as affordable housing.
“We know across the country, and especially in Ulster County, housing and rising cost of housing, whether it’s rents going up significantly to the point at all different levels we have essentially declared a housing emergency or crisis in the county,” said County Executive Pat Ryan.
“That’s one of the biggest costs for everyone when they sit down at the table at the end of the day or end of the month.”
The Hudson Valley has always been an expensive housing market, but the pandemic and technology made it worse as people moved here and made it more competitive.
“We need more housing than we currently have in Kingston,” said Mayor Steve Noble.
“We have a lot of housing stock that needs to renovated, but we really need structured housing that folks can afford.”
“We need more for workforce housing. We have a lot of people coming to work here in Kingston but can’t really afford some of these really high rents that are being charged the last couple of years. By creating housing wherever we can, so this former abandoned jail is a great site that will be able to re-use and redevelop,” he said.
The project, which included 84 units for working families, is currently moving through the city planning board for a projected 2024 completion, and Noble said its desperately needed to help with quality-of-life issues.
