Kingstonian will breathe new life into our area

Dear Editor:

I am a longtime Kingston resident who supports The Kingstonian and its proposed payment-in-lieu-of-taxes (PILOT) deal.

I urge the Ulster County Industrial Development Agency to allow this transformational endeavor to finally get off the ground.

No taxpayer in Kingston, Ulster County or the Kingston school district will pay any additional taxes as a result of this project. If it’s allowed, these municipalities will actually benefit from the PILOT plan because currently, the property in question does not generate any tax relief for any of us.

The Kingstonian could very well be our last hurrah for this property, which is neither aesthetically appealing nor useful to any of us.

I have lived in Kingston for years and can clearly remember a prosperous community when IBM brought thousands of jobs, and there was new housing, new commercial construction and new opportunities. I also remember what happened when IBM left. There were tumbleweeds on Wall Street in Kingston.

If approved, The Kingstonian will breathe new life into many area communities. It will offer construction work to many; it will bring new retail and restaurant opportunities; it will enhance the arts; it will be inviting to visitors; it will provide housing and parking.

This project can be a sink-or-swim situation for Kingston and the surrounding area.

IDA, please allow this project to move forward.

Julie Donovan

Kingston