Second review awaits Irish center proposal
The matter, which needs a new approval, will be back before the city Planning Board when it meets Dec. 17. PAGE A3
The proposal for the Irish Cultural Center on Abeel Street in the city’s Rondout district is headed back to the Kingston Planning Board.
A review by the board is scheduled for its Dec. 17 meeting, which starts at 6 p.m. at City Hall, 420 Broadway.
The proposal is undergoing a second review because its original site plan approval expired without the developer getting a building permit.
Excavation at the halfacre site, which overlooks the Rondout Creek, began earlier this year, and neighbors complained the work was causing excessive noise and damage to surrounding properties, including the city-owned Company Hill Path.
The site, at 32 Abeel St., is bordered on two sides by private homes.
In August, the developer was cited by the city engineer for violations at the site, but those violations have been corrected since, according to city officials.
In response to complaints about the excavation, the Common Council adopted changes to the City Code intended to provide more oversight and regulation of such work when it takes place on private property.
The 16,213-square-foot Irish Cultural Center is to include a 171-seat theater on its ground floor, which would be built into the hillside facing West Strand and Company Hill Path; and a restaurant with a pub space, among other amenities.