Potential developers of jail site not ID’d yet
Members of a special development corporation formed by Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan to handle the sale of the former county jail met behind closed doors Thursday to discuss proposals from five still-unidentified developers interested in creating workforce and affordable housing at the Golden Hill site.
The Housing Development Corp. said the executive session was in keeping with state law that allows bodies to meet behind closed doors to discuss, among other things “the proposed acquisition, sale or lease of real property or the proposed acquisition of securities, or sale or exchange of securities held by such public body, but only when publicity would substantially affect the value thereof.” One member, who did not identify himself and could not be seen on the Zoom broadcast of the meeting, said that “any kind of publicity” about the proposals submitted “could affect the value of the property.”
The decision to withhold all information about the potential buyers of the property is a marked departure from the process the county used in 2012 when it sold the former countyowned nursing home to a private developer.
In that instance, the local development corporation released the names of the developers that submitted proposals but withheld the details of each proposal.
Additionally, according to opinions by the state Committee on Open Government, requests for proposals are covered by the state Freedom of Information Law. The opinions note an agency can withhold trade secrets or information that would impair a “present or imminent contract award” but cautioned that courts have ruled that to have a narrow meaning.
Ryan has made creating affordable and workforce housing a priority of his administration, saying one in four Ulster County residents lives paycheck to paycheck and struggles to find adequate affordable housing.
The Golden Hill site was identified as one that no longer serves a county purpose and could be redeveloped for workforce and affordable housing. County officials have said 7 to 10 acres of the 15-acre site are suitable for development.
The county sought proposals for projects that would provide housing opportunities for a range of income and generation levels, including low-income, workforce and supportive housing; and would include support and recreation amenities for residents, as well as commercial space and community programming. The county also said any development should ensure easy access to public transportation and include pedestrian and bicycle connections; take into consideration the property’s views of the Catskills; and meet the county’s Green New Deal goals.
Ryan has said the proposals submitted call for proj
ects ranging from 100 to 200 apartments with a mix of housing components, including workforce housing, senior housing and, in some instances, subsidized housing. He said that some of the proposals include supportive and community services at the site.
Efforts to find other uses for the property began nearly five years before the last inmate left the former jail in February 2007. Demolition of the 50-year-old building, which measures about 53,000 square feet, is listed in the county capital plan at $997,920, though all proposals submitted included demolition.
Ryan has said he hopes a developer for the site can be chosen by October.