Kingston Forward Rezoning Hears Public Comments

By Miranda Reale

KINGSTON – Kingston Forward’s citywide rezoning initiative continues to plan for future improvements in the city. A virtual public scoping session took place last Thursday, April 21 to address the zoning code’s potentially significant environmental impacts and allowed for residents of Kingston to express concerns and comments. Of the public feedback provided most were surprisingly wary of the current state of planning and the potential threats that come along with rezoning the city.

The focus of the public forum was to build on prior meetings held last fall that initiated the process of design and started the work of community engagement. In February of this year, public outreach was initiated by online surveys and walking tours that explained Kingston Forward’s mission to improve the city’s infrastructure. Since last fall, the creation of a first draft of code has been finalized and is projected to be completed next month.

Meeting to obtain public input for establishing the final outline of the contents of a Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statements (DGEIS), some property owners expressed concern about adherence to new codes, asking questions pertaining to the roles of oversight responsibilities. “Growth without appropriate oversight will no doubt change the character of this historic city. Regulation need not be onerous. Modifications to our code may be needed, but a deliberate abandonment of many regulations may be an overreach. The decision to change our existing approach to development will have far reaching impacts going forward,” one resident of Kingston said.

Outreach and publicity of the project also caused concern for some residents. “Folks should not have to hunt various websites for information. I can see how discouraging this can be. I strongly suggest that a direct mailing should be made for residents and property owners so that we are all well informed and up to date.”

One impassioned business owner in Uptown Kingston asked that the city adjourn the hearing until the city releases the draft zoning due to the lack of transparency involved in the project’s pace. “It is impossible to make educated comments on the adequacy of the zoning document until we understand the breadth of the zoning changes. As just one example, how can we evaluate and comment on potential alternatives to the proposed changes without understanding the changes themselves. In its rush to complete the zoning the city is prematurely starting the SEQRA process (NYS Environmental Quality Review Act). The city must extend the public comment period to at least two weeks after the draft zoning amendments have been released to allow all interested persons the opportunity to review and formulate comments.”

The final comment to end last Thursday’s Kingston Forward public session was made from a gallery owner on the Kingston Rondout who may be theoretically excited, but does not quite believe the validity of the project’s final vision. “It’s exciting, but it’s also very, very theoretic in my eyes,” he said.