Street Closure on Chambers

Broadway Closure

Two weeks ago the city had to clean up 21 and 23 Johnston St which were visibly collapsing for quite a while. The rough winter we had last year really took a toll on the buildings. The clean up cost about $200,000. Now attention is being raised for other buildings in distress like 110-112 Broadway. The owner is not looking to sell, but the building is in serious danger of collapsing. Someone reported bricks falling, and within a few hours the street was closed off.

It’s unclear what the next step will be. Will the owner be forced to make repairs or sell the building to interested parties, like the land bank? Either way, this property is very important for lower Broadway. If it collapses it will just be another empty lot just like a similar one a few feet away. Unfortunately this is a recurring theme in Newburgh. Owners refuse to sell their properties while they continue to deteriorate creating dangerous environments for everyone.

5 Comment

  • Again, you can chalk this up to the Codes Department under the leadership of Mr. Vatter, the chair of the Land Bank board. A few years after I moved here the Washington Market(Caffe Macchiato) building was a shambles from a fire(and insurance company fraud). It was not the owner’s fault that the insurance agent didn’t forward his payment to the insurance company. BUT the city’s building inspector at the time put out a warrant for the owner’s arrest if he stepped foot into our city. Where is the leadership today? That someone privately owns this property and has been allowed to sit on it (also see principals of N4N) without penalty is outrageous! Meanwhile those of us who do the right thing- the normal thing- and keep up our properties are rewarded with higher taxes and petty violations from the building department. Is anyone getting the conflict of interest here yet? Chair of Land Bank is incompetent Code Chief. Codes Chief fails to uphold code violations on worst buildings. Sets up properties to be transferred to Land Bank. If this isn’t corruption it sure quacks like a duck.

  • I don’t know how I feel about this yet. In the one hand it’s nice to see that something is actually happening as a result if a decaying historical structure. In the other hand, why has it been allowed to sit in disrepair for so many years – and why are there so many properties in the same position? The city needs to force property owners to update their properties. Wtf man! I have to do it!
    Also, I’ve been complaining about a falling roof at 290 Liberty for 3 years now – and nothing. Maybe something will happen to it. Franky I hope it falls down already.

  • The taxpayer will subsidize the demolition of vacant properties just as they subsidize(ed) mortgages to those who can’t/couldn’t afford them. “Thank you sir, can I have another…”

    • Meanwhile, there are developers here who took worse shells and made them viable. People like Drew Kartiganer and Timmons/Carney. The city should be looking to these people as examples and extolling them. Hire them as consultants, document how their projects came together, identify grants and tax breaks- create packages for potential developers. We have people in City Hall who make salaries to do this very thing. Where have they been?

      • Drew Kartiganer and Timmons/Carney’s makeovers cost money…. What’s happening in Newburgh is not islolated its going on all over the North East. Newburgh is seeing it a little worse becuase it was already bad before the economy tanked. One reason people are holding on to falling down buildings is that they hope the market will swing up and they can get back more money. I think alot of these people realize they will have to writeoff huge amounts of money but if they wait maybe they can writeoff a little less.