Plans to Possibly Make Newburgh a Port City

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Today a Mid-Hudson News article revealed plans to launch a project to possibly make Newburgh a port city. If this were to happen, one of the ports primary functions would be to load off steel coming from the Tappan Zee Bridge remodel. Talk is even beginning to bring cruise liners into the port as well.

This could make Newburgh a destination and increase tourism. What do you all think about making Newburgh a deep sea port? Don’t forget Newburgh used to be a bustling ship building port during WWI.

-Photo by Jillian Elder, Victory Designs

 

24 Comment

  • Why is every other entity besides the residents of the city deciding the fate of the city, and why is the best idea a port for leftover steel and ships carrying gamblers on a bus to the Catskills? Am I completely misunderstanding the little news article. I guess I would need more information before deciding whether this was a good idea or not.

    How would noisy cruise liners and through traffic affect the peace of the homeowners and businesses in the waterfront area? What about the marinas? and the Kayakers? Effects on the water quality?

    Perhaps the people in the city would like to hear more about this concept? I hope the council is taking it under deeper consideration..

    • Hannah,
      For years I’ve read that the death of the waterfront was one of the main factors in Newburgh’s downfall. Revival of the waterfront is therefore critical to the City’s future and here you have an offer for a deep sea port which can also be used for other things in the future. I think it’s a good thing given the paucity of ideas from the City and the lack of development here for decades.

      I do agree with you that the city and the residents need more information and involvement in any decision.

      Hannah, you don’t seem to want “noisy cruise liners”, traffic, etc yet this is exactly what old Newburgh had back in its heyday. I sense you are also against the city taxing and fining homeowners to death (we agree on this one). So where does the money come from Hannah? How exactly do you envision the city of Newburgh? Quaint streets, lovely signs, “walkable streets” , no traffic, no noise, no ships? How do we get there without proven revenue sources such as transportation hubs, waterfronts, and what comes with it? Thanks

      Peter

      • We cooperate…..

        • Vague. I’m beginning to think there is a militancy in Newburgh that will harness any future development. I’m researching what Michael mentioned below.

          • Peter-

            Those ‘old’ Brooklyn brownstones that were left to rot (in favor of disposable sheetrock and plastic deveopments that leak as soon as they’re built) are now worth multiple millions because a few wise people realized they just weren’t building ’em like that anymore…

            And is there even one day you have looked at the Hudson from the precious vantage points in Newburgh and not recognized its still perfection?.. “th’ inaudible and noiseless foot of time” (Shakespeare)?

            Newburgh as a ‘stop’ on the way to a casino? Is it not okay to say that might not be everybody’s vision?

  • History is repeating. Alchemy Group. Ignorance is no excuse.

  • The City Council’s lack of disclosure on the project is expected. However, having been following the bridge
    project from early on, I can say the Newburgh Port has been a consideration from early on. I consider the location to be ideal given the relevant infrastructure and view the project as an opportunity the city can capitalize on. A sea port of this nature can vitalize a region not just the local community from where it is based. With consideration, check out this link and scan through the Port Commerce sections of the many ports listed.
    http://www.worldportsource.com/ports/USA_NY_Port_of_Newburgh_3790.php
    Peace all… broad mindedness, critical thinking and shared thoughts with your neighbors is the means to progress.

    • Broad mindedness. Yes, again past history usual proves if the CC is asked for support without the full details something is fishy. That they would vote to support this project at this point in the game proves their incompetency (or that they’ve been promised something for their own pockets.) It’s not to be expected or permitted. These kinds of plans don’t appear out of thin air. Notice who the spokesperson is, notice the quotes by Larkin. Read between the lines.

      • Obviously my comment was misinterpreted, I’ll clarify. Expectations often do not run parrallel with idealistic obligations. The project was questioned at the last CC meeting and it was blatantly dismissed. Based on my previous observations of past CC conduct, I expected it. Of course this fishy conduct should not have been permitted. Did you really expect Chairman Brown to steal the limelight from Senator Larkin ? As I stated, I was aware of these plans early on solely through my interest in such engineering/architectural projects. So yes, you are correct, the plans did not appear out of thin air and Newburgh is not the sole consideration.
        As per the possible detrimental environmental and cultural costs, the consequential implications should be addressed now in order to mitigate them. E-mail your political representatives, attend the meetings, in the least make it known to them that you are paying attention and you have an opinion. My closing comment was prescribed to those of us outside of the political sector, aka the public. It’s politics, kabuki theater, smoke and mirrors designed to daze and confuse and dumb down the public. Your dependence on the ‘Machine” is their control. Indeed, I read between the lines.

    • Thanks, Walt, for the considered response. Certainly, there is something the city can capitalize on, and of course, the port is a valuable one for its depth and location. It could revitalize the area, yes.

      The waterfront has undergone a not insignificant transformation due to the hard work and vision of many. We have destination clubs and restaurants, a marina that attracts visitors and cultural outlets.

      At the cost of 2mil, a large section of the waterfront has been cleaned, after years of pollution, neglect, and outright lack of consideration for ones fellow.

      No one is arguing that commercial development and attracting more visitors and residents is necessary. Boatloads of money is certainly something we could use…But at what cost?

  • Hannah,
    I’m replying to your earlier post. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Using the port of Newburgh as a ‘stop’ to get to a Catskills casino may not be ideal but it is a start because it connects the port to the city by means of the Hudson. Consider the following possibilities:

    a) Foreign and other tourists coming from NYC via the Hudson to Newburgh for tours of Washinton’s headquarters, Karpeles Museum, and other areas in the Hudson valley. Think of what that can do for the waterfront areas and your local economy. The Seastreak ferry already conducts fall tours to West Point, Cold Spring Harbor etc. Those areas do not match Newburgh in terms of history and beauty so think of the potential. Think of the cottage industries that can spring up in Newburgh from this.

    b) Ex Mayor Bloomberg managed to connect Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens by the NY Waterway ferry. Ridership more than doubled expectations and formerly remote areas in Williamsburg, Greenpoint etc became hot spots for urban living, easily connected by Ferry.

    Hannah, do you have any idea of the amount of Wall Street and other high earning folks who commute via the Seastreak ferry into Midtown 39th St, Paulus Hook (Wall Street West), World Financial etc from remote areas in NJ like the Highlands/Belford etc? Why not a route from the port of Newburgh for Orange County, beacon residents?

    This just scratches the surface of what can be done when you have a deep water port and a little vision.

    I’m not a fan of urban renewal. I think it was absurd. And I think building a sewer plant is nuts. What I am in favor of is developing a local economy in Newburgh and connecting it to NYC. What one really needs to be concerned with in this present idea for the steel shipping is the transparency. Not the kayakers, not the steel, not the quietness of the river being interrupted but the transparency of the CC.

    I was going to approach someone to discuss the possibilities of a and b above but decided not to. Could be a waste of time because it’s quite possible that ANY cost to some in Newburgh is unacceptable. If interrupting the lives of a few kayakers is too much of a cost for them then there is truly no hope. If merely picking a few folks up at the seaport and driving them to casinos in the CATSKILLS bothers their quietness and solitude then they have no appetite for commerce in Newburgh. So quietly accept the 700 abandoned homes and current state of affairs and take solace in the quietness of the Hudson and the peace and quiet.

    • Peter–We’re working on establishing community in Newburgh, attracting residents and small businesses and manufacturers, restoring properties and getting the basics done. We’re not ready to receive tourists in droves, but while everyone talks of the multimillion dollar dreams, people are already working on rebuilding sections of the city, like the Bway/Liberty sections.

      We’ve also wanted simple things you mention, like Newburgh Beacon ferry service 7 days a week, which, by the way, is subsidized to the tune of about 15-16. for each 1.50 ride. I don’t know whether a ferry from Newburgh to Manhattan is even feasible. I can’t imagine someone more knowledgable hasn’t already investigated. The train already goes to midtown…A boat would be less likely a commuter vessel, and, if anything a dayliner…

      In any case, perhaps the plans will work out. Certainly the machine is slowly heading in that direction….we can only hope it works out…http://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/2014/February/01/PortNewburgh-01Feb14.html

      I’ve only been here fulltime for 5 years…this is nothing compared with NYC in the 70s….we’ll manage!

      • WAKE UP. What they are talking about is installing big refueling tanks in Newburgh that no one else wants before anyone notices and also building out the marina to take larger vessels which does NOTHING for the city or jobs etc. During the 80’s the same thing was proposed for Hoboken. and they took down some of the tanks and moved them from Edgewater NJ up river. Don’t fall for it. This is only about greed. Focus on stopping the bomb trains as Newburgh is being targeted for being the transfer station from the trains out to the barges for the freight along the waterfront. It is clear as day.Newburgh got the BAD train–the passenger train is on the other side. That CSX freight track should be removed and a light rail should be put in instead to service Orange County needs.

  • I just came across this on twitter and it may help provide more information on the potential port project.

    Worth watching the presentation. It helps to have both sides of the situation so intelligent discussion about the pros and cons can be had..

    http://hudsonvalley.news12.com/news/company-plans-to-rebuild-port-of-newburgh-1.6918104

  • It looks like those involved got CONSENSUS..

    Hmm…maybe this could work out well..if approached with thoughtfulness. Thank you Mr Maloney for making this larger document available.

    http://seanmaloney.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/bipartisan-federal-state-and-local-leaders-commend-first-step-in

    • You know Hannah, I don’t have multimillion dollar dreams. Local jobs, a local economy, local businesses, a broadened tax base and transportation is what I’ve been advocating for. I’m pleased to see the bi partisan effort and the comments of the folks in the article.

      Now, I do not know the local politics up there as well as you guys do and hope the politicians are at least trying to do right for the city, putting self interest aside. This can be a very good thing if what is said above is true. Thanks for the article. Now you’ll hear a lot less from me.

      Peter

  • Newburgh is a slum and will always be a slum. It lacks the sociological and sort of physiological “guts” of a Brooklyn or a Beacon. There is little inherently beneficial about living in Newburgh. And the nail in the coffin is there isn’t anywhere else for the multitudes of Lowlifes who haunt the city to go nor do they have the means to do so if there were. Newburgh is no Harlem of the 1980’s – separated by one yellow line in the street from big, bad Manhattan. No; Newburgh is an island of despair, disgust, danger and the center of the universe for the downtrodden in this region. Newburgh will never ascend ala Brooklyn, Harlem, Beacon and so forth. Dream on young lemmings, dream on…

    • I actually think that slum theme post is really dumb.

      Many of us saw some complete desperate NYC area slum/neighborhoods come back from the dead.In Hoboken, people at work in Queens used to laugh at me and ask why couldn’t I afford to live in a “nice” neighborhood like Secaucus. The first night there, we had a few dead cocks in the gutter right outside our front door, people were getting arsoned out of their buildings, the FBI was there investigating the mayor.
      We inherited an apartment in NYC at East 96th St but sold it because we could simply not imagine ourselves living so far uptown in that slummy ghetto= EVER! (In fact N’s grandmother who lived there died after being beaten by muggers in Central Park).Soho was a dangerous fire trap where stray dogs roamed. Brooklyn had a severe car theft problem and Riverside Drive was a No Man’s Land. And so things have moved upriver and will keep coming this way.

      There is International Demand and population growth for NY real estate–Did you know that foreigners can buy their way into the USA with a mere $500,000 investment? And when they get here, they need abodes. And there are more coming every day.

      The Megacity will stretch all the way from the Westside to Albany and out into Conn and fill-in NJ and LongIsland before we are through with not a vacant spot. City of Newburgh has the intrinsic beauty and lowrise charm that distinguish it as a European style city and it has a waterfront that is unique. Time for a vision of the City that says “World Class” waterfront site for a built enviroment that develops a beautiful community not just a dumping ground for industrial stuff because—— it will be that if further junk is not stopped.

      • NJP, you should see Long Island City in Queens now. The former abandoned factory area which was filled with prostitution, crack heads and killings is now a high rise luxury area, approximately $1200 per sq ft. Citibank, Jet Blue etc has offices there. As in most NYC boros people are forced out of apartments because of the rents. This includes E 96th by the way. I really don’t know where these folks are coming from who can pay these rents and $12 for 2 pieces of raw fish.

        Yogi does have a point about what he refers to as the “multitudes of lowlifes”. One can only hope that there is significant enough demand for houses in Newburgh where the slumlords can cash out and a better quality of folks buy those homes and either occupy them or refuse to rent to drug dealers. However, there are 700 abandoned buildings that need to go first before that happens.

        Then there is the issue of developing the local economy, perhaps by manufacturing which is returning to the US. I’ve shared my thoughts before and will not repeat. Of note are the challenges that Walt often writes about regarding the collapsing infrastructure and the muncipal debt. No one is even thinking of that ticking time bomb.

        Peter

  • Any similarity between Beacon and Brooklyn ends at about the half way point on the former’s Main Street. “Multitudes of Lowlifes…”, it’s by design and continues to be so. Immigration amnesty, a new Newburgh Immigration Center and new High Density Zoning changes. Connect the dots. So much for that “low rise charm”, (unless of course you’re an author of the ‘Plan’ and happen to live in the Heights where the vacant prime ‘river view’ real estate is designated to be “park space”) you think the north and south points in and out of the ‘Burgh are congested now ? “Industrial stuff” is the least to worry about being dumped on Newburgh. The long and short term trends show that manufacturing in the U.S. is still declining. The positive gdp figures of the recent quarters was fueled by consumer healthcare spending. Opiate “manufacturing”? As per who is buying NYC real estate and why…the NAR is exempt from AML regulation compliance (don’t ask don’t tell). So, back to that collapsing infrastructure and muni-debt. The answer…more debt…more taxes…hence more high density housing. It’s all about the ‘flow’. If it’s any consolation..we be getting a park by the river. Enjoy the view.

    • You may be right about the “multitude of lowlifes” being by design. After 10+ years I finally accept they really don’t want to change that. You believe in the Austrian economic model so I don’t have to convince you that the USD will collapse and the US standard of living will crater. It will be cheaper to manufacture here than in the East. Oh, and we speak English (for now at least). We will become the new servant class to our masters the Chinese and Euros who are buying the $55-90 MILLION dollar apts in E 57th street.

      My tenants have a river view. I was hoping it would be mine in another 10+ years and I can place a rocker on the porch. Looks like if it happens I’ll be sitting there in the dark as the infrastructure collapses. Electricity already goes out on the block and the tenants bought a generator.

  • Ditto on the generator (diesel, it keeps longer)…and a wood insert. Job security for CH…talk to those guys if you want to be enlightened about the ‘third world’ condition of the ‘Burgh’s infrastructure. I’m looking past the EurAsian thingy. Go long robotics and its related fields as it’s already making huge in-roads under the radar. “Open the pod bay doors, Hal”.