Newburgh Land Bank Unveils Neighborhood Revitalization Plan

Newburgh Land Bank Rendering

At the recent press conference held on Friday in front of 28 Lander Street, the Newburgh Land Bank and state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced 25 homes that will be targeted for rehabilitation and an additional $20 million dollar grant to be awarded to NY land banks in October. Properties bounded by Broadway, First, Liberty Street and Dubois Street  are a part of the revitalization plan. One of the buildings on Lander Street will be developed into workforce housing creating 20 rental units.  The land bank also will create single family homes and opportunities for homeownership.

The rendering above was created by the Newburgh Land Bank’s new project manager especially for the press conference. It is only a concept, not an actual plan.

5 Comment

  • “The land bank also will create single family homes and opportunities for homeownership.”

    There was a time when the real economy did that. Newburgh is set to be the ‘poor door’ to the Metro area’s FIRE economy… aka ‘workforce housing’.

  • Glad to hear that the Land Bank will get the money it needs to revitalize some of these buildings but shame on them for blaming the conditions on the 2008 economic situation. Many of these properties were abandoned and vacant for many years prior to 2008. The foreclosure situation only added to an already bad situation in many sections of the city.
    If the city just enforced the basic NYS property maintenance code many buildings would be better off than they are and not require so much rehabilitation.

    • It is heartening to see progress, and better leadership in the city. We cannot change the past, but we can certainly create the future in Newburgh! Kudos to the LB and the city council for paying attention.

  • Funny the guy who’s been in charge of codes is standing right behind the STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL and he’s not being arrested for neglect. Add to the irony that the mayor owns a slum a block away from where this press conference took place. Guess the press isn’t interested in asking even simple obvious questions. If not them, who? It’s up to us. So what is it they can do that the city government can’t do- besides shift the burden of the tax liens to the rest of us poor schmucks? This is yet another political photo op in poor poor Newburgh to get ready for the next set of elections. After that, the state will quickly abandon it and wait for the next campaign. Don’t take my word for it check out history.

    • “…check out history.” The Allegory of Plato’s Cave comes to mind.
      The alternative to the Community Land Bank is a Community Land Trust, in fact it is HUD’s preferred tool in it’s Neighborhood Stabilization Plan with a CLB considered as an “activity of last resort”. In general terms, the community LT takes on the role of “stewarding affordability for long term community benefit”. I’m of the opinion that the dedicated roles (i.e. developing,marketing,counseling etc.) that are currently served under the umbrella of the Land Bank could in fact be served by a CLT, think networking. As such, it is more a question of the willingness rather than the ability of the ‘City to take on the role. However, a consideration of developing a CLT in the nascent discussions of community revitalization was nonexistent in the public forum. Draw your own conclusions.

      http://www.hud.gov/offices/cpd/about/conplan/foreclosure/pdf/shared-equity-homeownership.pdf
      http://www.burlingtonassociates.net/resources/archives/LandBank.pdf