As someone who has invested a lot of capital here, I’m completely perplexed about statements regarding incentives. Our real estate prices are the lowest anywhere within a 60 mile radius of NYC- and possibly much further. Beyond the opportunity to live in a great city that has far more advantages than disadvantages, I’m at a loss of why incentives would be necessary to make Newburgh any more attractive. Also incentives may make it more inviting to a few newcomers but will backwards penalize those of us who have already invested without the same incentives when real estate values were at the same level or higher than they are now. The holdups are from properties that have been in the foreclosure vortex-some for up to six years already(a nationwide problem not unique to Newburgh but possibly more concentrated than most), codes compliance games by an incompetent codes department, NYState assessment rules that reward derelict properties with lower taxes and penalize improved properties with exponentially higher taxes and a complete lack of marketing of our city by our government- including a lack of leadership/self esteem in support of tourism(an existing industry infrastructure) that would lift all boats with little investment.
Can I ask you, what other places you have considered and why Newburgh? Are other places besides New Haven offering incentives?