Reply To: How to Better Newburgh

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I’m a latecomer to this conversation, but I’m concerned about the City of Newburgh. My husband grew up here and we would love to be part of the revitalization if it didn’t mean the kind of gentrification we have seen elsewhere. We need some realistic solutions that would benefit everyone. The people who have already opened businesses and good restaurants are an essential part of the revitalization we want to see. But without more local residents being able to support them, how does it improve the city as a whole? The current direction, converting more and more buildings into single family homes, will obviously mean fewer affordable homes for average income people. Going that route offers many exciting opportunities for some of us, at least short term. But how will it prevent current residents from having to move elsewhere, or Newburgh from becoming just another town where the average person (most of us) would not be able to afford to live? Are there any models of thoughtfully planned, mixed income cities or neighborhoods we could emulate? Maybe if the remaining buildings had to be sold specifically to house both landlord and tenant it would mean a more integrated community, a larger middle class and a wider tax base. It would support additional businesses like grocery stores, which would improve quality of life and provide local jobs… Is this too far fetched? Unless people were to suddenly become more idealistic, how could we even begin to accomplish this on a large scale without some kind of plan or regulation? We need some vision and leadership.