Community Planning and Heritage

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Topic: Community Planning and Heritage

General Newburgh Discussion October 31, 2013 at 1:23 pm

Community Planning and Heritage

I am a city planning graduate student and I am writing my thesis on Newburgh and the intersection of heritage and planning. I am interested to know what community members think could be done in the city of Newburgh to better serve the community and connect with Newburgh’s heritage, especially in the next stage of waterfront development. I would love to know your thoughts…

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Prattgrad I’m an urban planning student too! Have you spoken to Johanna Porr yet? She is the director over at the Historical Society and this is part of what she’s trying to do.

So you’d like to know how community can connect with it’s heritage. By that you mean history? And how the waterfront development can be combined with this as well? A monumental task indeed!

I’m a relative newcomer to Newburgh, having moved up from Bklyn (near Pratt!). One of my fondest memories and introduction to the significance of Newburgh in our nation’s history was making a visit and meeting Johanna Porr, who, at the time, led tours of Washington’s Headquarters on Liberty St. (She is now the Director of the Historical Society located on Montgomery St.)

The intersection of heritage and planning…that’s an interesting place to put yourself, because grappling with preservation and progress can get intense at times.

I think another person you may want to meet is Paul Halayko. one of the owners of the recently opened Newburgh Brewery. He and his partners took great pains to preserve some of the elements of the 100 yr old box factory that is now the brewery, and salute the Purple Heart and the history of Newburgh in their products…

Another person who has a wealth of information on Newburgh’s history through its architecture is Giovanni (John) Palladino…a native and architect in the city…

I think Cher can put you in touch with all these people..(or she can give you my contact info)…

Good luck!

Hi Prattgrad- I too am getting my master’s in urban planning with a particular focus on Newburgh! While I currently reside in Washington, DC, I am a Newburgh native and return home often. Last month I facilitated a Community Conversation (see link here: ) and will be doing so again in mid-December (most likely Saturday, December 14th from 3-5 pm at the Newburgh Armory, but we are still awaiting confirmation on the space). It would be great to have you join in on the discussion/ The first round was mostly an asset mapping of what Newburgh has to offer, so this one will most likely be more focused on what to do with our existing assets and how to expand/maximize them. I can be reached at arianna.koudounas@gmail.com. Best of luck with your studies!

I’m a MHP 2010 grad from UMD but grew up in the Hudson Valley. I did a paper for my planning class on Newburgh’s comprehensive plan vs Beacon’s & why Beacon has been much more successful in revitalizing itself. Look at the fact that Newburgh doesn’t acknowledge it’s historic district in it’s Comprehensive Plan. Renter/owner percentage needs to change so there is a better invested interest in the historic district. What can the city do in way of incentives/tax breaks to those who restore historic properties? Do Newburgher’s really know their own history (I Love Lucy was tried out at the Ritz theater before it was made into a tv show!!) Great strides have been made in the last 5 years. I hope it continues! Good luck prattgrad!

I agree with Hisper. For those of us born after urban renewal, most have no real sense of what was lost on the waterfront, or many fear that development of the waterfront means exclusion/removal of certain groups. There certainly is a lack of community pride. Some people don’t even know Washington’s HQ is open to the public! Many people feel that historic buildings should just be torn down to start fresh again. A lot of interest is generated when I post these ‘rescue me’ homes. One of the main questions I get is: what kind of grants or tax incentives are available to me through the city? Unfortunately not many.

The platform that Arianna is creating to discuss how everyone can help in Newburgh is a great start. Anyone who can attend should.

Yes, hisper, it is amazing that there is not a strong emphasis on the historic district in planning and in revitalization of the unique features and buildings. These buildings will never be built again.

As far as the tax incentives, I do know that NYS, at least for the year I was redoing my home, offered tax credits (of course you have to spend the money first!). The city used to have a delay in increased assessments for those who did restoration, but the taxes went up so it almost didn’t matter to apply for that. Other than that, I was not aware of any specific incentives.

Any other incentives are poorly advertised to the community by the city, though I suppose one could hunt on their own…

I really appreciate everyone’s comments! Arianna, I would happily join in on the discussion and I’m excited that you began asset mapping – Newburgh has so much to offer and it is not used to its advantage. I will contact you directly. I’d also love to connect with anyone else that is interested in continuing the conversation! Its encouraging to know that there are others in the preservation and planning fields that have taken serious interest in Newburgh.

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