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East Parmenter Street Conceptual Perspective

Habitat for Humanity/LeylandAlliance Partnership Works with City of Newburgh to Bring Affordable and

Author: LeylandAlliance LLC
10/25/2007

NEWBURGH, N.Y. (October 25, 2007) - Habitat for Humanity of Greater Newburgh is working closely with LeylandAlliance LLC, the master developer for the new mixed-use Newburgh Waterfront project, and the City of Newburgh to bring 24 affordable and workforce housing units to East Parmenter Street. Several steps have recently occurred that put the East Parmenter Street project on a fast track, including a land sale agreement, zoning variance approval to accommodate the master plan, and a grant for infrastructure improvements. The project could break ground as early as April, 2008.

On October 22, the City Council voted unanimously to sell the Habitat six city lots which, coupled with an additional eleven lots being purchased from a private owner, will be transformed into 24 housing units for affordable and workforce housing. “This development is a perfect fit with the City’s initiative to increase home ownership for people of all economic groups,” says Mayor Valentine, a long-time Habitat advocate.

Previously, the City’s Zoning Board of Appeals issued its approval for a series of variances that will be needed to accommodate the 24-unit site plan, designed by Michael Watkins of Duany, Plater-Zyberk & Company (“DPZ”). DPZ also designed the master plan for the nearby Newburgh Waterfront project to be developed by LeylandAlliance and the City of Newburgh.

The existing parcels to be reconfigured are located on East Parmenter Street and Washington Street and would be the site of 8 new single family Habitat for Humanity homes. The remaining 16 new lots will be developed by LeylandAlliance into a mix of affordable “workforce” townhomes and single family residences. The master plan includes small, duplex cottages, townhomes, and small single family homes. A park, or mews surrounded on two sides by residences, is also included in the plan. In its plans for the new housing, Donald Powers Associates, architect for the new housing and another member of the charrette team, has been sensitive to the scale and “urbanism” of the historic neighborhood in which it will reside. The buildings are proposed as two- and three-story structures.

The Habitat organization also announces that it has been awarded a $240,000 grant from Orange County earmarked for funding the infrastructure for the East Parmenter Street project.

With the preliminary zoning outcome for the Habitat housing application in place, upcoming benchmarks in the approval process include a presentation to the City of Newburgh Planning Board and the Architectural Review Commission in December. Following the necessary approvals, this neighborhood revitalization project could proceed into groundbreaking as early as April, 2008.

The zoning news has met with positive response:

Deirdre Glenn, Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Newburgh, states, “Habitat for Humanity of Greater Newburgh is delighted to be working with LeylandAlliance on these important blocks in Newburgh. We look forward to creating a revitalized neighborhood one block from Liberty Street and Washington’s Headquarters.”

Louis Marquet, Executive Vice President of Leyland, states, “We are pleased to be working with Habitat for Humanity and the City of Newburgh to bring such needed housing to the city. It is very rewarding to be a part of this process. This partnership is an excellent example of what can be accomplished when there is collaboration among a municipality, not-for-profit entity and private developer who have a shared goal.”

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