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Urge the Kingston Planning Board to Stand Firm for Appropriate Riverfront Development
Encourage city officials to keep pressure on Developer AVR
Friends of Kingston Waterfront and Scenic Hudson have encouraged the Kingston Planning Board and Mayor James Sottile to stand firm in their discussions with AVR Realty about the Landing Project, urging them to insist on a development that embodies the principles outlined in the the city's Local Waterfront Revitalization Plan (LWRP). (For an example, see this letter sent to City Planner Suzanne Cahill) It is critical that you ask them to do the same. Use the form below to send an e-mail to the planning board, or write one yourself. (Remember, a personally generated message makes more of an impact.) We also urge you to write letters to the editor of the Daily Freeman, expressing your support for the city in its stand for the waterfront.
| Sample Letter for Campaign |
Subject: Stand Firm for the Local Waterfront Revitalization Plan
Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,
After reading recent news reports about AVR's negotiations with the city, I am cautiously optimistic that you and other members of the planning board are standing firm when it comes to the city's Local Waterfront Revitalization Plan. I hope you will continue to insist that designs submitted by AVR and other developers comply with this important vision for Kingston's future.
While development along the Hudson River waterfront could really benefit Kingston, this benefit should not come at the cost of sacrificing our enjoyment of the river -- nor does it have to.
I am continuing to rely on you and fellow board members to hold fast so the city can achieve this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create a waterfront that Kingston's residents will enjoy for generations.
Sincerely,
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Campaign Launched:
October 13, 2006
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After AVR Realty threatened to put the Landing Project on hold, discussions are reportedly back on track between the City of Kingston and AVR over the development's layout.
Recently, the Kingston Planning Board publicly raised the issue of AVR's lack of compliance with the city's Local Waterfront Revitalization Plan (LWRP). Adopted in 1992 with extensive input from the community, including some members now active in Friends of Kingston Waterfront (FoKW), the LWRP provides clear guidelines for the development of land along the city's Hudson River shoreline. Its goal is to safeguard natural resources and preserve community character and scenic beauty while providing a framework for creating an economically healthy waterfront.
Mayor, planning board have stood firm despite developer's threats, but then?
Despite AVR's threats to walk away from the project, the planning board and Mayor James Sottile initially appeared firm in demanding that the Landing must comply with the LWRP. As Mayor Sottile remarked in a recent Kingston Times article:
"We are going to follow the process; we're going to live up to the LWRP. The developer got an interpretation of what we felt the LWRP is saying, and if the developer is not happy with our interpretation, then he needs to counter it with his interpretation."
Subsequent reports have indicated the mayor has met with AVR to achieve a compromise, so we are carefully monitoring the situation to ensure that any new scheme adheres to the city's official local waterfront plan.
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