Has a Massive Change To Kingston’s Appearance Been Approved?

Could a big change be coming soon to the uptown section of Kingston, New York?

For many years uptown Kingston has had a unique look to it. Not only are many of the buildings rich in history but select streets in uptown have sidewalks covered by canopies that give the area a unique feeling while walking around. Personally, over the years I've spent many days walking underneath the canopies on Wall and North Front streets and never really understood why they were needed, except on a rainy day.....LOL!

Changes Coming to Uptown Kingston, New York

Back in July, we reported that the future of the Pike Plan canopies was up in the air as local officials explored the idea of removing them. Kingston Mayor Steven Noble and Kingston Common Council President Andrea Shaut proposed a $1.2 million project that would focus on removing the canopies attached to over 40 buildings in the historic uptown business district. If approved the removal would allow some of the historic buildings to return to their original historic facades.

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The canopies, which were originally attached in the 1970s were originally part of the "Pike Plan", a plan that was put in place as a reaction to the new Hudson Valley Mall. At the time, Kingston was concerned they would see a decrease in business following the opening of the new mall and created these canopies as a part of a "pedestrian-only mall" idea.

Pike Plan Removal

Since the proposal was first made in July, Kingston officials have battled lawsuits attempting to block its approval, but it appears that the Common Council has voted in favor of removing the Pike Plan canopies. Mayor Noble announced the vote on social media, saying,

"I want to thank the Common Council for their support in voting in favor of removing the Pike Plan canopies. The Pike Plan, as it partially stands today, was not well constructed and has come to the end of its useful life. With this approval, we will soon be going out to bid to begin the removal work."

 

When Will Canopies be Removed in Kinston?

Noble stated that the city will begin meeting with uptown property owners and tenants in the coming weeks to discuss the next steps, the removal process, and façade repairs. Noble expects demolition to begin in April and believes the approval is a "great step in the right direction" to restore the area's beautiful historic buildings.