News

2020 Kingston City Land Bank Milestones

Posted on

On behalf of the Kingston City Land Bank, it is my pleasure to share with you a summary of some of our milestones in 2020. This has been a trying year for all of us, and to me our many of these achievements seem insignificant in the face of so much uncertainty.

However, I hope this outline of our progress renews your confidence in what a small, focused, dedicated and community-led team can accomplish, regardless of the circumstances. As you may have noticed from our Instagram, we have already begun preliminary construction to prepare for contractors to commence with our first round of rehabs in early 2021. Our hope is that in some small way, this list helps to confirm your trust that we are rapidly moving to accomplish our challenging but achievable mission to return vacant properties in Kingston to the tax rolls by producing high-quality affordable housing for all.

I would also like to offer you the opportunity to consider supporting our PILOT program (5 homes rehabbed in 2021) by contributing via our Donate page. If now is not the time for you to do so, don’t fret! There will be additional opportunities to support our mission in several different ways next year, so please sign up to our mailing list on the Main Page to stay in the loop for additional ways to get involved.

Finally, the Board and I want to invite you to join the conversation directly and jump on our public, virtual monthly Board meetings. We need all of your advice and input to be sure we are meeting the needs of all of us! Our Board meetings are typically held on the 4th Monday of every month at 6:30pm, but the specific details are posted in advance on the City’s website.

We look forward to continuing to work with all of you in 2021 and returning vacant and abandoned properties in our City to productive use, while providing opportunities for all of us to call home.

Sincerely and In Partnership,

Mike

Mike Gilliard, Executive Director, Kingston City Land Bank (KCLB)

2020 KCLB Milestones

 Corporate Governance

  • Disposition Policy passed (January)
  • 3 additional Kingston residents added as Board Members (May)
  • Committee Charters passed (July)
  • Bylaws revised (July)
  • Disposition policy revised (July)
  • Design Committee formed (July)
  • Fundraising Committee formed (August)
  • Annual budget passed (September)
  • New York State Authorities Budget office Bi-Annual Report filed without comments (November)
  • Funding:
    • $275K in grant funding secured to pay for acquisitions (June)
    • $500K rehab grant secured to pay for hard costs (November)
    • $780K grant awarded to fund PILOT rehab of 5 homes (December)
  • Office:
    • New office space secured and rehabbed (July)
  • Staffing
    • Executive Director hired (May)
    • Attorney hired (June)
    • Chief Financial Officer position hired (December)
    • Construction Project Manager position hired (December)
  • Acquisitions
    • 15 properties investigated for suitability to acquire: title and environmental reports (May – December)
    • First 3 properties acquired from the City of Kingston (July)
    • Actively working with the City through title and environmental issues to acquire additional properties (ongoing)
  • Operations
    • Discussions with regional potential non-profit partners for sales/marketing and volunteer labor (January – ongoing)
    • Initiated maintenance plan for properties owned by the Land Bank (August)
  • Development
    • Construction Scopes of Work finalized for PILOT (August)
    • Request for Qualifications issued (August) 
    • Design Scopes of Work finalized for PILOT (September)
    • Request for Proposals issued for PILOT (October)
    • First construction permit applied for and issued (November)
    • General Contractor(s) selected for PILOT (December)
    • Construction commencement for PILOT (January 2021)

Kingston City Land Bank Announces Phase I Request for Proposals

Posted on

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 13, 2020

KINGSTON, NY – The Kingston City Land Bank (KCLB) is pleased to announce it has released its first Request for Proposals (RFP), for the redevelopment of 3 single-family homes located in Kingston. Proposals are due 12/1/20 and site walk-throughs will be conducted 10/23/20 and 10/30/20. Interested contractors may download the RFP package at: https://kingstoncitylandbank.org/rfp/

In July 2020, the KCLB purchased these homes—248 Main Street, 174 Hasbrouck Avenue, and 64 Van Buren Street—from the City of Kingston for the full value of unpaid taxes. Once construction is complete, the homes will be sold to families earning at or below 100% of the Area Median Income in Ulster County. Currently, this limit for a family size of four is a gross household income of $83,700.

Sales of the homes will be made through a public application process, details of which will be made available on the KCLB website. No homes are currently offered for sale by the KCLB at this time.

“At the Land Bank, we’re beyond excited to transform these distressed properties into affordable homes that both the occupants and their neighbors can feel proud of,” said Daniel Kanter, Board Chair of the KCLB. “Issuing these RFPs on our first round of acquisitions is backed by nearly two years of dedicated work from our staff, volunteer-led board, community stakeholders, and the City government—paving the way not only for affordable homeownership opportunities in the City of Kingston, but also employment opportunities for our local workforce, tax revenue for the City, and healthier neighborhoods overall.”

“This Phase I RFP is the latest milestone in our deep commitment to moving the needle in Kingston,” said Mike Gilliard, Executive Director of the KCLB. “We look forward to this next opportunity to engage with the community at large as we continue our transformative mission.”

The Kingston City Land Bank was formed with the purpose of acquiring title to tax-foreclosed and other distressed properties in the City of Kingston, removing barriers to redevelopment and returning properties to the tax rolls. Its mission is to foster an equitable community where vacant or distressed properties are transformed into community assets that improve the quality of life for Kingston residents, stabilize and enhance neighborhoods, and create new pathways for social and economic development.

For more information about the KCLB and to join our mailing list for updates, visit www.kingstoncitylandbank.org and follow us on Instagram at @kingstoncitylandbank.

To donate and support our work, please visit: https://kingstoncitylandbank.org/donate/

Kingston City Land Bank Announces Open Request for Qualifications

Posted on

KINGSTON, NY – In order to offer vendor and contracting opportunities to as many qualified businesses as possible, the Kingston City Land Bank (KCLB) is pleased to announce an open Request for Qualifications (RFQ). Interested vendors and contractors may submit using the forms found on the KCLB’s website at the following address: www.kingstoncitylandbank.org/rfq

“As we look toward meeting our mission of transforming these vacant and distressed properties, we recognize the importance of building robust long-term relationships with our talented local contracting community.” said Daniel Kanter, Board Chair of the KCLB. “Aside from being an exciting professional opportunity, these qualified individuals will really be the ones to make this dream a reality, not only for our organization but also the families who will soon be making memories in these rehabilitated homes. We can’t wait to get these projects underway.”

“The KCLB is committed to partnering with as many local businesses as possible” said Mike Gilliard, Executive Director of the KCLB. “We hope that many of them will respond to this RFQ and are excited at this next step to grow our long-lasting partnerships with the Kingston community at large.”

Vendors who qualify through this RFQ will also be informed of upcoming Requests for Proposals to be issued by the KCLB, which will also be posted on the KCLB’s website when they become available.

The Kingston City Land Bank was formed with the purpose of acquiring title to tax-foreclosed and other distressed properties in the City of Kingston, removing barriers to redevelopment and returning properties to the tax rolls. Its mission is to foster an equitable community where vacant or distressed properties are transformed into community assets that improve the quality of life for Kingston residents, stabilize and enhance neighborhoods, and create new pathways for social and economic development.

Join our mailing list at www.kingstoncitylandbank.org for updates www.kingstoncitylandbank.org and follow us on Instagram at @kingstoncitylandbank

Kingston City Land Bank and City of Kingston Announce First Acquisitions

Posted on

KINGSTON, NY – Mayor Steven T. Noble and the Kingston City Land Bank (KCLB) are pleased to announce that the Land Bank has completed the purchase of three vacant homes from the City of Kingston. The homes will be renovated and returned to the City’s tax rolls at full value once completed.

With this first acquisition, the KCLB has purchased three homes: 248 Main Street, 174 Hasbrouck Avenue, and 64 Van Buren Street from the City of Kingston for the full value of unpaid real estate taxes. As a part of this Phase I of the KCLB’s program, a total of five homes are scheduled to be purchased and then renovated with funding provided by Enterprise Community Partners. Requests for Proposals for the construction renovation contracts will be posted on the KCLB’s website when available.

Once construction is complete, the homes will predominantly be sold to families earning at or below 100% of the Area Median Income in Ulster County. Currently, this limit for a family size of four is a gross household income of $83,700. Sales will be made through a public application process, details of which will be available on the KCLB website. No homes are currently offered for sale by the KCLB at this time.

“These first acquisitions are a landmark achievement for our community,” said Mayor Noble. “Not only will the City recoup back taxes for these properties through the sale, once they are renovated, these homes will reinvigorate their neighborhoods — at a time when we desperately need housing stock. I would like to thank the Community Foundation of the Hudson Valley and Enterprise for their generous grants to help the Land Bank get started on what will be a tremendous endeavor.”

“The KCLB was formed with the task of transforming the city’s vacant tax-foreclosed housing stock from community burdens into neighborhood assets, and we’ve spent the past year and a half working to do exactly that,” said Daniel Kanter, Board Chair of the KCLB. “These first three homes represent not only the enormous effort it took to get to this point, but also a first step in putting these programs into action and meeting the mission we set out to accomplish. We are deeply grateful for the patience of our community as we’ve gotten up and running, and are thrilled to enter this new stage for the KCLB and the City’s approach to equitable housing at large.”

“This Phase I milestone is just the beginning,” said Mike Gilliard, Executive Director of the KCLB. “Due to the tireless work of our dedicated Board and staff, over the next few months we will begin to implement a full range of Land Bank tools to transform delinquent properties into occupied homes on the City’s tax roll.”

The Kingston City Land Bank was formed with the purpose of acquiring title to tax-foreclosed and other distressed properties in the City of Kingston, removing barriers to redevelopment and returning properties to the tax rolls. Its mission is to foster an equitable community where vacant or distressed properties are transformed into community assets that improve the quality of life for Kingston residents, stabilize and enhance neighborhoods, and create new pathways for social and economic development.

For more information about the KCLB and to join our mailing list for updates, visit www.kingstoncitylandbank.org and follow us on Instagram at @kingstoncitylandbank

Kingston City Land Bank Hires Executive Director, Adds Three Board Members

Posted on

June 3, 2020

The City of Kingston Land Bank (KCLB) is pleased to announce the hiring of Mike Gilliard as its new executive director. The KCLB is also pleased to announce the addition of three new Kingston residents to its board of directors.

Kingston resident Mike Gilliard has over 15 years of experience developing housing and mixed-use projects along the Eastern Seaboard, including in the Hudson Valley. In senior executive roles with non-profit and for-profit developers, he has worked extensively with municipalities, housing and community organizations. Gilliard has successfully led the production of thousands of new and adaptive-reuse affordable and market-rate homes.

“I am humbled and honored to continue this important work in direct service to the City and all of its residents,” said Michael Gilliard.

The KCLB also recently brought on three new members to its board of directors: Karin Roux, Robert Dennison, and Sarina Pepper. The board is made up of Kingston residents with equal representation among the city’s Wards. Roux will be seated on the Finance committee, Dennison on the Acquisition/Disposition committee, and Pepper on the Communications and Governance committees. 

The KCLB is also pleased to announce the establishment of an advisory design committee. The purpose of this Committee is to establish various specific general standards for preserving existing elements of KCLB properties. The design committee will produce a set of Design Standards, which will serve as a list of best practices that individuals or organizations Responding to Requests for Proposals issued by the KCLB. Participation in the committee will be open to members of the public. 

The KCLB’s mission is to expand the availability of high-quality, affordable housing stock to existing Kingston residents. In doing so, it will remove barriers to redevelopment and return properties to the tax rolls.

Since launching in November of 2018, The KCLB has launched a website outlining its planned acquisitions throughout the City of Kingston. The KCLB also went through an extensive process to gather community feedback on its disposition policy, including an citywide online survey, neighborhood canvassing, and a public meeting. The disposition policy, which will guide how the KCLB transfers properties in its possession, was passed by the board earlier this year and can be read in full on the KCLB’s website.For more information and to stay informed on the Kingston City Land Bank’s activities, please visit www.kingstoncitylandbank.org.

Kingston City Land Bank Seeks Applicants for Two Open Board Seats

Posted on

The Kingston City Land Bank is excited to announce that we have two open board seats! We are looking for two Kingston residents interested in ensuring that the land bank carries out its mission. 

At the Kingston City Land Bank, we believe everyone has the right to a safe, affordable, and high-quality place to live. Therefore, the mission of the Kingston City Land Bank is to foster an equitable community where vacant or distressed properties are transformed into community assets that improve the quality of life for Kingston residents, stabilize and enhance neighborhoods, and create new pathways for social and economic development.

Please apply to this join our board by February 29 at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/KingstonBoards
For more information please email: info@kingstoncitylandbank.org

September 10 – Disposition Policy Public Forum

Posted on

On September 10 the Kingston City Land Bank hosted a public forum to receive public input on its disposition policy. Thank you to the over 50 local residents that attended.

For the full presentation given by Land Bank staff and board members, please click here.

To view a live stream from the event, please click here.

For more information on our disposition policy, please click here.