RUPCO will partner with a New York City-based developer to take on the task of transforming the city’s underutilized business park into what will, if the plans come to fruition, effectively become a new neighborhood in Downtown Kingston. Last week Mayor Steve Noble announced that the local housing nonprofit and Douglaston Development had been chosen to redevelop the property after responding to the city’s request for expressions of interest.

The Kingston Business Park was built by the Kingston Local Development Corporation in 1998 as the city was struggling to attract manufacturing jobs in the wake of IBM’s departure a few years earlier. Located at the top of a steep hill off of Delaware Avenue, the 107-acre site was supposed to accommodate five light industrial tenants, but the initiative never took off and today there are just two. In 2024, the city hired a consulting group to study the feasibility of building a mixed-use, mixed income housing development at the site.

The consultant’s report became the basis for the RFEI which calls for a phased development that would include a variety of housing types for a variety of income levels, along with retail and commercial space and connections to the nearby Empire State Trail and Sojourner Truth state park. The remaining businesses at the park would remain under the plan. The proposal also calls for maintaining at least 50 percent of the forested area at the site, which features towering cliffs and spectacular views of the Hudson River.

The project will be a long-term phased effort and the development team is expected to spend significant time on predevelopment work, including community outreach and feasibility, environmental and market analyses. A statement announcing the project did not give a timeline for starting or completing the project. KLDC Vice President Hayes Clement said in a statement that the development team would combine RUPCO’s deep knowledge of local housing needs with Douglaston’s deep pockets. The company has financed $3 billion in development and has $2.2 billion more invested in projects in progress.

"In the selection process for large-scale projects, you're often reviewing deeply qualified developers without local experience, versus potential local partners without the wherewithal of an experienced large-scale developer,” Clement said. “The combination of Douglaston with RUPCO provides both these critical skill sets here, and their partnership is going to deliver major positive results for working families in Kingston, I'm confident."