Wall Street in Uptown Kingston's Stockade District in September 2020, when the Pike Plan canopy still covered the sidewalk. Photo: Andre Carrotflower, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
City contractors have reached substantial completion on new signboards for 22 storefronts on North Front and Wall streets in Uptown Kingston, finishing the façades where the Pike Plan canopy used to attach. Mayor Steven T. Noble announced the milestone in a Nov. 5 release.
For the shop owners in the Stockade District, the work closes out the most visible part of the canopy’s removal. The covered sidewalks that defined the two blocks for decades are gone, and the repaired storefronts now have finished façades where the structure was attached.
The city is also waiving review fees for signage and façade projects until October 2027, which matters for any owner still planning a new sign, awning or restoration.
What the city paid for, and what owners chose
After the Pike Plan came down, the city gave settlements to property owners to repair their façades, according to the release. Owners also had the option of letting the city install a signboard where the canopy had been attached. The 22 storefronts in this round are the ones the city’s contractors repaired.
Owners who wanted to restore their buildings themselves could do that instead, with help from the Planning Office, which offers historic design resources that follow the Historic Landmark Preservation Commission’s guidelines. Work in the Stockade District follows those commission guidelines.
Grants and a faster review line
The city also handed out money for the smaller details:
- 12 Minor Exterior Improvements Grants went to Stockade Business District property owners for signage and awnings. Every applicant got one, the city said.
- 36 projects on North Front and Wall streets have been fast-tracked through the Planning Office so far.
- Review fees for signage and façade work are waived until October 2027.
“We have done as much as possible to help the businesses through this transition and we hope that Uptown will flourish with this new beginning,” Noble said in the release. He added that he looks forward to seeing what improvements property owners make “to continue to beautify the Stockade District.”
What it means for Uptown businesses
The mayor’s statement frames the signboards as a new beginning for the blocks, with more of the work now in the owners’ hands. The fee waiver and the fast-track line give them until October 2027 to finish signs, awnings and façades at a lower cost, and the grant program has so far funded every owner who applied.
The signboard work comes as the city tackles other downtown questions. Kingston is running a citywide parking survey through Dec. 18, and the Common Council recently overrode the mayor to freeze the sale of city parking lots. More regional coverage is in our Hudson Valley section.
Property owners planning sign or façade work can reach the Kingston Planning Office at 845-334-3955 or planning@kingston-ny.gov. Fees for those reviews are waived through October 2027.
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