Kingston officials propose plan to remove canopies in Uptown

City of Kingston Mayor Noble and City Council President Shaut have proposed a plan to remove the city-owned sidewalk canopies along portions of Wall St. and North Front Street in Uptown Kingston, known as the Pike Plan, to the Common Council.

“The Pike Plan has been a source of debate and concern for many years, and now the structure has reached a crisis point,” said Mayor Noble. “Both President Shaut and I believe the best decision is to remove the canopy and return the historic facades of our Stockade District to their original form. Kingston has worked extensively to protect and preserve its historic buildings and architecture and the Pike Plan is not a part of that historic fabric.”

In the 1970’s, during a time when retail in the historic Uptown Business District was threatened by the new malls in the Town of Ulster, the City’s solution was to attach a canopy to 40+ buildings, each of which make up a core part of our National Historic District designation. The Pike Plan did not stop the loss of retail in Uptown, and the sidewalk canopy has caused issues to the buildings and the businesses ever since.

From 2011-2013, the aging Pike Plan was reconstructed, with support from State and Federal funding sources. Shortly thereafter, noticeable deficiencies in the canopy’s design and construction were identified. In late December 2015, the City filed a lawsuit against the design, engineering and construction firms involved in the project. Unfortunately, the NYS Supreme Court ruled that the firms could not be held liable as the statute of limitations had expired. However, the City was successful in securing a $315,000 settlement in 2018.

In 2019, the City Engineer estimated a removal cost of $868,300, which, adjusted for inflation, is expected to be approximately $1,056,000 today. Mayor Noble and Council President Shaut propose a two-phased approach: first removing the structure and making immediate weatherproofing repairs at the attachment point of each building. Second, assessing the condition of each façade and creating a detailed scope of work to assist the property owners in returning these impacted sections to their original condition.

City of Kingston Mayor Noble and City Council President Shaut will present the proposal before the Common Council’s Finance and Audit Committee on April 10, 2024 beginning at 6:30pm. The meeting will take place in person at City Hall. It will also livestream on the City of Kingston YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/CityofKingston

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