Newburgh planning board weighs scaled-down Broadway housing plan, Washington Street proposal

Newburgh's Planning Board spent its April 29 session on two housing plans that are pushing ahead in a city where every major development is measured against traffic, code compliance and neighborhood impact. One was a scaled-down Broadway proposal with 57 apartments; the other was a much larger Washington Street project that still faced questions about its size, parking and the building rules that would apply.

At 825 Broadway, Angelo Balbo Management LLC and consultant Natalie Quinn of KARC Planning Consultants, Inc. came back with a three-story mixed-use plan that would add about 7,000 square feet of office and commercial space. City records show the project had already been trimmed from an earlier version, and a 2024 zoning board appeal referenced a design with a three-story front façade, a four-story rear, 74 dwelling units and commercial space. Even in its smaller form, the traffic study projected added vehicle trips during peak commute times, and the city’s traffic advisor said the methodology had problems that needed correction before the plan could move forward.

The Broadway hearing drew more than a dozen people, but only two spoke, both opposing the project. Their concerns centered on congestion and privacy for nearby residents. The board then closed the hearing, leaving the applicant to address the technical traffic questions raised by planning staff.

The Washington Street proposal was larger still. Agenda materials identify Riverside Newburgh Realty LLC and applicant Joe Bonura Jr. on the 2 Washington Street and 2-4 Washington Street site plan. Earlier city records described the proposal as a five-story mixed-use development, while the revised version presented in April called for five six-story buildings, 172 residential units and about 25,000 square feet of office space. The developer returned with new renderings and a revised site plan after earlier criticism, but questions remained about massing and whether the connected parking structure would cause the complex to be treated as a single building under city code, a distinction that could change which standards apply.

The Washington Street project is also moving through the state environmental process. On April 1, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation said it had received a Brownfield Cleanup Program application from Riverside Newburgh Realty LLC for the 2 Washington Street site, site ID C336101, and opened a public comment period. Mayor Torrance Harvey and Councilmember Robert McLymore spoke in favor of the plan, arguing that it could strengthen Newburgh’s tax base and help activate the waterfront. The Planning Board, which oversees subdivision, site plan and special use permit approvals and is charged with evaluating environmental impacts and orderly growth under the city master plan, was left weighing whether the two projects had done enough to satisfy the city before more bricks and traffic hit Broadway and Washington Street.