Pennrose outlines renovation plans for Newburgh apartment complexes

Pennrose laid out its first renovation pitch for Kenney tenants in Newburgh on June 10, even though the company has not yet closed on the properties because state financing is still not fully secured. Residents came with the questions that matter most in a major apartment overhaul, including what would happen to rents, displacement and parking, while City Council members Tamika Stewart and Robert McLymore watched the discussion and Stewart moderated.

David Marin and Marsha Blunt led the presentation for Pennrose Development. Marin also took questions in Spanish for residents who asked for it, a detail that mattered in a room where many tenants are trying to understand how a long-promised redevelopment would affect daily life in the Kenney Apartments and Bourne Apartments.

Pennrose said the project would fully refurbish both complexes, install new heating and cooling systems, restore common areas and replace kitchen appliances. At Kenney, the plan also calls for a playground and a management office. The company said vacant apartments would be renovated first, and current tenants would be able to temporarily move within the building while their own units are worked on. Pennrose said the work would be phased to minimize disruption, with Pennrose Management Company on-site from day one.

The redevelopment covers 205 affordable homes in Newburgh and is intended for households earning up to 60% of area median income. Pennrose says it wants at least 140 project-based voucher units through the Newburgh Housing Authority, a step meant to strengthen rental assistance for residents who remain in the complex. In resident-meeting materials, the company said the project is designed to preserve affordability for at least 40 more years.

For tenants, the stakes were sharpened by the conditions they endured earlier in the year. In January, residents reported weeks without heat and hot water, along with sewage leaks and broken windows. By Jan. 20, both boilers in the Kenney buildings were back in operation. The Newburgh City Council later approved a 33-year payment-in-lieu-of-taxes agreement on April 14 by a 7-0 vote, with Ronald Zorilla abstaining. The PILOT ties tax incentives to the properties passing inspection and getting a rental license, giving the city a way to hold the project accountable as the deal moves toward a possible 2026 construction start.