Housing and Community Renewal

Mayor Noble has led the most ambitious housing strategy to deal with the unprecedented housing crisis our City has ever faced

Since 2016, Mayor Noble has placed housing at the top of his agenda.

Mayor Noble created the Department of Housing Initiatives in 2018 knowing that Housing was going to be a key part of his agenda.

The Department of Housing Initiatives is dedicated to support housing planning in the City of Kingston. The Department manages housing-related grants, supports the construction of new market-rate and affordable housing, develops policies to protect existing residents, and addresses the connection between housing and sustainability, health, and mobility. The Department also reviews the disposition of city-owned property suitable for housing development and collaborates with local and regional housing organizations.

The City of Kingston is a proud member of the Ulster County Housing Smart Communities Initiativeand a member of the Up For Growth network. The Office of Housing Initiatives also manages a City of Kingston Housing Task Force.

Key Initiatives undertaken by Mayor Noble:

Creation of the Kingston City Land Bank

In 2018, Mayor Noble with support from the Kingston Common Council created the Kingston City Land Bank. The mission of the Kingston City Land Bank is to foster an equitable community where vacant or distressed properties are transformed into community assets that improve the quality of life for Kingston residents, stabilize and enhance neighborhoods, and create new pathways for social and economic development. To date the land bank has renovated and sold over a handful of homes to Kingston residents who have struggled to find an affordable home. Visit www.kclb.org to learn more about the important work happening with our vacant and abandoned homes.

Kingston Forward: A new Form-Based Zoning Code

Version 3.0 of the Kingston Forward draft has been released. For more information, visit https://engagekingston.com/kingston-forward. This draft 3.0 is in the final stages of review and will set Kingston on a new trajectory of economic growth, new housing and a simpler administrative process for our residents. It also includes short term rental regulations, affordable housing requirements for new development, allows for the creation of Accessory Dwelling Units and creates opportunities to reuse buildings here in Kingston.

Emergency Tenant Protection Act: First upstate city to propose and enact housing Emergency

On July 28, 2022, the Common Council of the City Kingston passed Resolution 144 of 2022 to declare a housing emergency. That Resolution, based on a careful study of local housing conditions, allows Kingston to opt into the Emergency Tenant Protection Act (ETPA). Mayor Steve Noble signed the legislation on July 29, 2022. The effective date of this legislation is August 1, 2022. For the City’s ETPA tenant information hub on Engage Kingston to learn about your rights under this legislation, click here.