RUPCO Director of Property Management Tasyka DeRosalia and Managing Director of Real Estate Development Emily Hamilton took stakeholders on a bus tour of East End II, a collection of 24 building sites scattered across a seven-block radius in Newburgh’s city center.
The $36.8 million project, which RUPCO started planning with the Newburgh Community Land Bank in 2018, is a follow-up to its smaller development in the area, East End I, which restored historic buildings to create affordable housing units. This time, DeRosalia and Hamilton say RUPCO used new construction and vacant, historic buildings to create 61 affordable apartments, commercial space, and a community hub.
"I think one of the neatest things about our Newburgh portfolio, compared to our other locations, is the number of families we house," says DeRosalia.
"Yeah, that's my fault," laughs Hamilton. "I developed this project, and I helped to decide on the fact that we'd have 32 three-bedrooms, out of our 61 units. And they're pretty big. I know one three-bedroom, I think it's in 98 Lander [Street], that is about 1,600 square feet."
"And if you look on the right here, you'll see why we need to do more and more of this - because this is a whole homeless encampment of people still waiting for housing," adds DeRosalia, gesturing out the bus window. "So there is a tremendous, tremendous need."
The development comes as the Hudson Valley battles one of the nation’s most acute housing crises. RUPCO Executive Director Kevin O’Connor says all of East End II’s apartments have already been filled. Ten were set aside for formerly incarcerated individuals or formerly unhoused individuals struggling with substance abuse, with rental subsidies and case management services provided by the New York Office of Addiction Services and Supports.
At the heart of it all is the community hub at the site of the former First United Methodist Church on Liberty Street. Newly renovated, the church has been renamed “Highpoint” for its iconic steeple puncturing the city’s skyline. O’Connor says Highpoint will serve as the official home of Newburgh YouthBuild, a pre-apprenticeship program training local youth aged 16 to 24 for careers in carpentry, construction trades, the culinary arts, and nursing.
“We have a class, a brand new class starting in about two weeks," notes Program Director Sue Weed. "So if anyone knows anyone 16 to 24 that wants to change their life, obtain their high school diploma if they haven’t done so already…those are the kinds of opportunities and things that we are able to provide the students.”
RUPCO has been administering Newburgh YouthBuild since 2021 with the community development nonprofit LYNC, which has also been tapped to manage Highpoint. LYNC Executive Director Melanie Collins says the site will also include retail space and a number of community initiatives geared toward women of color, including a co-working space, a wellness hub, and a daycare.
"As a mom of three children, one of the things that has absolutely been a priority for all of us has been making sure that working moms have access to affordable childcare," notes Collins. "So there will be a childcare center here on the campus, and we really look forward to getting that up and running."
RUPCO’s Kevin O’Connor says the success of East End II will be measured by the success of its tenants – both residential and commercial. Before the ribbon cutting, Hudson Valley Cheesecake Owner Dana Charres expressed her excitement to use her new space at 257 Liberty Street to work on getting her products into grocery stores.
Angela Paul-Gaito, who has owned and operated APG Pilates in Newburgh for roughly 14 years, will be consulting with Highpoint through her venture, Wellness Shines On. Paul-Gaito says she’ll connect the site’s wellness hub with local businesses to produce a wide array of health and fitness-related programs, serving as an incubator for the local industry while promoting the overall community’s health.
"There's always that idea that wellness is only for rich people, you need to be wealthy in order to do it - and no, wellness is for everybody," she smiles. "Like, everybody should be feeling like, 'Yeah, it's good to be well.'"
You can learn more about East End II and RUPCO's other developments here.
