Poughkeepsie Waterfront: What’s Next?

I have owned my home in the City of Poughkeepsie for over 20 years, and feel that my “not too far from the river” neighborhood has been up and coming for the whole time I’ve been here. Doesn’t there come a time when it finally reaches the “we’ve gotten there” goal?

When the Walkway Over the Hudson opened, we were sure it would mean great things for our neighborhood. And it did at first, then it seemed to stall. And we’ve all been saying that once they develop the waterfront property, we’ll be good as gold. But we’ve been saying it for years. The property just sits there. There were ideas for it in the past, but nothing happened.

Apparently, there was a lot of red tape and disagreements and misunderstandings, and now they’re trying to figure out what to do. When I was a teenager growing up in Newburgh, the waterfront was pretty frightening. A lot of drugs, drinking, and scary people. Now it’s a beautiful area with shops and restaurants. Not to mention the views. The Rondout in Kingston is also beautiful. Shops, restaurants, and plenty of great walking areas. Why would anyone want to come to Poughkeepsie when they can hang out in Newburgh or Kingston right on the river?

So, what do you think they should do with the property? I would love to see an area where local small business owners could showcase their goods. A few restaurants would be nice. An area for walking, maybe even some kind of outdoor music venue. Got suggestions? I’d love to hear them, and maybe we could pass it along to the City of Poughkeepsie.