News from the Noteworthy City of the Hills: Out With the Old and in With the New Welcome to Oneonta. Welcome new businesses and new members of our community. We’ve been waiting for you, and we are so glad you’re here. Welcome to the Apple Express, which finally fills the empty space that was Friendly’s. The ice cream shop was an anchor for the neighborhood, and the Apple Express is a terrific candidate to fill that role for the future.…
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Lofts on Dietz
Developer Shows Off Artist’s Loft Successes By LIBBY CUDMORE • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com BEACON – Developer Ken Kearney, founder of Kearney Group, got a call one day from a friend. “He said, ‘Have you heard of Oneonta?’” he recounted. “I sent my son Sean up to take a look and he said, ‘Get up here, I think you’ll like it.’” Kearney, who has built artist lofts in Peekskill, Beacon and Poughkeepsie, has received approvals to put one of his affordable…
Lofts On Dietz Suit Amended In Light Of Geo. Wilber Will Century-Old Bequests Limits Use To Municipal Purposes, Filing Says By JIM KEVLIN • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com ONEONTA – George I. Wilber, who left what is now the Dietz Street parking lot to the City of Oneonta on his death in 1922, limited its use to municipal purposes only, according to a court filing this afternoon. As a result, City Hall was in violation of the Public Trust Doctrine by…
Double-OK Buoys Lofts On Dietz Plan After City Council Approves Site Sale, Planning Commission Backs Site Plan By JIM KEVLIN • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com ONEONTA — The Lofts are rising. A day after Common Council, 7-1, authorized the sale of part of the Dietz Street parking lot to Kearney & Son Development for the 64-unit Lofts on Dietz, the city Planning Commission Wednesday evening unanimously approved the site plan application, clearing the way for the project to go forward. Prior…
Common Council Approves Dietz Street Parking Lot Sale By LIBBY CUDMORE & JAMES CUMMINGS • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com ONEONTA – “Energizing.” “A Spark.” “New blood and vitality.” That was how the audience at Common Council this evening described the proposed Lofts on Dietz, a multi-use project that would include artist’s housing and space for Hartwick College classrooms. And when Common Council voted 7-1 to approve the sale of a portion of the city-owned lot to The Kearney Realty & Development…
Council Asked To OK Bike Lanes On Both Sides Of East Main Street ONEONTA – When it meets at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Common Council will consider establishing restricted bicycle lanes on both sides of Main Street on the city’s East End. According to a resolution in the agenda released this afternoon, the Council members will consider eliminating parking from 2 to 6 a.m. to accomplish this.…
ISSUE & DEBATE Will Lofts On Dietz Use Too Much Parking? Editor’s Note: Following a sometimes heated Oneonta Planning Commission public hearing Wednesday, Oct. 16, which focused on whether the Lofts on Dietz, 66 proposed units of artists’ lofts and housing, will use too much of the Dietz Street parking lot, this exchange appeared on Facebook earlier this week: ►from ALAN CLEINMAN, president, Cleinman Performance Partners, Oneonta Fellow citizens of Oneonta: I feel compelled to challenge the notion that the…
Supporters, Detractors Debate Dietz Street Lofts By JENNIFER HILL • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com ONEONTA – Before there was parking on Dietz Street, there used to be homes. “I spent a lot of time looking at maps of old Oneonta,” said Bob Brzozowski, executive director, Greater Oneonta Historical Society. “I think we forget that space used to be houses and buildings.” The City of Oneonta Planning Commission held a public hearing this evening on the proposed Lofts on Dietz, which will…
Lofts On Dietz’s Parking, Energy Raised As Issues SEQRA To Start Next Month; Groundbreaking Next Summer By JENNIFER HILL • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com ONEONTA – Two citizens raised concerns about parking – a third called for “net zero” energy efficiency – when developer Ken Kearney outlined plans for a 64-unit art colony, The Lofts on Dietz, to the city Planning Commission last evening. “As an artist, the building is an excellent concept, one we should embrace,” said Michael Stolzer, who…
Tonight, Planning Commission Briefed Developer: Artist Lofts Transform Downtowns By JENNIFER HILL • Special To AllOTSEGO.com ONEONTA – Oneonta is the right place at the right time. That was Hudson Valley developer Ken Kearney’s assessment to a packed Chambers in Tuesday’s Common Council meeting of the positive impact his proposed development, Lofts on Dietz Street, would have on Oneonta’s downtown. With evidence of positive results from two recent developments with artist lofts and middle-income apartment in Peekskill and Poughkeepsie, Kearney’s…