Community Development

RUPCO is working “at large” with the 20 towns, 3 villages, and 1 city, which make up Ulster County. We take an “asset based” community building approach to provide planning, and promote revitalization, sustainability and smart growth.

Formally established in the spring of 2006, the Office of Community Development was created by RUPCO to respond to identified deficits in the organizational and institutional capacity of local communities. The focused effort allows us to address community needs, including development of public infrastructure and facilities, job creation and economic development, affordable rental housing and homeownership.

We believe that community capacity is more than the sum of its individual parts. It means the ability of the associations and institutions within a community to use the skills, knowledge and ability of all the people in the community to take initiative, responsibility and to be adaptable in the face of constant change. It requires strengthened relationships and communications both within and beyond the community.

The goal of our Community Development program is three fold:

• to empower communities to guide their own decision making
• to improve development decision making in local communities
• to improve the social and economic well being of the citizens of Ulster County

Green Jobs/Green NY

RUPCO, as an Independent Contractor to the New York State Energy Research Development Authority (NYSERDA) and in association with Westchester Residential Opportunities (WRO) will actively market Green Jobs/Green NY, to improve Home Performance with Energy Star and all NYSERDA programs to educate homeowners, community leaders and the general public about the benefits of the program. This program serves ten counties in the Mid Hudson Valley, including Columbia, Delaware, Dutchess, Greene, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster, and Westchester Counties, some 2,451,153 residents (12.7% of NYS Population) in 673 Zip Codes.

NYSERDA is a public benefit corporation offering objective information and analysis, innovative programs, technical expertise and funding to help New Yorkers increase energy efficiency, save money, use renewable energy, and reduce their reliance on fossil fuels.

Green Jobs/Green NY is a statewide initiative established by the NYS Legislature in 2009 to; 1) Promote energy efficiency, energy conservation and clean technologies; 2. Reduce energy consumption and costs; 3. Reduce greenhouse gas emissions; 4. Support sustainable community development, and; 5. Create green job opportunities, including for emerging, unemployed and displaced workforce.

Regional Housing Needs Assessment 2006 -2020
Click here to learn more about the Three- County Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA), 2006 to 2020, which was developed in response to the growing challenge of housing supply and costs within Dutchess, Orange and Ulster Counties.

Ongoing Community Development Projects 2011

Hudson Valley CDFI, a Community Development Finance Institution(forthcoming)

Green Jobs, Green New York Constituency Based Outreach Services (NYSERDA/ NY Energy Smart)

New York Main Street (NYMS) Programs
Restoration of the Pike Plan, City of Kingston & Marketing Project (‘06)
Broadway, Midtown Kingston (’07)
Village of Ellenville, Phase II (’07)
Broadway, Port Ewen, Town of Esopus (’08)
Historic Milton-on-Hudson, Town of Marlborough (’08)
Main Street & the Rosendale Theater Collective, Town of Rosendale (forthcoming)

Permitting Assistance, Environmental Review & Sustainable Design for RUPCO Projects
Woodstock Commons (Town of Woodstock)
   SEQRA Environmental Approval – 7/01/2010
   Site Plan / Special Use Permit – 8/05/2010
   NYS Tax Credit Funding Secured – 8/26/2010
   Construction Groundbreaking – Spring 2011

Technical Assistance on Planning & Zoning Codes, & Affordable Housing to Municipalities
Town of Saugerties Town Council
Town of Gardiner Affordable Housing Task Force
Town of Lloyd Planning Board, Town Council

Community Outreach & Strategic Partnerships
Ulster Habitat for Humanity
Bardavon – Ulster Performing Arts Center (UPAC)
"Save them Now" - faith-based prisoner re-entry program
Sustainable Hudson Valley
US Green Building Council/ LEED programs
NY Energy Smart/ NYSERDA
Ulster BOCES YouthBuild
Woodstock "Our Town" Community Dialogue
Hudson Valley Smart Growth Alliance
Southern Ulster Chamber of Commerce
Kingston Business Alliance/ Main Street Manager Program
Kingston Complete Streets/ Safe Routes to School Steering Committee
Kingston Uptown Business Association (KUBA)
Meet me in Marlborough Committee

For more information about our work in Community Development, please contact Guy Kempe, Director of Community Development at 845.339.2165 or at gkempe@rupco.org.

"Within neighborhoods, a broad range of housing types and price levels can bring people of diverse ages, races, and incomes into daily interactions, strengthening the personal and civic bonds essential to an authentic community."
- Charter of the Congress of New Urbanism