MONTICELLO – The old Monticello Manor at 16 High St. in the Town of Thompson, which has been abandoned since 2008, is set to be revamped into housing with construction expected to begin next year. 

That is according to Jill Weyer, Chair of the Sullivan County Land Bank. Weyer presented to the Planning and Community Resources Committee of the Sullivan County Legislature on Thursday, October 10 regarding the redevelopment of buildings in Monticello into affordable housing. 

Weyer said that the former hospital and nursing home will be demolished next year and rebuilt into 76 affordable housing units. Back on July 3, the building caught aflame which a number of fire departments worked to extinguish it for several hours. 

The avenue for housing development is being made possible with the Land Bank anticipating the disposal of six properties this year and getting approximately $650,000 of assesses property value back on the tax rolls. 

Weyer also discussed the Broadway redevelopment project that includes renovations to the Strong and KeyBank buildings as well as providing a home to the Black Library now and after construction. This portion of the redevelopment is under the leadership of local organization RUPCO based in Kingston, which creates homes, supports people and improves communities in the Hudson Valley. 

“So under the leadership of RUPCO, these buildings will feature a mixed use development, including 16 affordable housing units,” said Weyer, “which will be great for downtown Monticello.”

The planned development at the old Monticello Manor site, according to Weyer, is through a collaboration with the Manor Lost Joint Venture, LLC. She stated that the low income tax credit application was just submitted to start the process of acquiring funding.

“So we have our fingers crossed that we will receive that much-needed financing so that we can return these historic properties to the tax rolls,” Weyer said. “They will be through the villages and the county, so that is a benefit to all of us.”

Anticipating construction

Weyer noted that both development projects are scheduled to begin construction in 2025 and reported that as this year closes out, they have completed the successful demolition of five properties that were condemned by the local building officials. These demolitions clean up blighted properties, ones that are no longer beneficial to the community, at a cost savings to the local taxpayers. 

“In addition, we have been successful at acquiring additional state funding that allows us to leverage funds that the county gives us and we’re much appreciative of that,” Weyer added. “We have been successful in using all the allocated funds for phase one - year one and two - and have secured renewal for year three.”

She said that with the renewal, they are in position to strengthen their efforts further. The phase two funding will cover all predevelopment costs associated with the Broadway redevelopment project and will extend to 2025 to support the construction phase. 

“This continuity of funding assures that we can maintain momentum on our key projects,” Weyer said. 

The Land Bank is hopeful that they will receive the funding in the beginning of 2025 for the Monticello Manor and start construction by the end of the year, while construction on the Strong and KeyBank buildings is hopeful to begin in June. 

“Our goals for 2025 include having construction fully underway for the Broadway redevelopment projects and Monticello Manor,” Weyer said, “and securing funding to build out additional single family homes. We are also working with the New York Lank Bank Association to develop strategies to address transitional housing needs in our real land bank area, with Sullivan County as a focusing area.”

Housing Trust Fund

After Adam Bosch of Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress presented to the Legislature last month about establishing a Housing Trust Fund in the county, the board has taken the first steps in making that possible. 

The first step was to hold a public hearing on the Housing Proposed Local Law, which designates affordable housing as a Sullivan County public purpose. That public hearing was held on Thursday, October 10 in which a few members of the public and Legislators made themselves heard. Now that the public hearing is complete, the local law will be on the table to be adopted at the next Full Board meeting on Thursday, October 24. 

Weyer thanked the Legislature for looking into that which she said will help leverage funding for the development of the housing in the county.

“We look forward to being a partner in this process and help developers access funding and properties to be able to build out new housing stock for our residents,” the Land Bank Chair said. “Leveraging these partnerships allows us to tap into diverse funding teams and expand the impact of our development projects, ensuring a broader long-term solution to the housing challenges in Sullivan County.”

Other housing development opportunities 

As the Democrat previously reported, the old Sullivan County jail and Sheriff’s complex on Bushnell Ave. in Monticello has been authorized to be sold to Developer Mendel Stern, who plans to knock it down and also develop into housing. 

The Land Bank is also looking ahead to plans for 2025, with Weyer mentioning the anticipation of development offers on several other historic properties, including the Broadway Theater.