The project known as 196 Broadway made an initial appearance to the City of Newburgh Planning Board on Tuesday, February 20. The proposal is to convert a vacant building into a mixed use building with a first floor restaurant and two family units on the second floor. The project was represented on Tuesday night by applicant Floyd Johnson along with owner Maria Rios-Ruiz.

The current building once operated as Broadway Meat & Grocery before its closure. The building sits adjacent to the Ace Drugs store and Metro PCS store and is on Broadway between City Terrace and Dubois Street. According to Johnson, the building has active gas lines, sewer lines and water lines.

Assistant City Engineer Chad Wade addressed the need for the applicant to refer to the letters prepared by the City Department of Code Compliance and by the City Planning and Development office with their comments. Site plan updating and resubmission will be required unless waived to address information with the city’s zoning code. The plan is certified to the Town of Newburgh and that detail would need to be removed or changed to the City of Newburgh. The Surveyor’s Certification would be required as it is not signed or dated on the provided survey. The zoning compliance table will be updated once variances are received.

With relation to water, the applicant needs to identify the locations of existing water valves with each size and use provided. Separate water service connections for domestic and fire would be needed and any existing or proposed sewer service locations and details would need to be identified. Other comments from the city engineer’s office will need to be addressed by the applicant.

Assistant Corporation Counsel Jeremy Kaufman presented to the planning board the option to waive the public hearing or not; the planning board voted to waive it. The planning board also determined the project is a Type II action, meaning no further environmental review is required, under the New York State Environmental and Quality Review Act (SEQRA).

A letter prepared by the Department of Code Compliance in October 2023 noted that the property is located in the Broadway Corridor (BC) District in the Historic District. The certificate of occupancy for the building identified the first floor as a grocery store and the second floor as storage. A new certificate of occupancy would need to be applied for by the applicant following any change in use.

The proposed usage, mixed-use with residential, is permitted by site plan approval from the city planning board and the applicant will be required to obtain zoning variances from the city’s Zoning Board of Appeals. Exterior renovations would need to comply with code and would also need to be reviewed by the Architectural Review Commission (ARC).

With the proposed restaurant usage, the project would require review and approval from the city’s plumbing inspector with regards to grease traps. The project would require licensing and inspection by the Orange County Department of Health as a food service establishment and a license from the New York State Liquor Authority would be required if a business wishes to serve alcoholic beverages.