Ponckhockie Historic District

On December 14th, 2023, the New York State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) reviewed the Intensive Level Cultural and Architectural Survey of Ponckhockie completed by Archeology and Historic Resource Services, LLC (AHRS, 2023) and determined that a substantial portion of Ponckhockie is eligible as a Local, State, and National Historic District. The Historic Landmarks Preservation Commission (HLPC) initiated this project in 2021 and to recognize and share the area’s special history. The City, in partnership with property owners, seeks to preserve Ponckhockie’s architecture and character into the future. SHPO’s 2023 determination recognized Ponckhockie as signficiant:

“…under Criterion A in the area of Community Planning and Development as a planned neighborhood associated with the Newark Lime and Cement Manufacturing Company. The company was established adjacent to the future site of the neighborhood in 1849 and was integral to its founding and growth. It constructed several buildings for neighborhood residents out of its signature cement and was the primary employer in the area until its closure in 1905. The preliminary period of significance for the district extends from 1850 through 1905, encompassing the period when the cement company was active in the area. Further research is needed to determine whether an extension of the period of significance encompassing post-1905 development is justified.”

Historic Districts formally celebrate an area’s significant historical contributions to the community, state, and nation, while offering protection and financial assistance to property owners to maintain their older homes. The HLPC leads this project with the support of property owners to preserve the neighborhood’s character and to gain access to local, federal, and state rehabilitation tax incentives.

The first step toward National Historic Districting is demonstrating the neighborhood’s support for the project to NY’s SHPO by designating the area a local historic district. To do so, property owners must petition the HLPC for a public hearing on the proposed Ponckhockie Historic District and a resolution supporting designation to the Common Council (see Section 405.26.L of the Form Based Zoning Code for more).

The Benefits of Historic Districting for Ponckhockie Property Owners & Residents:

• Property owners will have a degree of influence on future changes within the Ponckhockie District by ensuring that future changes adhere to the residential architecture and comply with the integrity and quality of the neighborhood.
• Property owners receive support for their neighborhood by enabling the Historic Landmarks Preservation Commission (HLPC), in accordance with Section 405.26.L of the Form Based Zoning Code, to review applications for Building Permits to the exterior of structures (visible from the public right of way) which may adversely affect the neighborhood.
• Property owners gain access to the City of Kingston’s Local Tax Exemptions for Historic Properties (ARTICLE VI: § 360-35-39) – readopted to support owners on October 16^th, 2024. Kingston's local historic preservation tax abatement program allows property owners to increase the value of their buildings through investment in repairs and renovation without suffering an immediate increase in local property taxes as a result. The program provides for a ten-year window of tax relief following the substantial rehabilitation of a structure. For the first five years after completion of the project, local property taxes do not increase, except as they may be increased on a city-wide basis, regardless of the additional value of the property resulting from the project. In the sixth year, only 20% of the full value of the increase is added to the pre-project tax amount. In the seventh year, 40% of the increase is added, and so on, until the full value of the property is again taxed in the tenth year after completion of the project.
• Ponckhockie property owners and residents gain a tool to discourage parties who might hold a general disregard for the neighborhood, including the exploitation of properties by absentee landlords.
• Property owners support for the local district paves the way for nominating the district to the State & National Registers of Historic Places and accessing the following Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit Programs:
  1. New York State Residential Rehabilitation Tax Credit: 20%
  2. Historic Preservation Tax Credit Programs for Income-Producing Properties: Federal (20%) & State (20-30%)
  3. New York State Historic Barn Rehabilitation Tax Credit: 25%

If you are a property owner with questions and/or seeking these benefits, please reach out to the Historic Preservation Administrator (edickerman@kingston-ny.gov; 845-334-3931) to learn how to support the project.