Tuesday, March 24, 2015

The Vision That Won't Go Away

It's been four years since Harbalwant Singh shared his vision for Route 66. Back in February 2011, he told the Columbia County Industrial Development Agency that Greenport Crossing would cause a "ripple effect" and "Route 66 will be totally Route 9 in Poughkeepsie." 

In the past four years, this vision has not been realized. The project was only partially completed; a fire, which was determined to be arson, closed the convenience store and the gas station; Columbia Economic Development Corporation sued Singh for the money it had lent to the project, forcing him to file for bankruptcy; Singh demolished what remained of the V&O Press building, which he had intended to rehab as a family entertainment center. Still, the Register-Star reports today that the plan for Greenport Crossing isn't going away: "Greenport Crossing project may be salvaged."

In what seems to be a triumph of hope over experience, Ken Flood, Columbia County's economic development commissioner, seems still to be promoting the project to CEDC, although the pitch is a little different now than it was four years ago. In 2011, a franchise hotel was seen as necessary because corporate travel offices didn't make reservations with independent hostelries. Now, according to the article, Flood is telling CEDC that a franchise hotel is needed because the county's lack of one is "forcing visitors in need of a low-cost hotel to stay in Dutchess or Greene counties."
COPYRIGHT 2015 CAROLE OSTERINK

2 comments:

  1. To the contrary, our B&B, the Inn at 240, regularly has business guests,as I belive do many other legitimate B&Bs.

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  2. Yes Bob so do we, inn at Hudson, without a pilot program I might add.

    ReplyDelete