NEWBURGH - You’ll find many architectural treasures on the City of Newburgh’s ‘sealed bid’ property sale list, but most are in need of extreme rehabilitation. 

Outside 36 Dubois Street

Inside one of the properties needing a lot of TLC

It takes a special kind of buyer to look at a building with such serious structural and cosmetic flaws, and see the opportunity to make it functional and beautiful again.

But, it can be done, Edna Rivera, Director of Housing Opportunities for Growth, Advancement and Revitalization (HOGAR), Deirdre Glenn, executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Newburgh, and Gerry Sanchez, president of Polonia, told a group of community members and city and Orange County officials Friday. The results are well worth the investment, they agreed.

“The rewards in restoration of these buildings become evident in the physical transformation that takes place in neighborhoods,” said Rivera. “Streets begin to look cleaner; neighbors begin to spruce up their houses; families begin to care about their surroundings again; crime is no longer welcome.”

HOGAR restored six of the most distressed properties on Dubois Street, now referred to by Rivera as the “Grand Ladies”.

Glenn is no stranger to housing rehabilitation either. Since Habitat began in the City of Newburgh in 1999, it has restored 36 of the most unwanted and uninhabitable homes, and is currently working on 13 more. “These blighted houses are actually very well built, and though they take a lot of work, they make beautiful homes in established urban neighborhoods,” she said.

When it comes to restoring Newburgh, Sanchez is considered by some to be the pioneer. He first came to the city in 1997 and has restored more than 15 properties, including the Foundry with its 30 apartments, and seven buildings on Broadway. 

“The City of Newburgh Historic District offers great financial opportunities to a hands-on developer. Come and do it,” he said.

The sealed bid proposals will be reviewed based upon the bidder’s experience and ability to finance and complete the project.  This initiative is part of a comprehensive property disposition plan to sell more than 100 city-owned properties by sealed bid, auction and targeted neighborhood development.  The city of Newburgh has also launched a sealed bid loan program to help successful bidders rehabilitate the properties.