KINGSTON — A former industrial area in Midtown Kingston has gained 100 apartments and new business space with the completion of a $24 million development announced by Gov. Kathy Hochul on Oct. 2.

Barrel Factory Apartments, at 110 Cornell Street, includes 80 market-rate apartments and 20 homes reserved for households earning no more than 80 percent of the area median income. The four-story building is the second phase of a larger redevelopment led by MHV Development.

The project combines new construction with the reuse of older buildings. Together, its two phases have produced 112 homes, including 32 affordable apartments, according to the governor’s office. Street-level retail and space for professional and maker businesses are also part of the complex.

For New Yorkers following the state’s housing investments, the project offers a concrete example of how public grants, private development and financing can be assembled around an underused property. The announcement concerns housing in Kingston; it does not announce new apartments or funding for Utica.

What opened on Cornell Street

The newest phase adds most of the complex’s housing. Of its 100 apartments, one in five is designated affordable under the income standard described in the state announcement. The remaining 80 are market-rate homes.

That distinction matters to anyone considering an application. A mixed-income development is not a building in which every apartment carries the same income restriction or rent. Prospective tenants should ask management which apartments are income-restricted, what household-size limits apply and whether an application or waiting list is currently open.

The announcement does not provide a rent schedule, available-unit list or tenant application deadline. It also does not say that every newly completed apartment remains available. Readers should confirm those details directly with the property’s verified management before making plans or submitting personal documents.

The project also includes the restoration of The Barn at the Barrel Factory, a former warehouse of approximately 21,000 square feet. The governor’s office identifies Free to Thrift among its tenants, along with professional and maker uses.

Two phases, different funding sources

Empire State Development supported the new apartment phase through a $4.78 million Mid-Hudson Momentum Fund grant. The earlier phase received $840,000 through the Restore New York Communities Initiative. Together, those grants represent $5.62 million in state support for the complex.

The first phase was a $4.6 million conversion of the historic Kingston Barrel Factory. The approximately 120-year-old building had stood vacant for about 15 years, according to the announcement. That work produced 12 affordable apartments, about 3,500 square feet of flexible commercial space and shared amenities.

The distinction between phases helps explain the different housing totals. The new announcement concerns 100 apartments, while the 112-home total includes the 12 created earlier. Likewise, the 32 affordable homes across the complex consist of 20 in the new building and 12 from the first phase.

The Community Preservation Corporation supplied $19.5 million in construction financing and $16.3 million in Freddie Mac permanent financing, the state reported. Those figures describe financing at different stages of a project. They should not simply be added to the grant figures and presented as a new total construction cost.

Housing and business activity on the same site

Housing is only one part of the redevelopment. Commercial space at street level gives the project a connection to the surrounding Cornell Street corridor. The restored warehouse creates a separate place for business activity within the larger complex.

State officials say The Barn has the potential to support up to 20 jobs. That is a projection of capacity, not a verified count of jobs already created. Future occupancy and business operations will determine how much of that potential is realized.

In a mixed-use project, residential and commercial space must both work for their intended users. Residents need clear information about building access, amenities and lease terms. Businesses need space that fits their operations and costs. A completion announcement establishes that the development has reached a milestone, but it does not answer every practical question about daily operations.

Local leaders and the developer described the project as a way to restore activity to properties that had been vacant or underused. Their comments emphasize housing supply, neighborhood investment and the reuse of industrial buildings.

What the affordability designation means for readers

The announcement ties eligibility for the 20 new affordable apartments to area median income, commonly shortened to AMI. An income percentage alone is not a monthly rent quote. Applicants still need the property’s current income chart, household-size rules and apartment-specific rent information.

Before applying, a household can ask for a written explanation of the process. Useful questions include which units are available, whether there is a waiting list, what documents are required and where the application should be submitted. Keep a copy of any application and confirmation received.

It is also worth separating eligibility from availability. Meeting an income limit does not guarantee an apartment, and an announcement of completed construction does not establish when an individual household could move in. Those answers must come from the property’s actual leasing process.

Applicants should use contact information obtained from a verified property or developer source. A social media advertisement that borrows a development’s name is not, by itself, evidence that the advertiser is authorized to accept applications or payments.

What to watch after completion

The next stage is the operation of the homes and commercial spaces. Future reporting can examine occupancy, the availability of the income-restricted apartments and whether business tenants are creating the level of activity officials anticipate.

For communities such as Utica and Rome, the relevant policy question is how redevelopment programs turn neglected properties into useful housing and business space. Kingston’s results provide one example, but local conditions, financing and construction costs would need separate examination before drawing comparisons to a Mohawk Valley site.

The immediate result is measurable: the second phase adds 100 homes, including 20 affordable apartments, to a complex whose earlier phase already created 12 affordable homes. Longer-term claims about neighborhood change and job growth will require evidence beyond the opening announcement.

Reporting is based on the governor’s Oct. 2 announcement. Apartment availability, rent amounts and application arrangements were not provided in that release.

Source

Read the official Oct. 2, 2026 announcement from Governor Kathy Hochul’s office.