The plan to build 160 units of mixed-income housing got a preliminary lookover by the city planning board earlier this week, an early step in what’s shaping up to be a long approval process.

Ulster County officials and representatives of Philadelphia-based developer Pennrose presented their plans to redevelop the old jail site into 160 units of mixed-income intergenerational housing to the Kingston Planning Board Monday.

The development would spread the housing component out across four buildings, including a four-story mid-rise 80-unit senior housing building at the best vantage point on the property, according to Will D'Avella, who represented Pennrose's New York office at the virtual meeting. The remainder would be townhouses spread out across three buildings. One would be four-story; the other two would be three stories. According to the county, the plan calls for 80 units of senior housing and 80 units of workforce housing with rent priced at a range of 30 to 130 percent of area median income.

Housing for people with special needs is being proposed; the site will also feature a community building near the main entrance on Golden Hill Drive, and onsite social services provided by Family of Woodstock.

The project's key goals, said D’Avella, include underscoring site viewsheds, trail access and maintaining natural surroundings for residents.

D'Avella said Pennrose has built 300-plus mixed-income, mixed-use developments. The proposal comes at a time when Ulster County and Kingston are facing a crushing housing crisis.

The planning board voted to declare itself the lead agency on the project which was declared as unlisted under the State Environmental Quality Review Act.

But while it’s unlisted, the project will be undergoing a coordinated review due to its size, the number of agencies and involved and public interest concerns, City Planning Board Chair Wayne Platte Jr. said.

Roger Keating, a civil engineer working on the project for the Chazen Companies, said the project will have to pass through a number of hoops before shovels can hit the ground.

Besides the planning board, these include approvals from the Kingston Common Council, the Kingston Zoning Board of Appeals and the Historical Landmarks Preservation Commission, Keating said. City Planner Suzanne Cahill cautioned that there could be even more interests involved in the proposal as it goes through the planning process.

The developers went to the board asking for a zoning change as Golden Hill lies in a residential district that allows only single-family housing. Keating said they're seeking a limited office district designation that would allow for office, residential and mixed-use development. He said all proposed setbacks are in line with limited office district zoning.

“The current zoning limits the development potential of the site," Keating said.

Keating said the developers are also asking to subdivide the approximately 41-acre site in half with Pennrose taking 20.14 acres and Ulster County retaining the remaining 20.87 acres. "We're keeping the county's Health Department as is," he said.

A traffic study is ongoing, said Keating. Still, the city is engaging an outside consultant to examine potential traffic effects of the project, Cahill said.

Cahill cautioned that since the project is to disturb over an acre it will be subject to state Department of Environmental Conservation stormwater review.

Developers are working to keep the project as close to the former jail's footprint as possible, Keating said. The proposal features a lot of landscaping and the use of green space for stormwater management and bio-retention, among other purposes.

Board Member Emily Hamilton asked about the developer's status with the state Department of Homes and Community Renewal.

D'Avella said Pennrose would be set to receive a 4 percent low-income tax credit. And there are no restrictions or deadlines for such a project, answering Hamilton's question.

Platte said the board is already receiving public comments in regards to the project. "It is garnering some interest," he said.