The Poughkeepsie Planning Board on July 21 declared itself lead agency for the proposed Windows on Main development at 488 Main Street and established a $3,000 escrow for architectural review, a step the applicant said will allow the project to move forward toward funding applications. The project would create an L‑shaped, mixed‑use building with about 81 residential units and a 5,100‑square‑foot commercial space along Main Street.

Windows on Main is proposed for a 1.76‑acre parcel and calls for 20 studio units, 42 one‑bedrooms and 15 two‑bedrooms. The applicant, Hudson River Housing, told the board the building was redesigned to avoid setback and bulk variances under the new zoning; the only anticipated variance is for parking.

The board said parking capacity is the principal outstanding issue. The applicant is proposing 37 parking spaces for the site, and staff estimated the code could require as many as 117 spaces depending on the final commercial use. Planning members asked the applicant for a parking and trip‑generation analysis to support any SEQRA negative declaration and to justify a variance to the Zoning Board of Appeals.

Mary Lang of Hudson River Housing, the project applicant, told the board the team “intentionally designed this building to not have a need for any setback or other zoning variances. The only variance required will be a parking variance.” The applicant also said an updated parking study and other analyses will be provided for the board and for the ZBA.

Project consultants told the board they may be able to reduce stormwater loading to the city’s combined sewer by routing runoff into the separate storm system that serves the nearby emergency services building, subject to DPW approval. Fire‑department comments asking for a 26‑foot maneuvering aisle prompted the applicant to say they will revisit the curb cut width with fire staff; the board noted that narrower curb cuts can avoid an additional variance.

The board voted to declare lead agency and to set an escrow for architectural review. Members advised the applicant to prepare the parking/vehicle generation and modal‑share analysis soon to support SEQRA review and any forthcoming variance request to the Zoning Board of Appeals. The applicant indicated it intends to apply for state multifamily housing funding; the competitive round referenced by the applicant is due in September.

The board’s lead‑agency declaration and escrow do not approve construction; the applicant must return with required studies and pursue any necessary variances from the Zoning Board of Appeals.

Why it matters: The proposal would add more than 80 apartments and a street‑front commercial space to a central downtown parcel. The board signaled that the development’s neighborhood impacts will hinge on parking demand and on how stormwater connections are routed away from the city’s combined sewer system.