Turning GOP Lemons into Sweet, Sweet Lemonade

Slainte! For those of you in a food coma from one too many zeppoles, that’s the toast of the Irish. No we’re not confused, we realize we’re coming off the big Italian weekend, but in the midst of all those Peronis and pizza, a pot of gold was found on North Division Street. The Quiet Man Public House officially opened last weekend, bringing to Peekskill another in a long line of destination restaurants. The Quiet Man Public House is not only a classic and authentic Irish pub; it’s a classic mom & pop business. The kinds of businesses that make Peekskill – and any community – prosper.

Just up the block is another small mom & pop business that’s become quite the hot spot. Featured regularly in restaurant and entertainment publications, the Birdsall House is another small business labor of love that has helped Peekskill reclaim its reputation as a regional destination.

But the crowds and the press aren’t the only thing these two businesses have in common. They are both beneficiaries of what was a herculean effort of the Peekskill Common Council to make sure that properties that were caught up in years of litigation and left for dead are rejuvenated. You see, the Birdsall House Beer Garden and The Quiet Man Public House were wrapped up in massive development failure that occurred under Republican leadership years and years ago.

For those who don’t know the “deal”, and boy was it a deal…for the developer anyway, 7 prime lots in Peekskill’s downtown were sold as a package for a measly $250,000 to CPC Development Corp for a downtown redevelopment project. And what did Peekskill taxpayers get in return for practically giving away these 7 City owned properties? The taxpayers received empty lots and abandoned buildings, for the next nine years.

How could this happen you ask? In a nutshell, the City leaders at that time demonstrated a serious lack of due diligence. See, back then there was no Democratic common council. There was no Mayor Foster; there was barely swatch of blue paint in City Hall. There was, however a “lone Democrat” on the council; a single voice of reason trying to raise the red flag about the ability of this developer to finance such a large-scale, downtown redevelopment. When CPC presented their proposal for a massive, $8 million downtown development, the “lone Democrat” on the council questioned their ability to finance the proposal and was concerned that local residents had made solid market offers on individual pieces of property, but they were being turned down in favor of a developer who didn’t seem to have the cash. Sure enough, the lone Democrat was right. Years after practically giving away the property, the lots were vacant, nothing got built, and the City was forced to sue to regain the property they sold. Guess who footed the bill for this litigation? You got it, the local taxpayers.

But today, these pieces of property are now being used and support homegrown businesses. How did that happen? Mayor Foster and the new Democratic council got serious about negotiating with the developer and working to see these properties put back to good use. They got serious about creating a business climate that allowed entrepreneurs to open.

So, on any given Thursday, Friday, or Saturday night, when you’re hopping around town, having a Guinness at the Quiet Man or eating a beet burger in the Birdsall House beer garden, remember, just a few years ago, these properties were underutilized and abandoned – and were the legacy of the GOP.