Bright future emerges along Hudson;

Bright future emerges along Hudson; Natural beauty, housing value, small-town charm boost Greene County.(Main)

Publication:
Albany Times Union (Albany, NY)
Publish date:
October 28, 2007

Byline: SCOTT WALDMAN - Staff Writer

ATHENS - It didn't take marauding aliens traversing Second Street to convince Owen Lipstein that Greene County had changed.

Hollywood's bright lights illuminated Athens in 2004 for a key scene in "War of the Worlds," the Steven Spielberg blockbuster starring Tom Cruise. But by then Lipstein had already bought Stewart House, a 19th-century hotel on the banks of the Hudson River reborn as a restaurant and bed-and-breakfast.

Lipstein's investment was a vote of confidence in Greene County and its riverfront villages that has proven to be a wise one. People from in and around New York City and Albany have discovered the historic communities that were left to rot for decades.

A former Manhattan resident, Lipstein relocated from his loft to Greene County in 1984. He knew then that it was only a matter of time before the area's natural beauty and man-made structures would spark a turnaround.

"The Hudson River seems to be getting better and better," Lipstein said, adding that there's a recognition that the value of anything close to the river is growing.

The main streets in the Greene County towns along the Hudson once stood out as places to avoid. Now, locals say their location, architecture and a steady trickle of grants and private investment in rehab projects has slowly burnished these dusty gems. Sky-high real estate prices in Dutchess, Ulster and Columbia counties make Greene County an attractive option for big-city dwellers seeking a second home or a quieter, cheaper place to live full time.

In Coxsackie, Victoria Ecker, owner of Heart Land Realty, estimates that 20 percent of the homes she sells are to people from the downstate metropolitan area. That's compared to only 10 percent from the Capital Region.

She said many were smitten with the place because strangers on the street all say hello.

"It's very quaint," Ecker said.

She saw promise on Reed Street and decided in 1998 to relocate her business to the heart of the village, with buildings predating the Civil War. She pumped about $100,000 into renovating a diner that had been shuttered for five years. The dip in customers her naysayers predicted never happened because Reed Street continued to revive. The average building now sells in the range of $250,000, Ecker said, more than twice what she paid.

Coxsackie wasn't always that way.

A decade ago, cars with their transmissions out littered the downtown, George Kanauer recalled. He quipped that his neighbors hung out their laundry in January and took it down in October. Careless tenants rented from absentee landlords.

"You couldn't give anything away down here," Kanauer said. "It was absolutely disgusting."

Kanauer looked past the decay and saw opportunity. He gutted a building and completely rehabbed a brick town house that abuts the Hudson. Others followed suit and now Reed Street sparkles. Plastic tablecloth establishments made way for those with linen. Since 2005, The Blue Water Bistro has been serving rack of lamb and stuffed portobello mushrooms under a gleaming tin ceiling. Revitalization was also fueled by the sweat-equity of Twelve Tribes, a Christian sect with followers in about 30 cities and towns in the United States, whose members restored several buildings.

The recovery of Catskill's Main Street crashed in the '90s when the enthusiasm for projects waned and new businesses never got off the ground. But more than a dozen new storefronts and art galleries have opened in the last two years. Shops sell designer tiles, upscale kitchen ware and gourmet chocolate. Oskar's, run by a family from Myanmar, sells sushi, and is one of a handful of restaurants to open in the past two years.

Some of the new business owners have said they moved to the region because it was possible to get a start there, unlike pricey Manhattan.

The transformation of Catskill was a "natural momentum," said Dick May, a nine-year-resident who has a blog about "Greeneland."

While he said the affordability of the county's homes compared to the other Hudson Valley counties has brought in younger people in recent years, May cautioned it is still a difficult move for couples who are both seeking work.

"It's not easy," May said. "It's not as though there's a lot of opportunities for young people."

For those who have employment or are retired, the Athens riverfront could prove even more alluring in the future. Earlier this month, Peckham Industries Inc., which supplies materials for roads and highways, announced that it would relocate further inland. No plans have been formulated for the site with the majestic view, but the possibilities include housing or waterfront commercial sites.

Lipstein said the Greene County transplants bring along enthusiasm that inspires longtime residents to invest in the area.

"It's a bunch of people coming together and saying that they can make a difference," he noted, and he expects that will only increase as others discover the area.

Scott Waldman can be reached at 454-5080 or by e-mail at swaldman@timesunion.com.

CAPTION(S):

PHOTO

ATHENS' DOWNTOWN is one of several in Greene County that has attracted attention from big-city residents drawn by more-affordable housing, quieter surroundings and local rehabilitation efforts. PHILIP KAMRASS

/TIMES UNION

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