KINGSTON -- A developer in Kingston is pulling out the old housing and hoping that new, high-end units will attract a different kind of tenant.
Brick by brick, crews tore down walls and gutted the inside of a nearly 100-year-old building on Wyoming Avenue in Kingston. The old apartment and retail building is being converted into high-end apartments on the top floors and new retail space on the bottom.
"Wyoming Ave. is a good retail location. I'm sure we'll get some people very interested," said developer Fred Lombardo.
Lombardo showed Newswatch 16 his plans for the project.
"This particular building has been here since back in the '20s something and it just needed to be upgraded and I think it's gonna be a real nice spot to live in."
People in Kingston say they're glad to see the building finally get some needed upgrades.
"It really looks pretty drab looking right now, but it's a good size and everything, so it'd be good to see it fixed up," said Gale Crock of Kingston.
But not everyone is excited about the upscale apartments the developer has planned.
"I don't like the idea of the expensive luxury apartments going in. I don't like that. I think they're too expensive, but that's the way things are going now," said Marcia Chavanic of Kingston.
The developer agrees the apartments aren't for everyone.
"We're looking for tenants who are going to downsize, like seniors who want to get their home to something smaller. We'll have an elevator for them and some young professionals who come into town and want a nice upscale place to live," Lombardo said.
Lombardo hopes to have the building completed by next year. Rent for the apartments will hover around $1,200 a month.