written by Doyle Murphy, Times Herald-Record

CITY OF NEWBURGH — The empty storefronts seemed like the easy part of restoring the old Hotel Newburgh property.

Transforming former crack dens into high-quality rooms with a support staff for adults, bringing the historic-but-abused Ritz Theatre back to life and even installing an art gallery in the back of the building all sounded so much more ambitious.

The storefronts were a sideline to the bigger story. But nine years after the nonprofit group Safe Harbors of the Hudson bought the building, the two commercial spaces on Broadway remain an empty, unresolved corner of the project.

Part of the explanation lies in the specific ideals of Safe Harbors founder and director Tricia Haggerty Wenz. She wanted something different than the laundromats and bodegas common in downtown.

Specifically, she wanted a cafe with fresh food — preferably a place that would draw workers from the 125 adults living upstairs in what is now known as the Cornerstone Residence.

“We think it would be great to have healthy, affordable options,” Haggerty Wenz said. “Something that would counterbalance the Kennedy Fried Chicken, the pizza, the Chinese food.”

She has yet to find the perfect tenant. Haggerty Wenz thought she was close three years ago as she negotiated a deal with the Muddy Cup. The coffee shop chain was already in Beacon, New Paltz, Kingston and Poughkeepsie, but it fell victim to the economy. All those locations are now closed, and the storefronts in Newburgh are still empty.

Haggerty Wenz, however, remains committed to her vision for the space, renewing efforts with new incentives.

Safe Harbors is now offering to cover build-out costs and the first six months of rent for a restaurateur to open a cafe in the 1,500-square-foot storefront. The new business could make exclusive agreements to cater art openings at the Ann Street Gallery and at Safe Harbor events.

Haggerty Wenz also hopes to work out a deal to put the recently closed Newburgh Boxing Club in the second storefront next door. The two spaces were once home to a Sears & Roebuck store.

Haggerty Wenz hopes they’ll soon figure into a vibrant future centered on a lower Broadway arts district. She’s proposed a second mixed-use building for an empty lot neighboring the Cornerstone Residence, which would feature a children’s museum on the first floor.

She said she may learn in September the fate of a grant application for that project. September is also the month of deadlines for proposals on the cafe space.

“I’d really love to have something that would help downtown, bring some vitality to downtown,” Haggerty Wenz said.

Final proposals are due by Sept. 24.