1. Rehabilitation efforts recognized October 23, 2001 •• 863
words •• ID: pgh2063651 In just 18 months,
Jon Behrends turned three vacant, dilapidated shells on
lower Main Street in the City of Poughkeepsie into four
luxury studio apartments on the upper floors and commercial
storefronts at street level. For his efforts in
rehabilitating city properties, Behrends was named the
winner of the Dutchess County Economic Development Corp.'s
2001 Business Excellence Award for urban entrepreneur.
Behrends' company, Precision Contractor, is also working as
general
2. Council finds buyer to fix dilapidated Main Street site January 23, 2003 •• 349
words •• ID: pgh4637374 Sometimes haste
doesn't make waste. Because the dilapidated condition of the
building at 360 Main Street and a rough winter that could
further damage what is barely standing now, the Poughkeepsie
Common Council voted Tuesday to sell the building to
contractor Jon Behrends for $1. The building has a 10-foot
hole in what remains of its roof. ''If we get another
snowfall like the one we had, will (Behrends) still be
interested in the building,'' asked Councilman
3. Luxury apartment project approved January 30, 2003 •• 407
words •• ID: pgh4746542 The summer of 2004
could bring the grand opening of 32 luxury apartments on the
300 block of Main Street in the City of Poughkeepsie. The
planning board this week approved a site plan and special
permit for the project proposed by Jon Behrends, a city
building contractor. ''I'm thrilled,'' Behrends said shortly
after the approval Tuesday. ''I think the City of
Poughkeepsie is taking great strides in the right
direction.'' The project calls
4. City zoning panel OKs luxury housing project January 17, 2003 •• 538
words •• ID: pgh4515482 A proposal for
luxury apartments in the 300 block of Main Street in the
City of Poughkeepsie has been approved by the city's Zoning
Board of Appeals. The 36-apartment project includes retail
space on the ground floor. It received three variances this
week relating to the size, type and location of the
apartments. The project has been put forward by city-based
contractor Jon Behrends. The city has sold several
dilapidated properties over the years to Behrends. Three
buildings on lower
5. Renovator has faith in city March 21, 2000 •• 575
words •• ID: pgh12146032 Jon Behrends refused
to be daunted by the collapsing ceilings and three feet of
garbage in the back of three buildings on Main Street in the
City of Poughkeepsie. Where many may have seen buildings
beyond hope, Behrends has envisioned luxury apartments, and
maybe a coffeehouse and an ethnic restaurant. "I'm trying to
reclaim the city one building at a time," said Behrends, 44,
who has been in the contracting business for about 20 years.
Thanks to their central location -
6. Victorian-style city cafe to serve up java, show local
art August 8, 2003 •• 437
words •• ID: pgh7758659 Revisiting the City
of Poughkeepsie's Victorian past will soon be possible at
Demitasse's Cafe under construction at 202 Main St. It's in
one of the three buildings developer Jon Behrends purchased
in that strip along Main Street. Next door, at 204 Main St.,
is the Gallery Shop, a partnership with Poughkeepsie's
Barrett Art Center and City Artist Partnership. At 206 Main
is Match Restaurant Lounge. The second and third floors of
all three buildings are apartments. The
7. City planners may OK Main St. apartments January 26, 2003 •• 250
words •• ID: pgh4697695 A luxury apartment
complex slated for the 300 block of Main Street could be
approved Tuesday by the City of Poughkeepsie Planning Board.
City staff have recommended the project be approved with the
condition that back facades of the buildings be more
traditional in design instead of modern. The developer, Jon
Behrends, is amenable to that, said Todd Dreyer, a city
planner. Behrends has been lauded for his work in
Poughkeepsie, especially on Main Street, where he
rehabilitated three
8. City should OK housing proposal January 28, 2003 •• 461
words •• ID: pgh4710316 The City of
Poughkeepsie features some of the most affordable places to
live in Dutchess County, and more of those options soon will
be available. That's vital for an area that suffers from an
affordable housing shortage. But, to thrive, the city needs
a mix of housing options. Putting only cheaper housing
opportunities in the city is harmful. It segregates us as a
society and is counterproductive to the city's efforts to
attract not only young professionals but more established
9. Decrepit building's fate stirs dispute January 20, 2003 •• 497
words •• ID: pgh4587497 A controversy is
brewing over the possible sale of a dilapidated building in
downtown Poughkeepsie to a local building contractor. At 360
Main St., Jon Behrends said, he wants to ''fix the roof and
rehabilitate the building in a historical manner'' and
reopen it to commercial tenants. Councilman John Lawrence,
D-2nd Ward, also a local developer, would like the building
demolished and made into a pedestrian walkway to the nearby
Cannon Street parking
10. Council to decide on fate of 284 Main St. Monday July 21, 2002 •• 490
words •• ID: pgh2238932 The Poughkeepsie
Common Council on Monday could approve the controversial
proposal to designate the building at 284 Main St. as a
local landmark. That would effectively prevent the owner of
the building, local businessman Michael DeCordova, from
demolishing it for a year as he works to make the adjoining
Up to Date building more marketable. ''It would appear that
there is significant support ... to have the property
designated as a historic structure,'' council
