On one side of this dispute are the Poughkeepsie City Council and the Poughkeepsie Industrial Development Agency (IDA). On the other, are the developers and city administrators.

Developers have said the council and IDA are trying to delay their waterfront project. Council members have said the developers are cutting corners while seeking a tax break for a project they do not intend to build.

The disputed property is a fenced 13-acre area known as the DeLaval property, located just south of the Mid-Hudson Bridge. The prime piece of land has been blocked to the public for the last five years.

In 2009, JM Development agreed to lease the land from the city to build a business district. Last year, company owner Joe Bonura Jr., told city officials he wanted to build apartments on the property instead.

Then in October, the council passed a resolution demanding that within 45 days, the Bonura family either get started on the original commercial project, reapply to the IDA for a housing project, or lose the project altogether.

The Bonuras then sued the IDA and council, seeking an annulment of the council’s resolution. The Bonuras said in the lawsuit that they also want a Payment In Lieu Of Taxes (PILOT) property tax break they said they were promised in 2009.

Then on Friday, the council fired back. The IDA's attorney wrote in a motion to dismiss that the unsigned 2009 agreement did not guarantee a tax break, only “authorized” the IDA board chairman to “execute” the PILOT deal.

The Bonuras have asked to work out a deal on the property in private meetings with city administrators, the council, and the IDA. Ward 2 Councilman Evan Menist said Monday that ironing out a deal in private would be unfair to the community.

“We’d be talking about the mayor, city administrator, myself representing this ward here, and the developer,” he said of the private meeting. “That’s four white men sitting down in a room to figure out the plan for the southern waterfront for the entire city of Poughkeepsie. I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

Poughkeepsie Mayor Rob Rolison did not respond to a request for comment Monday, but submitted an affidavit Friday, writing that the council has complicated the situation and its 45-day time frame to act was unreasonable. Rolison vetoed the resolution, but his veto was overridden by the council.

In a text message Monday, Joe Bonura Jr., told Spectrum News that “all options are on the table,” and he has been asking to sit down and discuss the project for many months.

“We never wanted to sue the city of Poughkeepsie, but we were forced to protect our investment and rights when the Council passed its resolution without ever even speaking to us about it,” he wrote.