Jiovani Loncarevic and Layla Stover are Kingston neighbors, concerned about the future of their city.

“Housing is insanely, insanely blowing up," Stover says.

Both are born and raised in Kingston. They say they’re concerned lifelong residents are getting priced out because wealthy new residents from New York City are coming in.

“Those people that have gentrified the city and have lived there for years and have been gentrifying there for years, are now moving up here and making this more of a destination," Stover said. "And raising the prices of transportation, food and housing."

The process of gentrification occurs when, generally, lower-income parts of a city are redeveloped into more desirable areas, attracting wealthier people and businesses. But with that comes a higher cost of living for current residents who may not be able to afford to live in the particular neighborhood anymore. 

According to the National Association of Realtors, the price of a home in Kingston rose 18% over the last two years compared to the national average of only 4%, making Kingston's spike in prices the highest in the country.

Stover and Loncarevic say one of the most recent examples of Kingston's gentrification is Barnfox, a shared workspace company with locations in Kingston, Hudson and Livingston Manor.

The pair says they see Barnfox catering to a wealthier clientele. Membership plans start at $495 annually to use its workspace for a total of 14 days over the course of a year.

“Its neighbors can’t really afford the high prices of their rent because of an impact that they are directly responsible for having on that community," Loncarevic said.

Wanting to be involved, the two turned their attention to social media-based group Boycott Barnfox. The group operates an Instagram page calling for a boycott of the company.

“The feedback that I was seeing from these people that I know was very negative, very, kind of, we’re not ready for this, we don’t need this, why are they are here, why do they think we want them here," Stover said.

Barnfox declined to comment.

Its website says it welcomes local residents and organizations to use its space, free of charge, for any events that are “educational, progressive, feature artists and are connective for all people.”

That's not enough for Stover and Loncarevic, who fear gentrification will change the character of the place they call home.

“I would like to recommend to anyone that comes up here: Spend money consciously," Loncarevic said. "Look at the businesses that you’re walking into."