New Information About Mill Street Lofts

The Planning Board's review of Mill Street Lofts has gone on for a year now, and surprisingly things were revealed about the project for the first time last night. 

Possibly inspired by the questionably "affordable" rents at the soon-to-be completed Hudson Depot Lofts, Mill Street resident Lakia Walker asked about the affordability of the apartments in this project, noting that "affordable" was not the same as "low-income." The answer to her question had to be disappointing for those who advocated for the project by citing homeless people and those displaced by rising housing costs. 

Sean Kearney described the building as "mixed income," for households at three income levels: up to 30 percent of the AMI (area median income), up to 60 percent of the AMI, and up to 100 percent of the AMI. The majority of the apartments (54) would be for households with incomes up to 60 percent of the AMI; 9 apartments would be reserved for households in the lower income band (30 percent AMI) and 7 for households in the higher income band (100 percent AMI). The size of the apartments was also revealed for the first time: 43 one-bedroom; 21 two-bedroom, and 6 three-bedroom. When asked how many apartments of each size were designated for each income band, Kearney said he would provide that information to the Planning Board.

When asked if preference would be given to current Hudson residents or former Hudson residents displaced by rising housing costs, Kearney explained that they cannot legally give preference to any group and talked about a lottery to decide who would get the apartments.

Another issue that hadn't been discussed before was a drainage ditch or trench that is part of the plan to move water off the site. Planning Board member Veronica Concra, who voted against granting site plan approval, called the trench an attractive nuisance and said it was creating something of danger--a trench 24 feet wide and 6 feet deep filled with moving water. She called for visuals to show the trench, guardrails, and the sidewalk to which it is adjacent. There were also requests for some modeling to show the height of the buildings in the context of the terrain. Despite these requests and concerns, the vote on approving the project went forward. 

As reported previously, the project was approved, by a vote of 4 to 2. Theresa Joyner, Randall Martin, Gene Shetsky, and Bettina Young all voted to approve the project. The two newest members of the Planning Board--Veronica Concra and Gabrielle Hoffmann--voted against it. 

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Can It Be?

Is Gabrielle Hoffmann, the newest member of the Planning Board, former child actor Gaby Hoffmann?

Gabrielle Hoffmann at last night's Planning Board meeting

Gaby Hoffmann as Jessica in Sleepless in Seattle

Mill Street and the Mayoral Challengers

Yesterday, mayoral candidate Peter Spear opined about the proposed Mill Street Lofts on Instagram, calling it a "bad plan" and "disruptive because the Mayor's Office is putting developers ahead of our neighbors." 

Today, mayoral candidate Lloyd Koedding released this statement about Mill Street Lofts.

So far, there has been no statement from Joe Ferris about the Planning Board's decision last night to grant site plan approval to Mill Street Lofts, but in a statement made earlier, Ferris called on the Planning Board to deny approval: "There is no such thing as a good project in a floodplain. Let's build a future that's safe, equitable, and forward-thinking. Approve the Bliss Towers redevelopment and reject the Mill Street Lofts as it stands." Of course, that didn't happen.

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First News from the Planning Board Meeting

Tonight, after the meeting had gone on for three hours, the Planning Board granted conditional site plan approval to Mill Street Lofts.

The resolution to grant approval passed with four affirmative votes--the minimum needed for approval--cast by Theresa Joyner, Randall Martin, Gene Shetsky, and Bettina Young. The two newest members of the Planning Board--Veronica Concra and Gabrielle Hoffmann, who was attending her very first meeting--voted no. Kali Michael was absent from the meeting.

More information to follow about what transpired at the meeting.

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What Is QUIMBY?

Earlier this week, Peter Spear, candidate for mayor, sent me the link to this article: "Can Quality Solve L.A.'s Housing Crisis?" The article introduces the acronym QUIMBY--Quality in My Backyard--as an alternative to NIMBY--Not in My Backyard--and YIMBY--Yes in My Backyard--the term for people who want new housing everywhere. The article elaborates on QUIMBYs in this way:

QUIMBYs champion the creation of new housing, but they call for smarter planning, better design, long-term affordability, and a serious commitment to sustainability. It's a vision that blends pragmatism with aspiration, recognizing that cities must grow, but also that when they grow in ways that people actually want to live in--and live next to--it's possible to win over the most hardened NIMBYs.

This illustration is also from the article:

The article is recommended reading.

The concept of QUIMBY is particularly relevant to the proposal for Mill Street Lofts. Those opposing the project because of its hodgepodge design, incompatible size, and inappropriate siting on parkland prone to flooding and located on a dead-end street are accused by proponents of the project of being NIMBYs or worse selfish people who don't want others to have what they have or elitists who don't want people of low or moderate incomes to live in Hudson. In truth, the opponents of Mill Street Lofts would be better described as QUIMBYSs.    

As Spear reminded people again on Instagram today, Mill Street Lofts is not what Mayor Kamal Johnson and Housing Justice Director Michelle Tullo promised back in September 2022 when they announced that Kearney Realty & Development had been selected to develop new housing on parcels that belonged to the City of Hudson. The following is quoted from that press release:

We heard from the community that people prefer smaller buildings scattered across different sites, which allows for more gentle density that fits the surrounding neighborhood and allows households seeking affordably priced housing more choice in the neighborhoods they live in.

The important words here are these: "more gentle density that fits the surrounding neighborhood." What's proposed for Mill Street in no way meets that standard.

The review of the project continues at tonight's Planning Board meeting. The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall. It will not be hybrid, but it is likely it will be livestreamed on YouTube. To find the link, click here. 

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Boring Again at Bliss

Yesterday, a crew was at work boring holes into the ground around Bliss Towers. The purpose of the task is to determine the nature and stability of the soil.

Photo courtesy Hudson Common Sense, Second Ward Correspondent 

The last time this was done, back in 2019, it was determined the soil was not stable enough to support the construction being proposed, and the plan to build two new buildings on State Street, on what is Site B in the current plan, was abandoned.  

This time around, the folks from Mountco are maintaining it is possible to build anything anywhere. It is only a matter of cost. For the past few months, the development team has been doing value engineering to bring down the cost of the project which a year ago was estimated would cost $220 million. 

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Breaking News from "Rural Intelligence"

An article by Jamie Larson that appeared today in Rural Intelligence reveals something that we residents of Hudson didn't know: "Hudson Mayor Joins Call for Limits on Industrial Use of City Waterfront."

The following is quoted from the article:

The mayor says the planning board's ongoing use permit approval process needs to be halted for a few months so a multi-party working group can be convened to draft conditions and broker a compromise that addresses resident concerns while allowing the company to continue operating. "My goal is to get representatives from all the groups, and from [Colarusso], in a room to see where we agree--and really get this done," Johnson said. "It's been going on for so many years. I'd rather see this behind us and focus on investment in that area of our city."

You have to wonder what took the mayor so long to speak out about the issue and why he chose to do so in an exclusive interview with Rural Intelligence.

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Galloway in Savannah

For a couple of years now, Gossips has been reporting about the Galvan Foundation's acquisitions and activities in Savannah, where reportedly T. Eric Galloway has taken up residence. Over the weekend, the following article was brought to my attention: "Historic Savannah Foundation CEO & President Sue Adler to Step Down After Six Years of Strong Leadership." The article, which appeared in the Savannah Business Journal on March 14, 2025, recounts Adler's career and accomplishments, but ten paragraphs in, you come to this:

Adler has accepted a new position as Executive Director at Savannah Historic Initiatives, a nonprofit affiliated with the Civis Foundation. Civis Foundation supports activities that promote awareness and collaborates with public and private partners to invest in community building, advocacy and cultural expression that align with the organization's commitment to the betterment of humankind. Adler will report to the Head of the Foundation T. Eric Galloway and will oversee the day-to-day operations, including grants, W.W. Law House programming, Cuyler-Brownville initiatives and the Kiah House Experience.

Interestingly, the Civis logo, found on its website, looks surprising like that Galvan logo, found on its website.

Galvan acquired the home of Savannah civil rights icon Westley Wallace Law in October 2023. Galvan's work in restoring and developing the Cuyler-Brownville neighborhood in Savannah began in January 2023. Galvan acquired the Kiah House in September 2023 with the intention of establishing there the first museum in Savannah founded by an African American.

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The Mayor Responds

On Saturday, Gossips reported that Joe Ferris, candidate for mayor, has challenged the incumbent Kamal Johnson to five debates--one in each ward--to take place before June 14, when early voting begins for the Democratic primary: "Will He or Won't He?" 

Today, Johnson responded on Instagram, agreeing to only one debate and suggesting the other two candidates for mayor--Peter Spear and Lloyd Koedding, neither of whom will actually be on the ballot until November--be included in the debate.

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Update on the Ferry Street Bridge

On May 1, Justin Weaver, mayor's aide, told his colleagues on the Public Works Board that the Ferry Street Bridge was expected to be complete by Memorial Day weekend. Alas, that didn't happen. This was the state of things on the Front Street side of the bridge yesterday.

Gossips contacted DPW superintendent Rob Perry to find out why Weaver's prediction had not come true. According to Perry, it all has to do with National Grid. It seems National Grid needs to install a new gas main, and until that happens, the work on the bridge cannot be completed. Although the new main could have been installed months ago, trenching for the new main did not begin until a couple of weeks ago. When the new main is in place, the guardrails, sidewalks, curbing, and lighting--everything needed to complete the bridge--can be installed.

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Meetings and Events in the Week Ahead

In what is left of the last week in May, here is what's happening.

• On Tuesday, May 27, the Common Council ad hoc Parking Study Committee meets at 6:00 p.m. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Microsoft Teams. Click here for the link to join the meeting remotely.
• On Thursday, May 29, Thomas Shannon, Germantown historian, presents a talk about the local aftermath of the 1709 Palatine Migration to New York. The event takes place at 6:00 p.m. in the Community Room at the Hudson Area Library, 51 North Fifth Street. For more information about the event, click here.

• On Thursday, May 29, the Planning Board holds a special meeting. The meeting takes place at 6:30 p.m, at City Hall. The agenda for the meeting includes the apartment building proposed for Fairview Avenue between Parkwood and Oakwood boulevards, Mill Street Lofts, and a public hearing on a conditional use permit to keep five hens at the rectory of Christ Church Episcopal. The city calendar indicates that the meeting is in person only, but it may be livestreamed at the link found here.

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A Reminder

If you are planning to submit a written comment to the Planning Board regarding Colarusso's application for a conditional use permit for its dock operations, the deadline is this Friday, May 30. Comments should be submitted to the Planning Board clerk, Linda Fenoff: lfenoff@cityofhudson.org.

You may also want to sign the petition initiated by Our Hudson Waterfront. It asks the Planning Board either to impose strict, enforceable conditions in the dock operations to protect the public enjoyment of the waterfront or to deny the conditional use permit altogether. The petition can be reviewed and signed here.

Contemplating the "Depot District"

It's hard to ignore how out of place the new building at 76 North Seventh Street is. Its lack of compatibility with the neighborhood seems particularly stunning when approached from the north, after leaving the parking lot at the Central Fire Station, but it seems wrong from any angle.

The question of compatibility with its surroundings came up three years ago, when the Historic Preservation Commission was reviewing the designs for this building and the one proposed for 75 North Seventh Street across the street. At that time, HPC member Miranda Barry observed, "You're creating an entirely different neighborhood that never existed before." Walter Chatham, who was the architect for the two buildings then being proposed, argued that such a neighborhood did exist before, citing other 19th-century buildings of similar mass in the area that survive (the Pocketbook Factory) or have been lost (the Gifford-Wood building).

During the discussion, Chatham shared this rendering of what was being imagined for the "Depot District." 

At a later meeting of the HPC, Chatham likened the new buildings then being proposed to the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center when they were first built in the early 1970s. In the beginning, they stood out by themselves, but in time they were contextualized as other buildings were constructed around them. Given that there is now just one "Depot District" building, he might better have cited the Dakota in the Upper West Side, which which was out of character with its surroundings when it was built in the late 1880s.

Photo from Andrew Alpern, The Dakota: A History of the World's Best-Known Apartment Building (Princeton Architectural Press, 2015)

There's no telling how long 76 North Seventh Street will stand there alone, uncontextualized. Earlier this month, Galvan announced it was "pausing" development of 75 North Seventh, the building across the street. According to Dan Kent, the suspension of was "due to macroeconomic uncertainties." There are some who are of the opinion development was paused because it seemed unlikely their application for a PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) and other financial benefits was going to be approved by the Hudson Industrial Development Agency (IDA). Whatever the reason, 76 North Seventh Street could be waiting a while for the neighborhood with which it will be compatible to become a reality.

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Observing Memorial Day

Tomorrow promises to be the best day of this dank and sunless holiday weekend, and, yes, there will be a Memorial Day parade. As always, the event begins at 10:00 a.m. in Seventh Street Park. The parade goes down Warren Street to Fourth Street and then on to the Columbia County courthouse, where the speeches and ceremony take place.

Will He or Won't He?

The Democratic Primary is exactly a month off, on June 24. Early voting for the primary starts in just three weeks. Today, Joe Ferris, who is challenging incumbent Kamal Johnson to be the Democratic candidate for mayor, announced in an email something he had already made known on Instagram and YouTube. In the short time remaining before the primary, he is calling for five debates with Johnson--one in each ward. 

Although Ferris ends his email by saying, "I am confident the mayor will accept my invitation," there is no word about whether or not he has.

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