The same fate nearly befell 256 Union Street, but a vigilant neighbor intervened to prevent it. The bracket has been mounted on the roof of the enclosed porch, but the dish has not been attached.
Both houses are located in the Union-Allen-South Front Street Historic District and are subject to Hudson's historic preservation law, which requires a certificate of appropriateness from the Historic Preservation Commission before a satellite dish can be installed. Section 169-5 of the City Code begins:
A certificate of appropriateness is required to carry out any exterior alteration, additions, restoration, reconstruction, demolition, new construction, or moving of a landmark or property within an historic district, or to make any material change in the appearance of such a property or its windows, or install or move a satellite dish.The idea is to position the satellite dishes where they cannot be seen from the street.
You neglected to mention that the new occupants of the house at 256 Union knew nothing of this historic preservation law and were more than happy to oblige when approached by this vigilant neighbor. We Now however have a tripod stuck in our roof which will be very costly to remove. I would greatly appreciate if there would be no more photos taken of the window where my child plays. Thank you
ReplyDeleteI think it would be really helpful if one or some of the historically concerned organizations in Hudson could get together and put together some basic guidelines / list of laws for new homeowners. Even if its just a letter directing them to this information. I for one wouldn't know where to look for a list of laws and regulations and I know this family also had no idea that they were breaking code law.
ReplyDeleteThe family who moved into 256 tried to have the dish installed in the back of the house but the company installing it couldn't get reception there. When they learned that fixing it to the front of the house was against code they didn't hesitate to comply despite the somewhat staunch and threatening approach taken by the 'vigilant neighbor.'
What concerns me about this situation is that this couple has managed to conquer the almost impossible feat of finding employment in Hudson and being able to afford a home in Hudson, and one of their first experiences in their new home was a negatively slanted blog post and a threatening intervention. Hopefully we as a neighborhood can learn from this, the small but growing population of young individuals and families who contribute to the growth of Hudson's economy both by owning/renting a home and working here need the encouragement and support of the community!