No Longer Mobile, No Longer a Home

Mobile homes or trailers permanently parked and used as offices or residences have been illegal in Hudson since 1963, but there are still a few in the city that have grandfathered status. That number will soon be reduced by one.

The trailer that stood for years at 247 Columbia Street is now being removed--not hauled away in tow but demolished with a backhoe. There had been a devastating fire in the trailer, rendering it uninhabitable, and in September the lot was purchased by the owner of the two adjacent lots, 249 and 251 Columbia Street. The two houses that once stood on those lots were demolished a year ago.

Photo: Victor Mendolia

The plan is to merge the three lots into a single property and to construct thereon a single family home with a three-car garage. The proposal to merge the lots came before the Planning Board at its December meeting and was approved. The board was told that the plans for the house "followed all the setback regulations," which means the house will not conform to the prevailing setbacks on the street and will be more suburban than urban in its placement on the lot. Nothing is known about the design for the house nor will it be. Columbia Street is not part of a locally designated historic district.
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