Tuesday, February 11, 2020

A Preview of What's Being Proposed

At the Hudson IDA (Industrial Development Agency) meeting this afternoon, a proposal was received for a new project seeking the IDA's support: the conversion of the former Hudson Home for the Aged at 620 Union Street into a 50-room hotel, with a restaurant, bar, and event space.

The project as proposed involves the restoration and renovation of the original 1830s house, the home of Robert and Sally McKinstry, and of the 1870s addition to the house, and the construction of a new addition, referred to a "modern sister," which would  double the size of the building. Accompanying the application were these renderings of what is proposed. 

The project will be coming before the Planning Board tonight--presumably after all the presentations about the Colarusso issues--to begin the process of site plan approval. On Tuesday, February 25, at 11 a.m., the IDA will hold a special meeting to consider the application. On Friday, February 28, at 10:00 a.m., the project will go before the Historic Preservation Commission for a certificate of appropriateness.
COPYRIGHT 2020 CAROLE OSTERINK

10 comments:

  1. If the addition is that tall, it is likely to cast a lot of apartments and studios across the alley into darkness, and cut off people’s views.

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  2. Is it time for a moratorium on new hotels?

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  3. Why can't the "modern sister" be in scale with the historic one instead of coming across as the dominatrix ?

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  4. PARKING solutions for a project of this size should be interesting .

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    1. Also needs a traffic study. 50 rooms,
      restaurant and employees, truck deliveries on Union or Cherry Alley, the need for loading dock. Increased density of traffic and
      how that effects surrounding neighborhood.

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  5. It’s very Ramada inn in spirit , gives the whole thing a cheesy South Carolina chain motel vibe that feels out of keeping with Hudson. The massing of the brick on the additions is very 1970s. Perhaps a more modern facade that’s entirely covered in vines would meld better and be more ecologically sustainable and hide it’s awkward proportions, and let it recede and give the really lovely older house the staring rĂ´le it deserves

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    1. I don't think we're quite at Ramada-level here, but the facade of the addition does, at least from the admittedly somewhat unhelpful renderings, give off a utilitarian vibe. I'm not sure how to make it more modern, but HPC will no doubt have some notes and I like your idea about using a green cover to highlight the historic structure rather than overshadow it

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  6. Rather cheesy looking, and I'm all in favor of modern additions.

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  7. Hard to see in fuzzy renderings but cant see how trees survive. This would be a huge loss to Hudson!

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    1. Dale Schafer, who is designing the landscaping for the project, told the Planning Board last night that they were planning to preserve two "historic trees" and a pear tree now there.

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