Wednesday, August 12, 2020

News from the Planning Board

Even when Colarusso is not on the agenda, even when an unannounced executive session delays the start of the meeting for an hour, attending a Planning Board meeting is rarely without its rewards. Last night was no exception.

First on the agenda for the evening, after the hour-long executive session, was the beginning of the site plan review of a project to transform the former TJ Auto Service Center at 735 Columbia Street into a brewery and bar/restaurant to be called Columbia Pump Station.




This new brewery site is little more than a stone's throw away from the brewery that's supposed to open in the historic Hudson Upper Depot, now known as Galvan Depot.

The Planning Board requested renderings of the building as it will be adapted for its new use and scheduled a public hearing on the proposed project for September 8.

Also on the agenda was 75 North Seventh Street, the building being proposed by the Galvan Foundation for which a PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) agreement is being sought. The entire project team was present at the meeting: Dan Kent, vice president for initiatives at Galvan; Charles Gottlieb, land use attorney; Chad Lindberg, from Taconic Engineering, and Jorge Chang, from Urban Architectural Initiatives. They even had a new rendering of the building, in which it appears even more massive in its context than it did in the previous rendering.

Chang talked about how they had done a historic study of the city and the district and asserted that the building was "defined by the history of the city"--combining Quaker design and industrial design. He pointed out the six over six windows and spoke of the "language of industrial architecture" and of "referencing older wood shingle buildings." Planning Board member Larry Bowne crystallized the confusion inspired by the mention of wood shingles and cementitious material (i.e., Hardiplank) when he said of the rendering, "I totally read that as brick."

Bowne requested a site plan that included the depot, which is to become a brewery, and renderings that show the building in the context of the neighborhood. He also wanted to see the industrial buildings being referenced in the design. Board member Stephen Steim noted that the height of the building would have an impact on the residential properties along Sixth Street, and Bowne suggested that renderings were needed that showed the building "from all the way around."

In introducing the project to the Planning Board, Kent claimed it was "born out of community input, the Comprehensive Plan, and the Strategic Housing Action Plan." At the end of the meeting, Planning Board chair Betsy Gramkow encouraged the members of the board read the Strategic Housing Action Plan.
COPYRIGHT 2020 CAROLE OSTERINK

17 comments:

  1. Can someone in the Planning meeting mention that the Galvan rendering of a green wall is unrealistic. It is a distraction to make the building less ugly. Greenwalls do not survive in zone 5b and are some of the most expensive elements in landscape architecture (over $1000/sq ft). They require weekly maintenance with plant replacements (which is impossible in that rendering because there is no permanent maintenance scaffolding or window washer anchors to maintain it. The plants would be dead in the winter.As a Landscape Arch- it makes me uncomfortable that Galvin's architect is proposing irresponsible designs that are misleading.

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  2. TJ AUTO SERVICE CENTER is a great 1930s style Dutch Colonial building from the days when design mattered and people cared more. The building echoes the look of the administration offices at the Rip Van Winkle bridge. New York was still the Empire State.


    It is great news that the former gas station tire center will morph into a restaurant and beer garden. The building looks like it will be saved and put to good use generating sales tax income for the City while preserving Hudsons unique character. And we who live here can go have a beer and a good time.

    Someone in investing their own money here and that is great for all of us.

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  3. I happen to be a member of the Society of Friends - aka Quakers. There is nothing in this design that resonates with me. It seems more Massachusetts Millworks than anything else. I would like to know in what way in particular Mr Chang thinks this warehouse connects with Friends architecture.

    Also, a core element of Friends belief and culture is Stewardship. The site on which this real estate developer wishes to build this warehouse is currently occupied by 3 badly maintained houses., all owned by Galvan. Where is Galvan's "quaker" stewardship on these properties?

    Mr. Chang may have read somewhere that Hudson was founded by "Quakers". Inform yourself, Mr Chang, about who we really are.

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  4. Um. A former service station must need some kind of remediation for the oil and chemicals used in the facility. I assume that will be addressed during the renovation. "Can I get a pint draft with a melanoma chaser please?"

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    1. Ör was a former garage, but you are right, I think they have to take some precautions about chemicals and such. By the way, it looks like someone has been putting a lot of work into the former location of Ör, I wonder if anyone knows what’s going in there?

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    2. Helsinki was once a bus garage for the school district. I was on the school board for part of the time that that deal was being negotiated (in 1999?) and remember that Helsinki owners were asking the school district to do the remediation.

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    3. I think the reason Or could not have a kitchen on-site is because the remediation was never done, though I caution that information was provided to me secondhand, so please take it with a grain of salt.

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    4. That is not correct, John Kane. The reason Or could not have a kitchen was because it was approved as a art gallery that served coffee and alcohol--a permitted use in a residential district, which is what that part of Third Street is, whereas any kind of eating and drinking establishment is not a permitted use.

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    5. See https://gossipsofrivertown.blogspot.com/2014/11/of-interest-in-register-star.html

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    6. Thank you for the correction, and allow me to clarify. It is my understanding that there was a buried tank under the property that could only be removed at a cost of about $25000. No open kitchen flames would be permissible until the material in question was removed. Therefore-a facility with a full kitchen was kind of a non-starter for the owners of Or.

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  5. Trust Mr Downer, that issue has already been addressed by the owners. Its cool, and I wish the new people in Hudson were cool and creative also.

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  6. Trust me Mr Downer, that issue has already been addressed by the owners. Its cool, and I wish the new people in Hudson were cool and creative also.

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  7. The style and architecture of the former auto service building definitely looks much more suited to a food, beverage and entertainment type complex.

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  8. I always wanted to buy a scooter at TJ'S. Wish I had.

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  9. Temperance soon to follow ... we'll be wallowing in beer joints ... what do they offer families or anyone under 21. You build it, they will come, watch out what ya wish for.

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  10. I noticed that the property for the proposed brewery has not changed hands. Is CH Evans leasing the property? I assume they would be the brewer in question, since they are associated with the Albany Pump House.

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    1. As is typical with commercial properties, the sale does not close until the new owner gets the necessary approvals to do what is planned for the building.

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